Syphoning fuel out of a Focus

[sierraman]

Need to drain half a tank of petrol from the canabalised Focus. Before I fuck about does anyone know if a Mk1 Focus Petrol has an anti syphon device? Or can I just stick the jiggle pipe in and have done?

[Cavcraft]

Have you pulled the back seat up to see if there's access to the sender unit and this tank?

[sierraman]

Yes you can but it involves cutting a hole in the floor to hoy the fuel pump out. Can do it but it's more fecking about.

[Bren]

Stab tank.Job done.

[OwdChina]

Scramble underneath and remove filler pipe from tank............syphon from there.

[sierraman]

Stab tank.Job done.

Odd question but what with?

[Lacquer Peel]

Chisel or big flat head screwdriver.

[DodgeRover]

Can you not just cut the fuel pipe at the engine end and bridge the fuel pump relay to pump it into a can?

[Mally]

Pickaxe will do it, but stabbing a tank is not very Health and Safety.

[DodgeRover]

You're only allowed to put a hole in the tank while it dangling from a Hiab, otherwise you never get a big enough funnel under it to catch all the spillage...,

[omegod]

I drill it then wind a bolt/screw in to the hole to stop the flow of fuel when the cans are full

[fordperv]

Does it run? If so remove the return pipe from the fuel rail put a piece of pipe on there that reaches your desired container and fire it up

[sierraman]

Thinking of keeping the pump as they are a fail prone part of the Focus. A tickle with the grinder then cut round the pump, whip the lock ring round then syphon from there...

[chaseracer]

Odd question but what with?

 

Gas axe*.

 

[sheffcortinacentre]

Seen someone drill one with a cordless drill, he couldn't understand why it still caught fire?

[Stanky]

I hammered a nail through the bottom of my first car's (A mk1 fiesta pop which would probably be worth something these days) fuel tank just before it was HIAB'd away in about 2001. It was a metal tank and didn't catch fire, the bonus being that as it was a very small hole the fuel drained out quite slowly, especially as I kept the filler cap done up, and managed to drain it into a selection of cans and bottles.

 

Probably not a great idea, but if its a plastic tank then a small-ish nail and a hammer will do the job without too much risk. Just make sure you have enough cans to catch the majority of the fuel and don't do it with a ciggy in your mouth.

[Junkman]

Use a hoover and make a Youtube video of it.

Please.

[gordonbennet]

Fuel can be pumped up the supply pipe by bridging two contacts in the fuse/relay box but don't ask me to remember which ones, this is the only way to pump fuel out of a Focus unless you can hot wire the fuel pump itself.

You might get a pipe into the tank if you can cut the filler pipe just above the tank, some tanks (don't know about the Focus) have a cross welded into the tank filler stub to prevent the stub collapsing when the pipe is clamped tight, but that has the added bonus of providing an excellent extra anti syphon,  anything standard hose pipe size possibly won't go in anyway so if you go in that way a thin pipe might still be needed.

[sierraman]

Had a sleep on it and I think I'll take the pump out, shouldn't take more than half hour, then I can save the pump and get the fuel out without dragging the crap out with it. Cheers for suggestions.

[sierraman]

Cut the floor and opened up the fuel sender. Took all of 15 minutes and saved the mess of crawling about underneath trying to catch £30 worth of petrol in a buscuit tin.

[bub2006]

When my vectra went a friend Drained tank by disconnecting fuel line to injection rail, using a compression fitting attached to the end and an old fuel pump. One end in tank, Croc clips to battery to power it and other end on compression fitting. Sucked it straight from tank to can

[Station]

Ignore all the above advice

Get a fire extinguisher

Connect a long pipe to the fuel pump

Connect two long wires to the fuel pump connector

Put end of pipe in receptacle away from everything

Get a battery and put it on the opposite side of the fuel can

Bridge the wires on the battery and drain all the fuel

 

Don't do it all inside the car ffs and down power up the pump right next to fuel, the spark will ignite the fumes and you won't be able to put it out, especially with a high pressure fuel injection pump. I had a pump I was testing catch fire outside the car above and it just wouldn't go out

[sierraman]

Err I think I'll just syphon it out of the tank through the top of the pump. Don't fancy combusting for the sake of a few gallons of fuel...

[Guest bangerfan101]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ApbLzsuh3gE

 

Sthilsaw works a treat

[Mr Lobster]

If it's a petrol you can just disconnect the tank return pipe and connect a suitable length of rubber pipe / garden hose, leave it running for five mins and you'll be done. Used to do it on all the Focus and Fiesta rental cars when they were deflected when I worked at Ford. No way would we ever send them off to a dealer unless they were deep into running out of fuel territory.

[sierraman]

Bit late for that now, took the starter off and the alternator, I'm wanting the fuel pump off anyway. There's a big six inch across hole to syphon the fuel out through then... less mess and risk of introducing dirt etc in.

[Lankytim]

I've got a sealey suction pump thing for draining oil via the dipstick hole. It cost £40 and has been brilliant for oil changes but also draining tanks in scrappers. I hammer a chisel though the floor and into the tank, stick the pipe in and suck away. I've considered using it in minicabs when they invariably overcharge me on the way home from the pub.It's got a load of other automotive uses too!