Help draining fuel-1997 GrandAm

I recently acquired a 1997 Grand Am that has been stored in a garage for the past 8 years with a full tank of fuel. What is the easiest way to drain the fuel tank so I can get some good gas in there? Any ideas would help. Thanks in advance.

oh ya, it is a 2.4L 4 Cyl if that makes any difference.

Welcome to AF !

Syphoning it out whould be the easiest, but not a safe procedure unless you hav a syphoning devise or pump.

Other wise you can loosen the fuel line at the filter(which should be changed anyways), remember you should use something to drain the fuel into, not the ground :nono:

After you drain it you'll probly waht to rise the tank with some fresh gasoline. hopfully the fuel pumps not gummed up too, if so the tank WILL hav to come out.

Couple 3-4 hoses hook to the tank, two straps hold it up. You only need to loosen one side of the straps to drop it out.

Thank you for the reply! I do have a good Syphon hose and proper storage cnotainers to catch the old fuel. So I can try to syphon as much out as I can and then pump the rest out via the fuel pump. I can hear the fuel pump cycle itself when I turn the key. If the pump was gummed up, would it still cycle when I turned the key?

the fuel pump might be ok to pump out the rest.
But if the fuel in the bottom is gummy the pump might cease up on you. Fresh gas should break down the old stuff, so its not to thick to pump.
8yrs is a long time, so fuel turns to a varnish type substance.

Though, Once the line is disconnected from the fuel filter, the left over fuel will probly flow out from the pressurized tank, and once its flowing it'll keep flowing(syphon affect) till its out or you plug the fuel line to stop its flow.

Tried to syphon it out last night with no luck. I could not get the car up high enough or the catch can low enough to get a good flow. I did disconnect the fuel filter and cycled the fuel pump, and it did pump out fuel (a little at a time) but I do not know the best way to power the fuel pump so it stays on continuously. Thanks again.

the fuel pump should run continuosly if the lines disconnected from the filter.

Try adding some fresh gas to the tank and let it set for a while. It should drain out though.

The fuel pump has a mess screen that filters from inside the tank, so the fuel pump might be gumming up.

I wouldnt try to power the fuel pump any other way, get any sparks down thier and you are SCREWED :grinyes:

How about jumping the fuel pump relay? It's on the passenger side behind the strut, one of the black ones, I believe the rightmost one is the correct one. Just make sure the screen isn't gummed up, like xero said it will wreck your pump in a hurry.

If It was me, I would hav just droped the tank.

Knowing the fuel pump and screen would hav to be changed, and the tank probly needs a good rising and a visual inspection.

You cannot syphon the gas out.There is a checkball in the bottom of the fill tube.

How about jumping the fuel pump relay? It's on the passenger side behind the strut, one of the black ones, I believe the rightmost one is the correct one. Just make sure the screen isn't gummed up, like xero said it will wreck your pump in a hurry.


I finished it last week. I ended up using the fuel pump. I Disconnected the fuel line at the filter. Slipped a hose over it, jumped the relay and presto. Took about 20 minutes to get almost all the fuel out. So I dumped 5 gallons of 91 octane in it, along with some FI cleaner and with the help of some brake cleaner in the intake it eventually fired. It ran really rough until all the injectors started firing but after a couple minutes you could not tell that the car had not been started in 7 years. Thanks for all the advice everyone. :smokin:

Glad to hear you got it going !

Sometimes you get lucky and it'll start and run great after a 7 year Nap :)

:cheers: