How to empty a fuel tank?

[specter]

i want to remove the fuel tank on my k7 gsxr750 in order to take it into town and get it painted... how do i get all the fuel out?

[ellipsis]

...I have got all the remaining fuel out of a tank by poking a bit of absorbent material, a bit of old sheet,in it, turned it upside down and the fuel wicks out through the material...low tech, but i is a country boy..

[Drew]

Syphon most of it out, then drop a match in.

[Subike]

Hang it over the exhaust pipe of you cage,
seriously, the hot exhaust fumes will dry the inside of the tank out and blow any petrol fumes out of the tank at the same time,
I have been in the company of others who have done this befor welding fuel tanks

[FJRider]

Hang it over the exhaust pipe of you cage,
seriously, the hot exhaust fumes will dry the inside of the tank out and blow any petrol fumes out of the tank at the same time,
I have been in the company of others who have done this befor welding fuel tanks

As silly as this sounds ... it is the reccommended method ... :yes:

[wysper]

Hang it over the exhaust pipe of you cage,
seriously, the hot exhaust fumes will dry the inside of the tank out and blow any petrol fumes out of the tank at the same time,
I have been in the company of others who have done this befor welding fuel tanks

would you get the same result with a hair dryer or hot air gun or does it not work the same?

[FJRider]

would you get the same result with a hair dryer or hot air gun or does it not work the same?

It's the Carbon Monoxide in the exaust fumes (non combustible / non heat source) that does the trick ...

[wysper]

It's the Carbon Monoxide in the exaust fumes (non combustible / non heat source) that does the trick ...

Clever! Thanks, I only hope I remember this little tip when and if the need ever arises.

[slofox]

It's the Carbon Monoxide in the exaust fumes (non combustible / non heat source) that does the trick ...

I seem to recall from the dim dark days of High School Chemistry that carbon monoxide IS combustible, n'est ce pas?

It has a triple bond so is not stable..?

[Hawkeye]

would you get the same result with a hair dryer or hot air gun or does it not work the same?

Not a good idea to use an element that glows hot to generate the heat like a hair dryer. Petrol fumes and heating elements aren't a good combination.

Just ride it until you empty the reserve then leave the cap open as you push it home. By the time you get home, what's left would have evaporated. :whistle:

[specter]

Not a good idea to use an element that glows hot to generate the heat like a hair dryer. Petrol fumes and heating elements aren't a good combination.

Just ride it until you empty the reserve then leave the cap open as you push it home. By the time you get home, what's left would have evaporated. :whistle:

as much as would love too my bike isnt very rideable atm

[gatch]

I just unscrewed the valve from the bottom of the tank, drained as much I can then left it in the sun for a few days. Dry, not very fumy, though I don't have a gas meter, so I wouldn't trust it to weld it..

[RDjase]

Hang it over the exhaust pipe of you cage,
seriously, the hot exhaust fumes will dry the inside of the tank out and blow any petrol fumes out of the tank at the same time,
I have been in the company of others who have done this befor welding fuel tanks

+1

Thats what radiator shops do before welding or soldering fuel tanks.

Just use a petrol cage, diesels have messy exhausts and put sooty crap in your tank

[Katman]

Hang it over the exhaust pipe of you cage,
seriously, the hot exhaust fumes will dry the inside of the tank out and blow any petrol fumes out of the tank at the same time,
I have been in the company of others who have done this befor welding fuel tanks

The exhaust gases actually neutralize the combustibility of the petrol fumes.

[glegge]

another method (that no one will probably like) is one i observed when working for a crowd that serviced and welded inside the big fuel tankers you see driving around deliverying fuel to petrol stations.
empty as well as you can.

leave the filler open
sit upright.
fill from the bottom (where the fuel usually goes out) - with the garden hose.
this pushes out the fumes from the bottom to the top.

do it twice for human habital.
three or 4 times for welding inside.