Drain Gas Fuel Tank with Vacuum Petcock - Quick Tip

I show how to drain a gas tank with a vacuum petcock safely. Draining the gas (petrol) from the tank of a vintage motorcycle with a vacuum petcock valve can be a little challenging. Don't go turning the tank upside down and get gasoline all over your paint or spilling in an unsafe manner. I show how to do it in a controlled manner.
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[@tittyrino]

I’m draining the tank on my 1985 Yamaha Vmax 1200. He has 11,000 original miles and for the last five years sat in a heated garage. This year I’m going to put a lot more miles on it however I want to clean all the crud out of the fuel tank.I installed two new tires spark plugs oil and oil filter air filter final drive fluid I change the coolant and I do all this work myself because mechanics cost a fortune and with a little bit of perseverance and every repair manual on the Vmax I could find I am enjoying myself. I just bought a carb pro synchronization tool as well as $1500 worth of motorcycle tools I don’t need them yet but if and when I do I will have them.I can’t wait for this summer it’s going to be awesome

[@UrbanMonkTV]

You're living the dream Sir! Enjoy! The relationship between man and machine is as old as man. A beautiful thing.

[@jin2669]

Just bought myself a 1980's cx500 custom, your videos are helping me a ton! Having issues keeping it running at temp at idle, thinking it had some bad gas!

[@UrbanMonkTV]

Thanks for watching! Enjoy your CX - great machines.

[@tomconte1765]

Fricking genius!

[@UrbanMonkTV]

I don't know about that but thank you for watching!

[@martinwall7297]

tks.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

Thanks for watching!

[@chewiescustompuzzles]

Thank you for the video. I just purchased a Vacuum pump. I have a 2000 Heritage Springer and Taking off the tank is more complicated since the dashboard is sitting on it. I am pretty sure I can drain the tank without removing it from the bike. I have to drain the tank to replace the petcock.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

Thanks for watching! Yes, if you can reach the petcock with vacuum line while the tank is mounted, go for it.

[@alveus8205]

I did this on my 2000 wide glide yesterday. Worked perfectly.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

@@alveus8205 thanks for commenting!

[@eriksandsmark4578]

You should also mention that many of the 70-80 generation bikes got a free flow position usually marked with "PRI".

[@UrbanMonkTV]

Yes. "PRI" stands for PRIME and is intended to fill float bowls when a bike has had carb work. I didn't cover because this particular bike doesn't have that function and the point of this video was draining the tank, not priming carbs. But you're absolutely right. Thanks for watching!

[@brizamora4325]

I’m trying to unflood my engine how do I turn the petcock off so that I can be able to do so? I have a Suzuki gs450l 87’

[@UrbanMonkTV]

Most petcocks have either and off position or none-with-vacuum, meaning if there's no vacuum to the petcock it is same as off.

[@EnriqueRickNavarro]

You actually don’t have to remove the tank. I just used the vacuum method without taking it off and got it empty enough to change out to a manual petcock.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

That's a good point. I didn't mean to suggest one has to remove the tank. I just did because I was removing the engine on my bike and it needed to come off for my project. Thanks for watching!

[@preetkanwargill9110]

Hello Sir, Is it possible/safe to use fuel transfer siphoning pump….to get old fuel out …Or it might mess up with the delicate system in petcock…….!!?

[@UrbanMonkTV]

I've certainly done it, but there's a small risk of damaging the filter screen inside and it is difficult to get all the fuel out - seems there's always some you can't reach with the siphon hose. Thanks for watching!

[@andrewnassan7978]

Can you show how to disconnect the hoses from the petcock? Thats the problem im having since I don't want to get gas everywhere.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

Yes, I could show that in the future when I put mine back together. Until then...Without vacuum to the petcock, very little should spill out when disconnecting. Just wear some rubber gloves and hold a shop towel around the fuel line as you pull it off the nipple. The towel will catch the small amount of fuel that does come out of the line. Put the towel somewhere safe. Obviously no open flames or smoking around this process. Also, have tank loose on the frame b4 so you can immediately take it off the bike after disconnecting. Hope that helps.

[@andrewnassan7978]

@@UrbanMonkTV thank you for the help!

[@emelen123jamesula2]

The fuel tank is from which model Honda. It be a nice chopper tank.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

CX500 Custom. Thanks for watching!

[@azcharlie2009]

What do you do if the vacuum petcock doesn't work anymore? Very typical on harleys.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

First, thank you for watching. In that case I suppose I'd, out of necessity, use a siphon and invert the tank over a large drain pan for the last drops.

[@13gallonreefinging55]

Having a really hard time the petcock on my CX 500 broke and I can’t find a replacement any ideas that would actually would work I thought I found a replacement but then the boat didn’t fit?

[@UrbanMonkTV]

I'd probably check Randakks, cruzinimage.net or ebay if I were in your shoes. Not sure if they have exactly what you need, but they come to mind first. Good luck! Hope this helps.

[@13gallonreefinging55]

That really did help a lot thank you one more question what is the best type of coolant to put in the bike I’ve been looking around and I just really don’t know what would be the most beneficial to the motorcycle

[@UrbanMonkTV]

@@13gallonreefinging55 Any coolant rated safe for aluminum is fine. Even the cheap green stuff.

