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I recently came into a 1999 XJ8 And I’m trying to drain the fuel from the tank. You cannot siphon it because it has that protector there, and it’s a bit of a mystery to me on how to get the rest of the old gas out. I have seen where people use the main fuel line, but I have no idea how to do that as I’ve never really worked on much fuel systems in a vehicle. I’ve tried connecting a siphon pump to the main fuel line but the fuel won’t come up.
i’m going to post a picture of the fuel tank and if you have any insight somewhere I could potential he attach a siphon to draw the cats out I would appreciate it. I tried to take out the tank but it seems stuck in the back of the trunk even with the straps off.
Someone else mentioned using the bottom fuel lines on the tank but I don’t see any, the only few lines I see her from the top and go along down the left side, that’s it
What does the fuel smell like .. how much is in the tank ?
You can add new to the old and run it -- and some dry gas first.
it’s very stale. I already tried that with fresh gas but the tank was almost full and the car wouldn’t start. Plugs are wet when I removed them after trying to start it and the gas smells stale. Good idea though.
When I had to drain the tank on mine, I removed the fuel sender and siphoned the gas out of the back of the fuel tank. It was half-full, so a couple of gallons spilled out the back and onto the ground through the drain holes in the trunk floor. If your tank is full, you might not want to go this route.
Another possibility is to use the shrader valve on the fuel injector rail. Attach a hose to that valve and use the fuel pump to pressurize the system and drain the gas out from there.
The easiest way I have found to drain the tank is to attach a hose to the Schrader valve on the fuel rail, or to disconnect the fuel supply line at a convenient point, such as at the inlet to the fuel rail or fuel filter, and attach an appropriately-sized hose there. The fuel filter is on the left side above the rear suspension. Aim the other end of the hose into a suitable catch container.
Next, remove the fuel pump relay and install a jumper across terminals 3 and 5 in the fuel pump relay socket. A large paper clip bent into a U works fine. Now, when you turn the key to Position II (ON/RUN) without cranking the engine, the fuel pump will run to pump the fuel out of the tank and into your catch container. This way, you don't have to crank the starter continuously and risk overheating it.
The fuel pump relay is in the trunk fuse box:
NOTE: It's a good idea to connect a battery charger prior to initiating the pumping procedure to avoid depleting your battery.
The easiest way I have found to drain the tank is to attach a hose to the Schrader valve on the fuel rail, or to disconnect the fuel supply line at a convenient point, such as at the inlet to the fuel rail or fuel filter, and attach an appropriately-sized hose there. The fuel filter is on the left side above the rear suspension. Aim the other end of the hose into a suitable catch container.
Next, remove the fuel pump relay and install a jumper across terminals 3 and 5 in the fuel pump relay socket. A large paper clip bent into a U works fine. Now, when you turn the key to Position II (ON/RUN) without cranking the engine, the fuel pump will run to pump the fuel out of the tank and into your catch container. This way, you don't have to crank the starter continuously and risk overheating it.
The fuel pump relay is in the trunk fuse box:
NOTE: It's a good idea to connect a battery charger prior to initiating the pumping procedure to avoid depleting your battery.
Cheers,
Don
@don B - when you say fuel relay, which one? As there are two. I'm guessing #1 and just put a jumper (paper clip) across 3 & 5? I'll see if I can figure that out. Might be a good idea to perhaps replace the fuel filter and then do it from one of those connectors or the Schrader valve - I'm ok with either or. I should of asked this before I dove into it. I'll give it a go Saturday morning when I have some time.
The XJ8 only has one fuel pump. The 2 pump set up is used in the XJR. You should only have one relay where the Pump 2 is shown. Pump 1 socket should be empty.
Have you actually tried to siphon it? I had heard about the anti siphon thing as well but I was able to siphon my fuel out no problem when I had to change the pumps. Maybe try a smaller diameter hose.
@don B - when you say fuel relay, which one? As there are two. I'm guessing #1 and just put a jumper (paper clip) across 3 & 5? I'll see if I can figure that out. Might be a good idea to perhaps replace the fuel filter and then do it from one of those connectors or the Schrader valve - I'm ok with either or. I should of asked this before I dove into it. I'll give it a go Saturday morning when I have some time.
Cheers and I'll post a pic by pic how to.
If your car is normally aspirated (non-supercharged), you'll only have one fuel pump relay - I think it is relay #4 in the trunk fuse box.
When I emptied mine--2001VDP-- I used a 3/8 " nylon tube, cut at an angle to be sure of no blocking on the end. With the stiffness and looking at distance markers on the tube I could see how far in--hopefully down--it was going.
The tubing comes in a coil--this was about 2 ft dia--so when the tube is twisted it keeps moving to different spots as you try to get it into gaps in the surge baffles. After lots of screwing around, I got it down to about two gallons then let that drip out into a pan under the differential, about three feet from the fire extinguisher! Couldn't drain by just disconnecting at the filter because the vane type pump was seized.
