Removing gas from a wrecked Taurus

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I have a '98 Ford Taurus which was involved in an unfortunate accident. The car is damaged too badly to be fixed, or driven for that matter, although it does run. It has almost a full tank of gas. Even though gas price has been coming down, I don’t want that gas to go to the salvage yard. How can I get the gas from the tank so that I can use it in something else? There appear to be baffles or enough kinks in the filler pipe to make siphoning impossible. Can I jump the fuel pump relay and disconnect the fuel line from the fuel rail so the fuel pump in the tank will do the job for me? If so, where is the relay, and how do I know which holes to jump after pulling the relay out?

2

Yes. You can jump the relay socket to get the fuel pump to run. However, I disconnect the fuel line at the fuel filter and adapt a hose so containers can be filled. Doing this also keeps the gas away from any sparks that might occur when jumping the relay socket.

Tester

3

Any idea which one the fuel pump relay is? There are several relays in the power distribution box by the radiator, and they aren’t labled.

Good idea on taking the fuel line off from under the car.

4

http://www.motorcraftservice.com/pubs/content/~WOWTAU/~MUS~LEN/41/98tauog1e.pdf

Here’s the owners manual for the Taurus. It appears relay #29 is the fuel pump relay. Check it out.

Tester

5

You might try disconnecting the filler pipe and then diphoning. I wouldn’t fool with the fuel pump and elecvtricity.

6

Usually, you can get a 1/4" clear vinyl hose past the check valve and into the tank. it takes a while to move 15 gallons, but it WILL work…Also, sometimes you can remove the filler neck from under the car and go directly into the tank with a larger hose…

7

I don’t think it would be worth your time and effort. You’ll lose $45 in gas. Is the time required to rig up some tubing to get the gas out of the car worth it? You could try to claim a full tank of gas on the insurance instead, it would be easier.

8

WOW Tester! That’s fantastic. Thank you very much. Are on-line manuals like that available to the masses?

I’ll try to drain the tank tomorrow if it’s not raining cats and dogs again.

9

This is the owners manual from Ford for that vehicle. I believe all auto manufacturers are now allowing access to the owners manuals for that manufacturer. Hey! Everyone try it out. Try looking for the owners manual for your vehicle.

Tester