quote:Originally posted by Bosswrench:
One problem not often addressed is removing the fuel tank drain plug without damaging the tank. The plug is often frozen into the tank bung and our tanks are made of remarkably thin steel. When I tried to remove mine with a wrench, I could see the tank panels visibly rippling and buckling. A vendor says he's had luck using an impact gun set on low but warns that it often takes several minutes before the plug begins to shift. Others say that drilling out the old plug & cleaning the tank bung threads was the only way they got theirs apart. My plug is still in there, as the impact gun idea didn't work for me, and I'm leery of drilling the plug with a couple of gallons of gas inside! Guess a messy siphon is my only choice followed by a non-electric drill.
I had to drill my tank plug out, but left about a gallon of gasoline in the tank. I wasn't thrilled about drilling into it, although it is safer than drilling into a tank with just fumes inside. The banjo fitting at the bottom of the tank and a shut off valve does make it nice if you want to change the fuel pump or the fuel filter.