Old Gas in Tank

[dartsixty7]

What's the best way to remove old gas from a gas tank without removing the tank from the car? The car in question is a 72 Dodge Dart.

Thank you in advance,

Dan in Silicon Valley

 

[69swinger340391]

How old is it?

Raise the back of the car up high.....remove the supply hose to the fuel pump and it should start to siphon out.....if not use a vacuum pump to start the siphon.

If the car has been sitting for a long time, there is likely a coating of varnish like film inside the tank. The good news is that is easily removed. The bad news is that the ethanol in the fuel will remove it and send it down the fuel line and clog your fuel filter on a weekly basis.

If the car has been sitting for many years, you will be better off removing and thoroughly cleaning or replacing the tank.

 

[dartsixty7]

Thanks for the reply. The car was last started about 7 months ago. I stupidly added 5 gallons of gas to the tank to get it started without first checking the condition of the gas in the tank. I now get a strong varnish/gas smell from the carburetor when I'm trying to start it. I'll try either jacking the car up or look for a siphon to get the gas out of the tank and then I'll decide whether or not to drop the gas tank and have it cleaned out.

Thanks,

Dan in Silicon Valley

 

[69swinger340391]

7 months is not too old for the tank. You most likely just have stale gas and a drain and refill should cure this.

The ethanol/varnish problem usually arises from cars that have sat unused for many years (before ethanol was in the gas) and then refilled with fuel containing ethanol.

Ethanol attracts water, and also separates from fuel after 30 days. After 6 months or a year, you could have a nasty combination of stale gas, and water soaked ethanol in a tank.

Ask anyone with an old boat what happened to their inboard fuel tanks after ethanol was added to gasoline.