I have a Carado T337 Fiat Ducato motorhome and it has been in storage in the UK for 2 years (we live in Australia and have not been able to travel until now). Obviously I have to drain the fuel out and treat it or dispose of it before I drive it. As I am not in the UK at the moment I want to be able to do this when we go in April. Does anyone know the best way to get the fuel out? Is there a drain plug or can you syphon it out? I assume there are flaps etc in the filler pipe to stop you syphoning. Is this the case? Any ideas?
Draining 2018 Fiat Ducato fuel tank
- Thread starter Maitken1
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- Aug 18, 2014
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I'd put a plastic tube down the filller & use an electric pump to pump it out in to containers. Tank will be plastic & too my knowledge they don't have drain outlets.
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Does anyone know if it is actually possible to get a tube down the filler? Or do the flats etc prevent you from doing this?
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Two on Tour
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It might be easier to access the tank fuel sender unit, remove the fuel pickup line, attached a length of hose to the fuel pickup connection on the sender unit, and pump the diesel out the tank from there.
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Lizbiebrowne
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Are you sure you'll need to drain it? I've left diesel in a boat for 2 years and still continued to use it - although it did have a biocide added to prevent diesel bug problems.
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I think draining is the best as a biocide has to be circulated through the tank and the only way to do that is to drive it which I don't really want to do until it has good diesel in it.
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If the tank has been nearly full, so has not had contact with too much air or moisture in your tank. I would not go to the trouble of draining it.
2yrs is not a long time for diesel and you fuel filter should block before it harms the engine, so drive local and if the engine doesn't stop within 50mls, top it up with fresh and some injector cleaner.
If it does stop, change the filter and then do as described above or remove one of the pipes connected to the tank as I do not think there's a drain. Ask a main dealer?
Good Luck and let us know how you get on,
2yrs is not a long time for diesel and you fuel filter should block before it harms the engine, so drive local and if the engine doesn't stop within 50mls, top it up with fresh and some injector cleaner.
If it does stop, change the filter and then do as described above or remove one of the pipes connected to the tank as I do not think there's a drain. Ask a main dealer?
Good Luck and let us know how you get on,
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It looks like the best way is to get to the breather pipe on the fuel sender unit and undo it and you can access the tank directly through the hole. Then syphon it out. The photos above or this video show you how to access it.
Thanks for all the tips!
Marty
Thanks for all the tips!
Marty
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Two on Tour
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All the Sevel group made vans the same as far as I'm aware.
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icantremember
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There are companies that will drain your tank and dispose of the old fuel.
https://www.fueldoctoruk.co.uk/ is one I have used and found very efficient.
https://www.fueldoctoruk.co.uk/ is one I have used and found very efficient.
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Two on Tour
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Diesel doesn't go off like petrol does but can get affected by "diesel bug" Diesel generators can sit for years between use and work fine. Do you really need to drain it. I'd run it for a bit then check or change the filter and see how it looks.
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The AA used to have a similar service, why not, when he arrives in the UK, join the AA, (which he'll probably need anyway) find a quiet garage, put a galloon of petrol in it and, as long as he doesn't start it, just push it off the forecourt, and then let the AA do the job BUT,
as I wrote before, I don't think it needs it unless it's been sat with a nearly empty tank?
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