If you look at the tank, you will see a round depression in the middle of the
bottom - this is where the pickup is. There is a large round screen around
the pickup. If the van is completely level, it is possible to drain all but 1-2
liters of fuel from it, although it can take a while to do. I did this on my '88,
and had very little fuel left. Just did it again on my '82 diesel, and even with
the van tilted to one side on a jack stand, I got all but 2 liters out before
dropping the tank. It is possible the screen inside the tank is plugged - this
is what I expected on my '88, but was pleasantly surprised to find very little
sediment in the tank, and *zero* rust. This on a van with nearly 400k kms.
The screen is quite large, so it would take a lot of crud to plug it up I think.
btw - the other depression in the tank bottom - the driver's side - is for the
gauge float. If the gauge reads near empty, as in my case, it probably is. I
was expecting a lot more fuel than I got - it's amazing I've never run out, as
I've run it low many times. You could try connecting a battery just to read
the gauge. Or just add 5 gallons as you say, and a bottle of fuel additive or
gasline antifreeze to deal with any moisture in there.

On 7 Feb 2005 at 20:56, The Shaws <mindthegap01@COMCAST.NET> wrote:

> Several weeks ago there was a discussion about vanaholigans stealing gas and I
> was going to ask about draining the tank. Someone mentioned they lost quite a
> bit to someone from the line at the bottom of the tank.
>
> I have a rig that has not seen the highway for several years. It's about
> ready, I changed the fuel filter among several items but the gas that came
> out of the filter was nasty stuff.
>
> I have not connected the power to the car (i.e. the battery, thus no gas
> gauge reading) so I don't know how much gas if any is in the rig.
>
> So, I disconnected the line going to the fuel pump and very little came out. I
> stuck a small plastic tube and pumped on the other end to create a siphon but
> still only a tiny amount came out.
>
> What does the inside look like? I guess there is some sort of gap to prevent the
> solids from being sucked up into the gas line but should I have been able to
> drain out most of it?
>
> Should I put in 5 gallons and then drain it hoping to dilute the gas that is
> there?
>
> thanks for your help,
>
> peter
>

--
Shawn Wright
I.T. Manager
Shawnigan Lake School