Should I drain the gas tank?

[repenttokyo]

drop fuel stabilizer in it, start it up.

[e34.535i.sport]

Thanks. I think I'll try to siphon a bit off the top & bottom just to see what it looks like. Then run it and keep adding new gas until I feel it's cleaned out and then change the filter. Uhh where's the filter :)

If its the same as mine its behind the Drivers side (RHD) rear wheel! Jack it up, take the wheel off and you can't miss it.

[vping]

Car's been sitting for 5 years.
Normally I'd say yes. In this case it's topped off full to the rim. That's a lot of gas to dispose of? What would you do?

[bsell]

Car's been sitting for 5 years.
Normally I'd say yes. In this case it's topped off full to the rim. That's a lot of gas to dispose of? What would you do?

Can you run a syphon hose to the bottom of the tank and get a sample out?

I figure this is a pretty painless way to buy some piece of mind prior to filling the fuel system with garbage gas...

Brian

[pingu]

If it'll run on the old petrol then if it were me, I'd save myself the aggro and would make sure I used a tankful or two of premium petrol afterwards (though I'm not really convinced there's much difference between normal and premium petrol, other than the price!).

[Ross]

X2, if it runs on what's in the tank leave it alone. Change the fuel filter after a few tanks and be done. Stabilizer won't do anything for you now.

[vping]

Thanks. I think I'll try to siphon a bit off the top & bottom just to see what it looks like. Then run it and keep adding new gas until I feel it's cleaned out and then change the filter. Uhh where's the filter :)

[Ross]

There is aplug on the bottom of the tank on the passenger side, 5mm hex key I think. You can pop that out if yo want to drain it or check for water in the tank.

[vping]

That's a good one too. Having this car will finally allow me to use those metric wrenches I've had all these years. My MG's are all standard so I've never had a use for the metric.

[bubba966]

Too late for the stabilizer as Ross already mentioned. And I'd be surprised if it'll run on 5 year old gas.

Regular gas will go bad after a year or so. Premium gas lasts a bit longer due to the better additives in premium (was told this by someone that's worked at a refinery for over 20 years).

If it even runs at all it won't run very good.

Will probably foul the plugs, O2 sensor, cats, etc.

Drain the tank and fill with fresh gas so you don't damage/foul up a lot of not so cheap parts.

[Jon K]

What the hell do I do with a full tank of gas?

Got a fire pit?

[vping]

What the hell do I do with a full tank of gas?

[bcohoon]

I vote for draining... 5 years is waaay old. I had an unfortunate experience with a boat motor awhile back. Drain it... burn it a little at a time in your old push mower or something...

[repenttokyo]

you could sell it for 2 dollars a gallon, plenty of buyers at that price. The would make you 34 dollars for your e34!

[mikell]

How much to fix all of the stuff the old fuel will foul up? You decide whether it's worth it.
Or
How about drain the old stuff, and mix it in with new fuel a gallon per tankful as you go forward -
Or
Burn it in your MG's - the prehistoric technology employed in those things will probably tolerate just about anything this side of pure crude.
Best of luck either way.

[Ross]

You could burn it off a few gallons at a time mixing it with the fresh.

[winfred]

modern gas sucks, 5 years old it's going to ge turning to a honey like substance on the bottom of the tank, id be amazed if the fuel pump and sender are not locked up, injectors may not click either but sometimes you can bring them back with straight battery voltage and smacking on them, id drain the tank via the 5mm allen plug on the right side and see whats destroyed, being completely full may of lessened the transformation into **** but it wouldn't of stopped it

[winfred]

weed killer



What the hell do I do with a full tank of gas?

[healtoeit]

Car's been sitting for 5 years.
Normally I'd say yes. In this case it's topped off full to the rim. That's a lot of gas to dispose of? What would you do?

Drain that car. It's not leaded fuel and will separate. Unless you want to be replacing an engine that blew up!