[@13gallonreefinging55]

@@UrbanMonkTV OK thank you very much I really appreciate your time

[@allisonsailsandcanvas]

My vacuum petcock on my Ducati got thrown in the trash. After dumping a full tank of fuel in my crankcase twice I replaced it with a manual one. I’m sure Honda did a better job designing them.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

Ugh! Yeah, this one is working like a charm 40 years later.

[@user-dr4cd5qq7z]

❤️Thank you for the informative video Sir 🙏🏼……What to do if my gasoline is so old that it left varnish in fuel tank and pet cock…..is it possible after draining old fuel…..I refill the tank with fresh gasoline and keep it there for a week and then draining it again through pet cock… will new gasoline dissolves varnish ?

[@UrbanMonkTV]

It should. Or acetone. Be careful, flammable. Thanks for watching!

[@user-dr4cd5qq7z]

@@UrbanMonkTV Problem is that the motorcycle tank is coated from inside with Red Koat ….i am afraid if I can use acetone on that liner !!!🤔?

[@UrbanMonkTV]

@@user-dr4cd5qq7z That's a good question. The customer support people at Red Koat should be able to answer that.

[@user-dr4cd5qq7z]

@@UrbanMonkTV thank you for the suggestion Sir

[@Berkner80]

I used the vacuum pump but would only work for about half the gas even after pumping it again. Finally just removed my petcock and that was easier and could drain most of my gas out. I would say use this method if you have a lot of gas in the tank but then just remove the petcock to remove the rest.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

Did you have the petcock set to reserve setting so you were drawing from the lowest point in the tank?

[@Berkner80]

@@UrbanMonkTV yes, I sure did.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

@@Berkner80 That's interesting. The majority should drain out through the petcock on the reserve setting. But given yours wasn't for some reason your solution makes good sense. You'll just need to purchase a new seal for under the petcock for reinstalling.

[@Berkner80]

@@UrbanMonkTV i wasn't sure about the new seal after removing the petcock but thanks. I have a 1985 Nighthawk 650 and the petcock seem pretty easy to remove and no leaks before. I'll look for a new seal tonight. Thanks

[@UrbanMonkTV]

@@Berkner80 Thank you for watching!

[@Berkner80]

Mine has been sitting up for 3 months. It has just 3 month old ethanol free gas but thinking I may need to use fresh gas. What do you think?

[@UrbanMonkTV]

I think fresh gas would be good call. The biggest risk with ethanol is water buildup and corrosion, so You'll be spared that. But these old bikes can be difficult to start after sitting for a long time and fresh gas helps.

[@Berkner80]

@@UrbanMonkTV I'm using ethanol free gas not ethanol gas but still thinking using fresh gas would be wise anyway.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

@@Berkner80 Yes, I understood that. And yes, fresh gas would be a good idea. Thanks for watching.

[@Berkner80]

@@UrbanMonkTV thanks, guess I'll pick up a vacuum pump at Harbor Freight this weekend.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

@@Berkner80 That'll do the trick.

[@jonathanvillalba3214]

Would 3 month old gas be "old" enough to drain?

[@UrbanMonkTV]

The answer to that depends on a few factors. Ethanol blend or not? Average humidity and temperatures over that three months. Temp shift. Integrity of tank. Etc. Get to know the smell of fresh gas and old gas. The nose is a sensitive instrument. Thanks for watching!

[@victorwest8041]

could I just suck the diaphram hose open with my mouth and then pinch it off to hold it open ?

[@UrbanMonkTV]

That could work, but given the very public nature of my channel I hesitate to advise people putting their mouth on components of a motorcycle. However that doesn't mean I haven't done things like that. Thanks for watching!

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

You don't really need the music, it is slightly annoying to some of us with hearing issues when listening to what you are saying.

[@cluton5222]

A 10ml plastic syringe works fine for creating the vacuum. 50 cents from the chemist.

[@UrbanMonkTV]

That's an excellent idea!

[@pmaint1]

Why not just siphon the old has out? A hell of a lot less work!!

[@UrbanMonkTV]

Thanks for watching. I think the concern in that case would be 100% evacuation of the gas.

[@aolegario1]

Why wouldn’t you just put it on prime?

[@UrbanMonkTV]

Good question. For those models from earlier years before EPA regulated the "prime" function away, that would be a good option. This particular year and beyond, there is no prime setting or functionality. There must be engine vacuum (or another source) to open the valve. Thanks for watching!

[@aolegario1]

@@UrbanMonkTV thanks for replying

[@adrianedwards1309]

ITS NOT GAS!! ITS A LIQUID! CALL IT WHAT IT IS.... A FUEL OR PETROL!! ARRGGGGHH!

[@UrbanMonkTV]

Totally hear what your saying. Makes total sense. It's just a dumb American thing. Thanks for watching!

[@adamalexander8460]

Gas is short for gasoline. Let me use some unnecessary caps too. Ahem. IT'S CALLED GASOLINE WHERE HE'S MAKING THE VIDEO. HENCE GAS, SHORT FOR GASOLINE.!!!​ Which is the same as you shoetebeinft PETROLEUM TO PETROL!!! which is actually in accurate, because petroleum is the unrefined product form the earth, and gasoline is the refined product that yous re actually putting in your vehicle here.