Even though I don’t suggest it, siphoning gas is a useful skill to have in case of an emergency. The gas that was stolen could be used to replenish your car during an evacuation or to power a generator.
Modern vehicles, however, are equipped with anti-siphon valves and mechanisms, making it extremely difficult to siphon gas from them.
But it’s not impossible. All you need are specialized instruments, knowledge, and lots of inventiveness.
In This Article...
How do you empty a car’s gas tank?
Step 1: Continue to drive the car as long as you can with the fuel level. The amount of drainage required will be reduced as a result.
In some circumstances, such as when a gasoline pump has broken or the wrong fuel has been poured into the tank, this won’t be possible. In these situations, you should be aware that certain vehicles’ fuel tanks can carry up to 18 gallons, or even more. If that much petrol needs to be drained, make sure you have enough fuel storage cans on hand to do so.
Step 2: Feed the fuel tank with the siphon pump tube. When you’re ready to get started, open the gasoline filler door, take off the fuel cap, and start feeding one end of the siphon pump tubing into the petrol tank through the fuel filler neck.
Be careful to have a qualified mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, look at your fuel door if you discover that it won’t close or open.
- A recommended strategy is to feed the tubing into the tank in very small increments, a little at a time, until it has extended as far as it can go into the tank. This may be challenging because the tubing is likely highly flexible and will kink.
- A little metal door or flap that many cars have may also prevent the tubing from being fed into the tank. If so, use your screwdriver to pry open the tiny metal door, then feed the tubing into the tank from the bottom.
The next step is to pump the petrol into the fuel tank. Feed the other end of the siphon pump tubing into your gasoline storage tank after feeding the first end into the vehicle’s tank. Then, pump the hand pump until fuel starts to flow through the tubing.
Pump the hand pump continuously until the fuel is completely gone and the tube is clear of fuel. Depending on how much fuel needs to be drained, this can take some time.
Step 4: Store or dispose of the fuel. Once all of the fuel has been removed, properly store or dispose of it, then either continue with your repairs or refuel your car with the appropriate fuel.
Can you combine fresh and old gas?
For a number of reasons, mixing old with fresh gas is not advised. The main ones are:
- Because the old gas degrades with time and has already lost its combustibility, it shouldn’t be introduced.
- It may result in sputtering.
- It might not start up.
- It might prevent the engine from performing to the driver’s standards.
- It may result in knocking.
- It might result in clogged injectors.
All drivers who have inadvertently combined old and new gas in the past have likely experienced one or more of the problems on the list above. Fortunately, all of these problems are entirely avoidable if one knows how to safely combine the old and modern gases.
The gas that should not be mixed can simply be judged by its appearance and smell
To start the engine, only gas that has not lost its combustibility needs to be diluted slightly with fresh gas. Therefore, it’s crucial to determine whether the gas can still be used.
The stored gas would be deeper in color and smell strongly weird and sour, and it should never be mixed with the new gas. Additionally, even the tiniest amounts of gas that seems foggy and murky in particular situations shouldn’t be blended with fresh gas.
How long until gas becomes contaminated?
The type of fuel will determine how long it will be usable in your gas tank. Diesel can last up to a year before it starts to deteriorate, whereas regular gasoline has a shelf life of three to six months. On the other hand, oxidation and evaporation can cause organic-based ethanol to lose its combustibility in as little as one to three months.
It can be difficult to keep track of the age of the fuel in your tank. It may have been kept in storage for an indeterminate amount of time in a refinery before being transported before it started its life. It could last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Depending on how busy the specific gas station is when it arrives, it’s possible that the fuel will once again sit for a long period. The petrol in your tank might have been pumped more than a month ago.
How can you remove gas?
Some people respond better than others to specific home cures for releasing trapped gas. To find out what works the best and quickest for you, you might need to experiment. Anecdotal evidence predominates in support of these home treatments.
Here are some easy methods for passing gas or burping to release trapped air.
Yoga poses
Your body can relax with the aid of certain yoga poses, which will help you pass gas. Here is a starting position:
- Lay flat with your legs straight up and your feet close together.
- Put your arms over them while your knees are bent.
