[cass]

A few weeks ago I posted about not being able to siphon gas from a 2002 T&C as instructed by the factory manual. Problem was that I wasn't able to get the hose all the way into the tank. On closer perusal of the manual, I noticed that the fuel tank removal procedure instructed to use 5/16" diameter plastic tubing with the insertion end cut to a 30-degree point that would allow it to get past the fuel inlet check valve. I tried this and it worked! (I originally used 1/2" diameter plastic tubing without the tip cut to a point.) The fuel pump replacment instructions only said to "siphon remaining fuel from the fuel tank," failing to mention that the siphoning procedure was described in detail the "fuel tank removal" section.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Most fuel pumps or sending units have a siphon port covered by a rubber cap and held on with a clamp. That's the best place to siphon.

 

[Dave Z]

Hmmm... NOW you tell me. I had all that gas in the minivan and none in the generator

[seriously, the Valiant was the first siphon target, and we never got to that point.]

 

[Doug D]

Hmmm... NOW you tell me. I had all that gas in the minivan and none in the generator

[seriously, the Valiant was the first siphon target, and we never got to that point.]

That's why I keep fuel (w/Sta-Bil added to it) in my generator and only get more fuel if the forecast is predicting conditions that may lead to power outages. We never lost power from Sandy and now I have a full tank in the generator and a full extra 2 gallon container of fuel.

 

[Dave Z]

Well... we never used the generator before, and it's a mere 2,000 watt (really 1,000 if you run it on economy mode which we did except when using the garbage disposal) "extension cord" setup.

We are now looking into a natural-gas Kohler or Cummins Onan (or similar) unit.

I'm trying to figure out which are made here. Kohler and Cummins are similar in that neither seems to mention country of manufacture on their web site. yes, that's important to me. Also, they're similar in that you can ask for a quote on their handy form, but you won't get one.

 

[cass]

Most fuel pumps or sending units have a siphon port covered by a rubber cap and held on with a clamp. That's the best place to siphon.

My Spirit, Reliant, and Breeze had siphoning ports, but for some reason the gen 4 minivans don't. Maybe it's because the fuel pump/sending unit mounts on top of the tank, necessitating that the tank be lowered to gain access. My Pontiac Vibe GT (aka Toyota Matrix SXT) has an access plate in the floor pan under the rear seat cushion that let's you replace the fuel pump from inside the car without dropping the tank. Got to hand it to the Japanese for that one. I would assume that Stow 'n Go prevents Chrysler from doing that with the minivans, but my 2002 T&C doesn't have Stow 'n Go!