Draining Fuel from Tanks 328- My DIY

In the process of changing all my rubber fuel hoses, I decided to replace my Fuel Pump and Fuel Accumulator. Naturally, I need to empty the fuel. Here is how I drained the fuel from the car's 2 interconnected fuel tanks.

1) Removed left rear wheel and fender covers.
2) Placed drip pan and towel underneath the fuel pump and filter area
3) Disconnected the SS line from Fuel Accumulator to the Fuel Filter (mounted against the firewall). Good access from the wheel well and underneath.
4) Some fuel will spill out from the Filter and also from the SS line you just disconnected. Not much fuel, maybe 8 oz, good enough to wash greasy parts and fasteners with.
5) "Flipped" the SS line upwards (like a happy elephant trunk) and inserted the hose in a metal pipe (12 inches long)
6) Rested the other end of the metal pipe in the neck of a 5 gallon fuel container
7) Turned the key inignition to past second position (without starting the car). The Fuel Pump will start running and fuel will feed into the 5-gallon can.
8) Fuel Pump will start humming a high pitch once all the fuel is gone from the tank(s).
9) Did not have a drop of fuel get to the ground during this process, except for the fuel from the Filter and the SS hose removal.

NOTES:
a) Make sure you do this in a ventilated space. I opened the garage door for circulation.
b) Not smoking would be a good thing, but its a free country, I suppose.
c) Run the fuel level down to as low as you can to minimize the amount of fuel removed. I had 12 gallons in the car when I did this and I used (3) 5-gal containers. Why, you may ask? Because I'm an idiot.
d) There will be a little fuel left in the left tank as well as the metal pipe connecting both tanks. This is not a lot of fuel and can be easily removed via the drain plug between the tanks, in the middle metal pipe. This fuel can be drained in a shallow bucket.
e) I found this method pretty painless and hope that it will help out some guys out there. I actually did this alone and relied on an inspection mirror to monitor the level of the fuel going into the container from the driver's side as I needed to hold the Key in the ignition to keep the Fuel Pump going. Maybe an assistant would help if you have one.

I will post my Fuel Pump/Accumulator and Rubber Fuel Hose (Replacements) DIYs soon, with pics.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Thanks for the tip Bandit. Will definitely do that next time.