Easiest Method to Drain Gas from Tank?

[pbcstylez]

Hi guys,

I was wondering if anybody knew the easiest method to drain the gas out of the B6 A4? I've seen post on the A6 forums about a screen at the bottom of the fuel eck, is this the same w/ our a4s?

The reason why I need to drain the gas is that I have a fuel pump failure. The worst part was that it failed on a full tank of gas. Right now during the fuel pump install, when i go to remove the two fuel lines (delivery and return) I have fuel pouring out of one of those inlets. I believe this is due to having a full tank of gas.

If somebody can please make a recommendation on the safest/easiest way to remove the gas to say 50% capacity that'd be great. My intention is to somehow drain that gas into another car rather than storing it and dealing with those issue.

Please advise.

Thanks in advance

Jeff

[specter]

Damn. I was gonna be cruel and say, "find an open road and hit the gas," but you covered your butt. Sorry for my helpless post; it'll give you a 5 o' clock bump, though.

[JoshDub]

Let it drain from one of those hoses into a gas tank. That should work.

[mainer0311]

A shop vac in the filler neck with a rag around it will pull enough of a vacuum for you to change a fuel pump. Just have all your stuff inline before you take the pump out.

Cooper

[CO AVANT]

I was able to siphon my tank with regular clear homedepot/ace hardware tubing. Got most the fuel out when I was needing to switch over to race gas. Didn't taste so good though ;) Or use a fluid extractor like a MityVac and pump it out from the fuel pump area. Both are pretty easy and clean (ie no fuel spilling on ground).

[dougyfresh]

Remove line to fuel rail. Turn on ignition and let the fuel pump drain the tank into a bucket via the fuel rail feed line.

[MikeWire]

Let the pump do the work...take off the outlet connector on the fuel fiter, get a container to empty into, and switch on your ignition? I don't know why it wouldn't work.

[NastyNice]

quit tryin to syphon gas

[A4 TSCHUSS]

You are disconnecting the two lines from the top of the tank (white plastic cap)? If so and fuel is coming out of that, it is only because you have fuel in the line going up to the front of the car, it doesn't matter what is in your tank. You could hit the little valve on the back of the fuel rail to remove pressure and then remove those hoses from top of tank, the fuel won't spray out now that it isnt under pressure but it will still leak until a certain amount is out of the line.

[pbcstylez]

guys great input, however My fuel pump is dead, therefore no turning ignition anything to make the pump work.

I think I may have been unclear in my original post. However What i'm referring to is that the two white nipples coming out of the fuel pump area are the ones where i'm having fuel gush out. I understand that there is residual fuel in the lines, but in my case zero, this is all coming out of the nipple from the tank cover under the rear seats. I'll try to use a hose n siphon pump or some combo unless somebody has alternate suggestions.

Thanks for the input and keep it coming, i'm sure somebody in the future will make use of this post.

[mattro]

I would just take like a 2 inch piece of hose, and jam something at the end to plug it, then pull your hose off the white nipple and plug that small hose on.
I never looked under there, but it seems you just need something to cap it ? it should work
no need to go through the trouble of draining a gas tank if all you need is to stop gas coming out from a small nipple ;)

[pbcstylez]

wow nobody really pays attention to read the whole story?

[MikeWire]

How many more suggestions do you want? There's only so many ways to drain the tank.

Yup I missed that your pump was dead because I skimmed your post, like I do with most posts that ramble a bit

[A4Avant02]

I had the same pump failure, on a full tank. I just siphoned it off using tubing I had in the shop.

[infernocl]

disconnect fuel filter line, slow gravity drain

[vtraudt]

A shop vac in the filler neck with a rag around it will pull enough of a vacuum for you to change a fuel pump. Just have all your stuff inline before you take the pump out.

Cooper

Sounds a bit dangerous. Risk of electric motor igniting gas fumes?

[f1torrents]

Sounds a bit dangerous. Risk of electric motor igniting gas fumes?

Yes I agree.
I would avoid this method.

I just got my new fuel pump from ECS yesterday. Im going to keep my tank at less then half until I get a chance to change it.
Id do the siphon method.

Mine is making horrible noises.
I got one before it dies on me.
It was on sale for only 214. Today its over 300....
Sometimes it pays to do preventative maintenance I guess.. :)