Draining Fuel Tank

Can someone tell me what the easiest  way to drain the gas tank?  I'm having to scrap the car and I have to drain the gas first.....    If anybody needs anything please let me know...  I hate that these part are going to waste!!

I don't think there's an 'easy' way. You'll need to disconnect the fuel line somewhere, easiest is probably under the hood where the plastic lines feed the injector rail, then you'll have to jump the fuel pump. You can access the wires through a hatch in the trunk floor. If somebody knows where the wires go into the relay that would be an easier place to jump it from.

You can get a siphon pump at Advance for like $7.00

Bert

Can you siphon from our fuel door, or is there a screen in there?

My step father owns a back hoe... I know how he would do it, lol. He knows how to get a motor out of a car easily using the same idea.

Thanks for replies.. The back hoe method does work well, used it a few times... I didn't think you could siphon on the this car, I'll try it first before a brake out the guns....

thanks,

redline

You can also try removing the hose/tube from the inlet of the fuel filter, hooking up a hose to the line coming from fuel tank, then energize the fuel pump and pump it out that way.

Does anyone know if the tank is plastic?

The one in my 98 is plastic.

If thats the case on mine can't I just poke a hole in it???

You could if you don't mind ruining the tank.
If your dismantling, why don't you remove the fuel pump assembly and siphon the tank from that hole, then sell the pump assembly if it's still good.
Pump is easy to get to. Remove access plate in trunk.

Even better idea!!!I didn't realize it was that easy to get to..... If anyone is looking for either part let me know... Thanks for help.


redline

How are the tabs on the tank? Are they rust free?

My 96 is not the SC. Driving in the heavy rain the engine quit at an intersection but I got it going and got it home under duress. It died as I drove into my driveway and would not restart. The fuel pump has been very loud for some time now so because it acted like it was not getting fuel I decided to replace the pump. Now with the new pump and cleaning out the fuel filter it still would not fire. I have been meaning to change the plugs and wires so I figured this would be a good time for that. What a pain. After that it started but for only ten seconds or so and would not take any gas. That's where I am right now. Help me here. I don't know what to do next. Could there be air in the fuel line? Should I bleed that and if so, how?

How heavy is heavy rain? Is it possible any water got into the air filter and subsequently into the engine?

I don't think it was possible for any rain to get into the engine.  Any ideas?

Come on guys. I need help with this.

Come on guys. I need help with this.

Has the fuel filter ever been changed? What is the fuel pressure with the key on but engine off? What about with the engine on?

I guess I have the problem figured out. It is water in the gas. I took the filter by the back wheel off and turned the key on and contaminated fuel came out. I did it about ten times and got a pretty good sample of what is in the tank. OK How do I drain the tank? Is there a way to get the fuel pump to pump the tank dry? If not, how? Do I have to remove the new fuel pump? I hope I do not have to remove the fuel tank.

Remove filter and cycle key on/off so it primes the pump? Not sure how long that would take.

Or just siphon it out

You could pull the fuel pump relay and put a jumper wire in there. I did that to drain a tank I had contaminated with water.

+1 on deeksters idea.

I would actually get a long Fuel Pressure hose with a fitting on it for the Fuel Rail. Run the hose into a container, and jump the relay. This way, you aren't having to set-up and work under the car, and all the Fuel comes out of the rail with no mess. We did this on about 20 lot cars of ours when our gas pump at the shop filled with water and we didn't know it.

All fixed and running well again. My biggest fear now is keeping water out in the future. If it got in there this time, what will prevent it from happening again? And what happened to Ken who devised a gizmo to repair the tanks? I tried many times to contact him and never heard a word. He could have at least answered me and told me he had none instead of leaving me in the lurch. My car was disabled for an extra week or so while I waited to hear from him. I still need his help to fix my tank for prevention.

What happened to Ken? I'm pretty sure he didn't see your post in the fuel locking ring thread and had no idea you needed help. I mean, you can't expect him to check the thread everyday, right? Did you send him an email or a PM through our site? If you really need to contact a member in a hurry, email is your best chance. If they don't get back to you, and it's that important, it may be time to take your car to a shop.

Your car was disabled because water got in the fuel somehow - that's not Ken's fault. If you need a new locking ring, stop by a Buick parts counter and pick one up. If you need one of Ken's custom jobs, you may have to wait until he's able to supply more of them. Try emailing him if you haven't. Also, LARRY70GS may be able to let Ken know you're looking for him.

Are you sure you just didn't get bad gas from a station?? It's EXTREMELY rare that a tank will allow water in from elsewhere. You'd smell fuel all the time if it had a hole in it somewhere, especially the lock ring.

I emailed him more than once. Perhaps he was out of town. You really don't think my problem was his fault? What idiot would? Clearly I wasn't blaming him for my problem. I was just looking for a way to fix the problem and prevent it from happening again. I have the car running now but I still need his gizmo since the locking rings on the tank are rusted. I did replace the outside ring and gasket but the correct seal cannot be accomplished without fixing the rings on the tank.