So I’m painting in the front yard of my house and my 4 year old twins come over to me all excited and tell me they filled the van (Dodge Ram 1500) up for me. I ask them how many bottles they put in the tank and they said one. I asked them how full the bottle was and they said a little (mind you I had already emphasized to them to never ever do that again). So I really don’t know if they are telling the full truth or not. The bottle holds up to 32 oz of fluid. I have not started the van yet. It is about a 1/3 full of gas (guessing about 10 gallons). What are my choices? Is it worth getting it towed somewhere and having the tank drained or should I just add 3 or 4 bottles of dry gas and drive it and see what happens?
Considering the damage potential, I’d have the tank dropped and drained. Once water gets into the fuel system, all kinds of havoc can happen until it all clears.
Your fuel pick-up is in the very bottom of the tank…At the fuel filter, open the fuel line and extend it into a container. Locate the fuel pump relay and jump it, causing the in-tank pump to run. Monitor the flow until all the water is expelled. This is what a repair shop will do…Do NOT drive the truck…
You can pull the hose off after the fuel pump, and pump the tank as dry as it gets by turning the key to the on position and let it pump into a few 5 gallon buckets, for proper disposal, I think. Then put some additives and new gas, waiting for better options. Not stepping on your toes caddy, your post was not there until after I responded.
Sue the twins for damages.
Thanks for the comments. Sounds like I will be calling a tow truck in the am and pay someone to do this for me unless my really friendly mechanic across the street wants to tackle this with me. Too bad there isn’t a way to measure how much water is in the tank.
For anyone interested…I took the van to a mechanic and they tested the gas a couple of times for water and found none. They then turned the engine on and double checked that no codes were being thrown by the car and everything was firing properly. $88 later it was nice to have peace of mind.
Great news, thanks for the followup!