Draining diesel or petrol from your car

It is something that you will probably never have to do, or only very sporadically. But it’s actually quite easy. You are standing with an empty tank somewhere where there is no gas station nearby, but a friend with a car. You want to refill your lawn mower without going to the gas station, you want to winterize your car or, in the worst case, you have put the wrong fuel.

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Before you draining diesel or petrol

Work with a closed container, the vapors can be dangerous and of course you don’t want spillage. And also choose a container that is large enough. Then you can start transferring.

Transferring the fuel:

  • By pump

    This is the easiest, but of course you need a siphon pump for this. And also a tube to transfer the product. You then place your jerry can or container on the ground next to the tank. Then you need to insert the tube deep enough into the tank and also into the container. Note that the pump only sucks one way, so see that you are of course putting the right side into your tank or your pumping air into your tank. If it is a mechanical pump, just turn it on. With a manual pump you have to pump a few times and then the fuel continues to run. If you have transferred enough, bring the container or the end of the hose higher than the tank of your car. The remaining fuel will flow to the lowest level, your tank.

  • By using pressure

    If you are a little more handy, you do not need a pump, but you can also work via pressure. For this you need 2 tubes. One that is long enough to get to the bottom of your fuel tank and then one that should reach the opening. You should only stick this about 5-10 centimeters deep. Then use an old rag or towel, be careful that it can get dirty, and close the opening. If it does not work completely, try to wet the cloth and wring it out, this will make it easier to close the opening. Then blow air into the short tube.

If you have a compressor, you can use it otherwise you can just blow yourself, but make sure you do not inhale hazardous vapors through the tube. Once the gasoline starts to flow through                 the tube, you can stop. If it doesn’t work, check whether the opening is properly covered. You can stop by removing the hose from the jerry can and bringing it higher than the fuel reservoir               of your car.

  • By using your mouth

    Instead of working with a pump, you can simply suck on the tube until the fuel starts to run. Choose a transparent tube here so that you can see in time when the fuel is coming and you do not get it in your mouth. Once the fuel flows you can let it go.

Also note that some reservoirs are protected against draining petrol or diesel. You can often bypass this, but please contact your garage owner.