Good luck--you'll get it!!
Cy
Don, your method did the trick. Though taking out that fuel filter required some ‘man handling’ of the fuel line.
Ok - so put in 20l of fresh fuel. And....... still won’t start. Should I put in more fresh fuel? (Assuming there was still stale gas left in the tank). Plugs are wet, and getting spark. I’ve also lifted off the air filter to make sure it’s getting max air.
Don, your method did the trick. Though taking out that fuel filter required some ‘man handling’ of the fuel line.
Ok - so put in 20l of fresh fuel. And....... still won’t start. Should I put in more fresh fuel? (Assuming there was still stale gas left in the tank). Plugs are wet, and getting spark. I’ve also lifted off the air filter to make sure it’s getting max air.
A common cause of Jaguar no-starts is low battery voltage while cranking, but if you really do have spark, that may not be your issue.
Have you confirmed the fuel pump is working? When you turn the key to position II (ON/RUN) without cranking the engine, do you hear a short priming burst from the pump in the tank (behind the rear seat)?
You may still have enough water in the fuel lines between the fuel filter and fuel rail to prevent starting.
What does your tachometer read while cranking - if it reads 0 rpm, suspect the crankshaft position sensor (CKPS).
It's late and my brain is tired. Hopefully others will have additional ideas.
If you attempted lots of engine cranking with the stale gas, it could possibly be the bore wash issue. The excessive amounts of fuel could have washed the oil film from the cylinders, preventing the engine from starting now (low compression). Many threads here on solving this, it entails either pouring 1/2 tablespoon of oil into the cylinders through the spark plug holes, or holding the accelerator pedal to the floor while cranking (this cuts off fuel to the injectors, allowing the engine to hopefully re-oil the cylinders).
If you attempted lots of engine cranking with the stale gas, it could possibly be the bore wash issue. The excessive amounts of fuel could have washed the oil film from the cylinders, preventing the engine from starting now (low compression). Many threads here on solving this, it entails either pouring 1/2 tablespoon of oil into the cylinders through the spark plug holes, or holding the accelerator pedal to the floor while cranking (this cuts off fuel to the injectors, allowing the engine to hopefully re-oil the cylinders).
Good thinking - I put oil in each of the cylinders before cranking using fogging oil. Still could smell stale petrol with the old tank drained and 25L fresh premium put in. and she wouldn't catch. I remembered to look for Rob's tip, the tach was moving trying to start to ~500rpm. So CPS was good - something else was wrong.
Back to basics, I took another look at the spark plugs - they were shot. Two of the plug holes had some oil in them - suspect the plug hole seals are weeping oil. I put the battery on a charging tender while I went and fetched a new set of plugs. Installed a new set, disconnected the tender, put another 25L of fresh petrol in the engine with some fuel cleaner (Seafoam snake oil), and with the fresh set of plugs, the car started on the second try. Ran the engine until it warmed up - initially some minor ticking but it all went away after 5 minutes,
Put some more air in the tyres, and drove it around the block a few times. Car is working perfectly...except for the Check Engine light which I suspect is due to the poor starting and dead battery. Is there an easy way to clear that without a dealership visit?
Car is working perfectly...except for the Check Engine light which I suspect is due to the poor starting and dead battery. Is there an easy way to clear that without a dealership visit?
Congratulations edreddy! Your persistence has paid off!
Probably the least-expensive option I know of for reading and clearing Diagnostic Fault Codes (DTCs) is an ELM327 bluetooth OBDII device and a free or inexpensive app for your smartphone. With my Android phone I use the Torque Pro app (about USD $5) and an ELM327 that looks like the one below and is available on eBay for less than USD $10. Note that there are some U.S. sellers who can get one to you more quickly than sellers from China:
With Torque Pro you can read most or all of the Powertrain (P) codes, as well as some hexidecimal Mode $06 data. You cannot, however, read proprietary Jaguar Body (B), Chassis (C) or Network (U) codes - for that you need Ford/Jaguar IDS/WDS/SDD or a high-end third-party system such as Autoenginuity with the Jaguar Enhancement package.
When I had to drain the tank on mine, I removed the fuel sender and siphoned the gas out of the back of the fuel tank. It was half-full, so a couple of gallons spilled out the back and onto the ground through the drain holes in the trunk floor. If your tank is full, you might not want to go this route.
Another possibility is to use the shrader valve on the fuel injector rail. Attach a hose to that valve and use the fuel pump to pressurize the system and drain the gas out from there.
Sory to hijack a forum but I’m in the same position as the OP. Have acquired an 1997 x308 and need to remove the fuel sender to siphon fuel out.
How did you remove the fuel sender? I have a brass ring holding the plastic sender in place that needs to be turned in order to get the sender out. Is there a special tool I’m missing?
03-04-2018, 04:33 PM
Removing stale fuel from a five year stored XJ8
