I've finally replaced the lower wiring harness on my 400e and need to drain the old gas out of it. It's been sitting for 3 years now. What's the best way to drain the gas?
JimT
JimT
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What's the best way to drain the gas tank on a 92 400e?
- Thread starter jgt157
- Start date
Hopefully you don't have too much gas in the car, so that you can catch it with a reasonably sized drain pan or container. IMHO I'd probably loosen the line from the tank where it goes into the fuel filter in the stack at the rear of the car. I believe the fuel tank also has a drain, so that's another option.
I'd drain it in an open air area, as well.
I'd drain it in an open air area, as well.
For future reference... you can stick a long hose down the filler neck, and siphon out ~90% of the tank contents that way. For the last ~2 gallons or so that are nearly impossible to siphon out, you disconnect the fuel feed hose from the pump as Gerry described above. Draining out the bottom isn't fun if you have more than a few gallons in the tank, which is why it's preferable to siphon first if there are larger quantities.
That said, for fuel only 2-3 years old, the engine MAY start & run fine, if you're going to be driving the car. If the car is just going to go back in storage, yeah, drain it all out and put a few gallons back in with Sta-Bil. Use non-ethanol gas if possible, run the engine for a while to circulate the stabilized mix through the injector rail, and afterwards DO NOT remove the gas cap before going back into storage. The 124 chassis fuel tanks will remain pressurized for many, many months (at least 6-8 months, maybe a year or more) if the system is tight. This helps prevent fuel from evaporating in the tank and causing issues with corrosion and the fuel going stale. Don't fill the tank prior to long-term storage or you'll just end up trying to figure out how to dispose of 18 gallons of stale fuel 5+ years later...
That said, for fuel only 2-3 years old, the engine MAY start & run fine, if you're going to be driving the car. If the car is just going to go back in storage, yeah, drain it all out and put a few gallons back in with Sta-Bil. Use non-ethanol gas if possible, run the engine for a while to circulate the stabilized mix through the injector rail, and afterwards DO NOT remove the gas cap before going back into storage. The 124 chassis fuel tanks will remain pressurized for many, many months (at least 6-8 months, maybe a year or more) if the system is tight. This helps prevent fuel from evaporating in the tank and causing issues with corrosion and the fuel going stale. Don't fill the tank prior to long-term storage or you'll just end up trying to figure out how to dispose of 18 gallons of stale fuel 5+ years later...
I've noticed that after sitting for years, sometimes the fuel pumps seize up. If you don't hear the pumps run for 2 seconds when you turn the ignition on, try whacking the pumps... but if they don't come to life, you might have to replace them. Fingers crossed that won't be an issue.
