1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

Draining gas

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Old Oct 14, 2005 | 05:03 PM
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Draining gas

wheres the drain located to drain old gas out. or is there even one. i cant find it any where in the haynes manual or car manual or even on here.........i dont wnat to syfen it
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Old Oct 14, 2005 | 05:50 PM
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Gas tank

On an 83-85 its on the bottom of the gas tank, a 14mm wrench fits it. My 79 does not have a drain so I don't know what year they started putting one on it. You could always pull the fuel filter and turn the key on and drain it thru the pump if you don't have a drain plug in the tank.

Good luck.
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Old Oct 14, 2005 | 06:27 PM
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I just finished draining a 79 gas tank about three ago. You are better off taking it off, it is easier and you would be surprised how much junk could be there. But don't worry, it is easier to clean the 79 - 80 tanks than the 83-85 ones.... I used degreaser, carb cleaner, oven cleaner, variety of brushes and the thing tube that has two 90 degree angles (hard to clean) I used a speedomoter cable cut at one end and snaked the thin pipe clean just like home plumbing.
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Old Oct 14, 2005 | 06:34 PM
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my car is a 82 and i looked under it by the tank adn cant find any drains but then again i dont knwo what i'm look for, i would think it would have some sort of lever totwiste to open
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Old Oct 14, 2005 | 06:37 PM
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could you pull the hatch carpet up? should be a few screws there, and you could drain it that way. if not, i have NO CLUE!
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Old Oct 14, 2005 | 06:57 PM
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There is no drain on the 82, only 83+ tanks and they have a small 10mm bolt.

Best bet would be to siphon the gas out.
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Old Oct 14, 2005 | 06:57 PM
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hatch carpet? theres nothing there.... use the drain plug.

makes the job effortless.
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Old Oct 14, 2005 | 07:01 PM
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Dealer style. Drain the old gas thru the filler neck using an electric fuel pump (a stock pump is good for that) and with long gas line.
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Old Oct 15, 2005 | 08:40 AM
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put a filter before that pump though. Who knows what kind of chunks you can suck up through the hose. Rust flakes are bad...
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Old Oct 15, 2005 | 09:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Row-Tar-Eeeh
could you pull the hatch carpet up? should be a few screws there, and you could drain it that way. if not, i have NO CLUE!
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Old Nov 13, 2005 | 05:27 PM
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so my best bet is to either take out the gas tank or sifen the gas out
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Old Nov 13, 2005 | 05:32 PM
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My opinion, you might as well pull it out. Reason being: You can replace the old nasty soft lines that may leak down the road and could obviously cause personal injury. Also would be good to inspect inside of tank and possibly get it cleaned if need be. Another thing to do while you have it out is to clean the contacts of the fuel level sending unit. They corrode which throws the reading off.
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Old Nov 13, 2005 | 05:36 PM
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dude, disconnect the output from the stock pump and turn the ignition to the on position.. use the stock pump to suck the bitch dry. works good, but may take up to 20 minutes...
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Old Nov 13, 2005 | 05:45 PM
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Originally Posted by SparkienSuggah
dude, disconnect the output from the stock pump and turn the ignition to the on position.. use the stock pump to suck the bitch dry. works good, but may take up to 20 minutes...
this seems to be the easiest way but i dont fully understand how
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Old Nov 13, 2005 | 05:52 PM
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the stock fuel pump is located just behind of the driver seat, under the car.
there is a splash guard/mounting plate holding it up.. loosen the plate off and then one line from the pump will go to the tank, the other to the front of the car. D/C the one going to the front of the car (hose clamp) and then divert the output of the pump to a large bucket, youmay need a foot or two of hose to accomplish this.
once all this is set up, just turn the ignition to the run position... dont try to start it.. just leave it on. turn off the blower motor to conserve energy and let the pump jizz away into the bucket. dirt simple, drains almost all the gas.
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Old Nov 13, 2005 | 11:41 PM
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Originally Posted by SparkienSuggah
the stock fuel pump is located just behind of the driver seat, under the car.
there is a splash guard/mounting plate holding it up.. loosen the plate off and then one line from the pump will go to the tank, the other to the front of the car. D/C the one going to the front of the car (hose clamp) and then divert the output of the pump to a large bucket, youmay need a foot or two of hose to accomplish this.
once all this is set up, just turn the ignition to the run position... dont try to start it.. just leave it on. turn off the blower motor to conserve energy and let the pump jizz away into the bucket. dirt simple, drains almost all the gas.
thanks now i got the picture how to do it
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Old Nov 18, 2005 | 07:27 PM
  #17  
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well d-day came (drain-gas day) i tried to take of the splash guard but i had no clue what it looked liek or where exactly it was and i pretty sure i foud it and got it almost off, one blot didnt want to come of casue on the ther side it was holding some line and the line jsut twisted with it so i threw on the bolts adn did it the old way........sifening it and now i got a gas smelling mouth and my lips burned when i did it
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Old Feb 13, 2011 | 07:46 PM
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Why not just take a piece of fuel line and hook it up to the fuel outlet on the pump and run the line to a gas tank and pump the shitty gas/ Muck out then once it runs clearer again stop and reconnect the fuel system with a filter before the pump.

Im just thinking of making this easier rather than harder by taking the whole tank out, I havent had problems but i want to get any water and sludge out of the tank before it causes any more problems, I have typical fuel gauge problems and to lazy to care just refuell every 400k.

Any new thoughts,

Cheers
Matt
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Old Feb 18, 2011 | 06:41 PM
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Ok so today I gave up on my tank. I removed the filter and it was really bad, after Ichanged the filter I tried to run the new filter with no fuel being drawn in ( I tried compressed air up the hose to blow any **** back and ovv the pickupscreen, that also didnt work....

So I bit the bullet and dropped the tank and the gas was so brown and nasty it was crazy... So drained the fuel and washed the inside of the tank with a hose to remove any more contaminants, The pickup screen is still bright and shiny after all the cleaning.

the tank is sitting in a warm well ventillated room for drying and prep for paint, the next step in ensuring the pickups are good is a good shot of compressed air and some suction to pull out any crud inside the pickup screen...

tank i have is restrictive and I cant see what im gonna need to do... any more input would help me out....

Thanks
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Old Feb 18, 2011 | 11:51 PM
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With a tank that gunked up you can clean it yourself or find a radiator shop that cleans tanks. It will most likely need resealed after cleaning. To clean it, use an impact screwdriver to remover the fuel pickup and sender unit screws. Pour in 1/2 gal of MEK, acetone or laquer thinner, tape off the openings. Rotate the tank around so the solvent coats all of the inside of the tank. Do this several times over a couple hour period. Pour out solvent, repeat with another 1/2 gallon. Drain rank and leave it open for a couple days.

Radiator shops that clean tanks usually sell the sealer or you can order a kit from Eastwoods. I've used Red-Kote on the last couple tanks I've done. If the tank is showing rust spots on the outside, strip off the under coating, address the rust, paint with a primer/SEALER, then topcoat. I've been using truck bed liner as an under coating. You can buy either in a spray can, along with rust converter @ WalMart.
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