- Then, bring your knees up to your chest.
- Pull your legs up to your head at the same time. If doing so makes you more comfortable, you can also keep your head flat.
- Hold the position for at least 20 seconds.
Liquids
Consume non-carbonated beverages. Some folks find relief in herbal tea or warm water. Try chamomile, ginger, or peppermint tea.
Use pre-packaged teabags or ginger root, peppermint leaves, or dried chamomile to steep to create your own herbal tea.
A traditional Persian cure suggests steeping 10 grams of ground cumin, 10 grams of crushed fennel, and 5 grams of ground anise in a cup of hot water for 20 minutes.
Can you steal fuel from a gas tank without a cap?
As I test drive new cars, I increasingly open the gas tank flap expecting to unscrew the gas cap, but there is never one there. There is a tiny trap door that you can’t open with your finger, but it opens simply when you insert the gas nozzle from the pump. Greetings from capless fuel tanks. On the 2009 Explorer, Ford truly invented capless fuel fillers, which are now utilized by numerous automakers. In the past two weeks, I’ve tested two Lexus models back-to-back, and both featured capless filler necks.
Pros of Capless Gas Tanks
- less likelihood of having gas odor on your hands. The fuel door is simply flipped open, and the pump nozzle is inserted. One less point of interaction with a gasoline-vapor odor source results from the lack of a twist-on/off cap.
- The dangling gas cap, which never, ever manages to fit properly into whatever holder or restriction the automaker supplies to keep it out of the way during fuelling, won’t harm the paint.
- No awkward cap-dangle caused by hastily leaving the house and forgetting to put the cap back on.
- There is little possibility of thieves stealing your $4 of gas. Capless systems employ a number of features in the fuel-filler neck that practically prohibit the insertion of a garden hose for the purpose of draining the victim’s tank.
- No more agony or discomfort for those who have arthritis or other disabilities that make twisting a cap difficult or uncomfortable.
Watch this brief video if you haven’t seen a capless fuel filler:
Cons of Capless Gas Tanks
- Capless systems can increase the gas scent coming from the car while reducing the amount of fuel smell that gets on your hands. After the gas station pump shuts off, if you try to fill the tank even little more, you’ll probably experience headache-inducing fuel fumes until you’ve driven for a time. Don’t even think about filling the tank up to the brim and then driving home to park in your garage.
- The same anti-siphon feature necessitates carrying the appropriate funnel (supplied by the automaker) in case you run out of gas and have to fill up from a gas can rather than a pump. After that, the funnel has a gas-like odor that is detectable even in the trunk.
- What happens if you suddenly need to siphon gas? Say, for example, that you reside in Virginia and occasionally experience 54-inch snowfall, but are unable to reach a gas station to purchase fuel for your emergency home generator. You really, really wish you could drain some gas from your car or truck tank to use in the generator in order to maintain power. Or, even if you have a hose, you might want to give a stranded driver a gallon or two of water but are unable to.
For me, not having to deal with the twist-off gas cap speeds up the process at the pump and eliminates the anxiety that I won’t get it on tightly enough to prevent the check engine light from turning on.
WARNING:
I have previously spoken on the radio about a woman who attempted to use a gas can to refuel her Chrysler 300 after running out of petrol. She didn’t utilize the plastic fuel filler funnel that came with the car, so it spilled out onto the ground.
Unfortunately, the majority of salespeople neglect to inform the clients about this crucial component for adding gas or even chemicals. Both the glove compartment and the trunk include the parts, as well.
Read your owner’s manual if you have a capless gas tank and locate that funnel in case you require it in an emergency. Visit your dealer and ask for one if you can’t find it. This is how it seems, albeit some are made of translucent plastic.
On the fuel tank, where is the anti-siphon valve?
When the centerline of the pumps is below the top of the tank, an anti-syphon valve is required. An Anti-Syphon Valve is not required if the centerline of the pump is higher than the top of the tank. With no portion of the line between the valve and the tank below the maximum oil storage level, the Anti-Syphon Valve is positioned vertically at the highest point in the suction line. Oil should flow through the valve in a side-to-side manner, exiting at the bottom with the cap pointing up. Even though it’s suited for outdoor installation, it’s important to take into account the chance that oil-borne moisture could freeze in the valve and paralyze the poppet. With each valve are detailed instructions.
