Need to remove petrol from Astra Mk3

JooFox

Trying to locate a pipe that I can pull off under the bonnet to siphon the petrol out? The car is on the way to the knackers yard but had just filled it with £50 of unleaded. Just want to transfer it to my other car.
It seems to have an anti theft type device on the petrol cap so I can't poke my pela pump down.

Any help would be loved! :beer:

mkirkby

Surely you should be able to find the injectors then just follow them back to find the pipe to cut and let the fuel pump do the work.

Failing that you could lift the back of the car and locate the pipe coming out of the tank from under the car and cut it. It should drain out with the cap off.

Sticking a screwdriver into the tank would be ok on a diesel; but I'd avoid doing it on a petrol tank unless you're a fan of the Darwin awards and want to join their ranks

JooFox

I've known of someone drill a petrol tank before. Luckily it was mostly empty but it dit a bit of damage to his woolly hat (as well as his sideburns) :-)
So, there is no way to do it without permanently damaging some pipework somewhere? I know the chap who is getting it is interested in some spares so I want to leave it intact as possible.
Thanks for the advice so far!

Rolandtheroadie

My Mk3 diesel had connections at the side of the tank that were accessable and either jubilee clipped on or were push fit (cant remember quite what it was now, but it was easy enough to take them off and put them on again).

Avoriaz

Will the chap who is buying it not offer to pay a bit extra for the fuel and save you the hassle, and the risk, of trying to remove it and put it in your own car.

Do you have enough safe containers to put 40 plus litres in or do you plan to do it in stages?

If the latter, my money is on quite a lot of petrol ending up on the ground as you find a finger on a cut pipe doesn't work.

custardy

look to the fuel rail
should be feed and return pipe going into a regulator

not your engine but you can see a regulator on the left

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vauxhall-Astra-VXR-Fuel-Rail-Injectors-Z20LEH-Z20LET-/181042933879

gilbert_and_sullivan

Astra engine won't run if you disconnect the return pipe and try to pump it out with engine running, similarly the fuel pump won't deliver if you try to trick it by disconnecting the supply pipe, if you have an old electric fuel pump you might be able to connect a pipe to the supply pipe and use the external pump.

If that doesn;t work the only way you'll get it out is to lift the back seat and prise the approx 5" plastic cover off undeneath, there you will find the combined sender unit and pipes going in and out of tank.

Two ways these senders are secured, either by 6 x 8mm bolts (easiest) or by a sprung tapered ring that you'll have to hammer and screwdriver out anti clockwise, once the fastening is undone simply lift out the sender, it will lift just enough to get a half inch bore pipe in and syphon away.

If you want to reseal the tank, put a bit of spit or oil on the large O ring, if you don't you'll have a dickens of a job getting the seal in.

Rolandtheroadie

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

If that doesn;t work the only way you'll get it out is to lift the back seat and prise the approx 5" plastic cover off undeneath, there you will find the combined sender unit and pipes going in and out of tank.

May be wrong (as mines was a diesel), but whereas this was the case on my Corsa B, I'm sure when you removed the plastic cap under the rear seat on the astra, there was no tank access.

gilbert_and_sullivan

scotsman4th wrote: »

May be wrong (as mines was a diesel), but whereas this was the case on my Corsa B, I'm sure when you removed the plastic cap under the rear seat on the astra, there was no tank access.

I've definately seen petrol Corsa senders in the same place, but what the modal designation would be i don't have a clue, one that replaced Nova.

The reason i don't know the models is that Corsa must be one of the most hateful cars ever made especially when fitted with the 3 cylinder sewing machine engine, about as endearing as a Fiesta.

JooFox

The sender is under the seat, I'll confirm tomorrow that it is the pain in the !!!! type ;-)