Spring pressure keeps the valve poppet closed against the hydrostatic head in the non-flow state. The oil pump produces an additional vacuum when flow is needed, which raises the poppet and unlocks the valve. Since the poppet must be lifted and held open by the combined downstream pressure of the hydrostatic head and the pump suction, a hole in the suction line will let the vacuum out, shut the valve, and stop the oil from siphoning. No matter if the pump is running or not, valve closure will be positive.
Due to constraint in the valve, it is crucial to size the valve appropriately based on the system’s maximum flow rate rather than just the pipe size. The head is calculated by measuring the distance from the tank’s top to the centerline of the pump’s inlet.
Typical troubleshooting advice includes:
1Confirm that the valve is properly plumbed (Vertically with the cap facing up and the inlet in the side of the body and the outlet at the bottom)
2To prolong the life of the pumps, always prime the suction leg before starting the system.
3If you are unable to force oil through the valve, check the system’s flow rate to the valve first, and then the spring range.
On the side of the valve, behind the words “Type A indicating the head size,” there will be a hand-stamped number that can be used to determine the spring size (5, 10, 15, or 20).
5Try removing the spring (for testing purposes only) to see if the pumps are able to draw the oil if you are observing dangerously high vacuum readings if you are still unable to pull oil. This will enable you to determine whether the system is capable of extracting any oil and will demonstrate that there are no obstructions, such as rags stuck in the piping.
6If you lose your prime, chances are that air is somehow entering your system. Pull prime to demonstrate this, then turn off the pumps and isolation valves while keeping an eye on the vacuum reading. If there are no air leaks, it ought to maintain the same vacuum reading. If the vacuum reading begins to decline, air is undoubtedly entering the system. If the Anti-Syphon Valve’s cap and gasket are sound, inspect downstream (for example, at the strainers) for any potential entry points for air.
Can stealing petrol harm your vehicle?
When I originally started looking into it, all I could see was a tank of gas being stolen, but it soon became clear that there was more at stake.
All around the nation, gas crimes are occurring. Thieves have realized that siphoning gas is time-effective. One automotive man is hearing a lot about it, despite the fact that a spot check of the nearby police agencies only uncovered a few reports.
As fuel prices climb, “Bear” Matoza, owner of the Danville Automotive and Hardware store, said, “We notice an increase in fuel theft in Danville and throughout the entire Contra Costa area.”
Customers visit the shop to purchase locking gas caps. Sales have increased by double. Locking caps safeguard the car as well as the fuel because siphoning can do serious harm.
“You can’t pull the hose out, which causes damage to a car when it enters the gasoline tank. A one-way valve is present. Consequently, after pushing it in, you must now call a mechanic to remove the hose “Matoza stated.
Because the outside of the automobile might potentially be damaged in addition as the inside of the gas tank, body shops are seeing an increase in business.
Kai Kuusik from San Francisco said, “I live in the city, so I was walking to my car, put my laptop in the trunk, and that’s when I realized that someone was trying to break in.
Kuusik’s car has a gas cap door that won’t stay shut, and the burglar’s entryway has been dented.
Kuusik remarked, “I just seen the estimate, and it’s $1,600, which is even more dismal.”
Even though it’s a large sum of money for such a minor amount of theft, Alex Astts of Autobahn Collision Center says there is still much work to be done.
When questioned if consumers would be surprised to hear a large repair cost, Astts responded, “And they become irate. They believe I’m out to scam them, but the estimate is genuinely based on the car’s damage. The estimate was not written by me. Actually, it is the harm that was brought on by that individual.”
Astts claims that while he has only seen a few automobiles damaged by siphoning thus far, he expects to see more in the future as gas prices rise, which gets us back to prevention.
“We will switch to these locking gas caps as things become worse. Once you secure this gas cap, they are unable to remove it because the bottom spins freely “Matoza stated.
A locking gas cap can cost as low as $15 or as much as $50, depending on the vehicle.