Stop spilling gas on the garage floor after tank removal with this simple trick.
Removing and reinstalling the tank when full of gas can be a pain, particularly when working solo. In order to avoid sloshing fuel all over the garage while lifting a cumbersome tank, drain the gas once you have the tank removed. The best way to accomplish this is with a fuel pump drain, a tool that’s equally handy if you need to store a bike for a long period of time. The drain gives power to the fuel pump off the bike through an external battery, and pumps the gas through a hose into a gas can. Many race teams use this DIY electrical tool as a cheat to drain high-octane fuel from fuel tanks between races, both to monitor fuel usage and to keep the fuel pump from being eaten away by race gas if left overnight. Luckily, we managed to sequester their little secret so we could share it with you.
To demonstrate, we made a fuel pump drain for a 2010 Kawasaki ZX-6R. (The pump drain is model specific and changes may be needed for other motorcycles.)
Using an old battery, some wires and automotive electrical spades, those days of nearly passing out from the fumes of spilled petrol will be a distant memory.
We created two versions: one using an old female-side fuel pump connector and one using only automotive spades.
1. There are two versions...
1. There are two versions of the fuel pump drain that you can make. You can use connectors from an old or damaged wiring harness to join the fuel pump to the gas tank or you can use electrical spades from a kit that can be purchased in any local auto parts store. You’ll also need 16-gauge wire, wire crimpers, shrink tubing and any 12-volt battery source, which you can take from your bike.
2. Cut roughly two feet of...
2. Cut roughly two feet of both red and black speaker wire then crimp a male fork spade onto one end of each wire. Put shrink tubing over the wires for a cleaner install and to help keep the wires from bending.
3. Attach the connector from...
3. Attach the connector from the old wiring harness using female bullet connectors. On the Ninja, the black/yellow and black/green wires attach to the negative or black wire while the white/red wire from the fuel pump connector attaches to the red wire. If you’re just using spades, crimp a smaller fork male spade onto the other end of each wire.
3. Attach the connector from...
3. Attach the connector from the old wiring harness using female bullet connectors. On the Ninja, the black/yellow and black/green wires attach to the negative or black wire while the white/red wire from the fuel pump connector attaches to the red wire. If you’re just using spades, crimp a smaller fork male spade onto the other end of each wire.
4. Set up a clean area in...
4. Set up a clean area in the garage where you can prop up the fuel tank so that gas can drain from the pipe on the fuel pump into a gas can and leave you room to connect your new fuel pump drain to your battery source.
5. When using the fuel pump...
5. When using the fuel pump drain with the connector end, it’s easiest to connect it to the battery first then plug in the connector to the pump. It helps to have 3-6 inches of rubber tubing tightly secured over the fuel pump pipe and pointed into an empty gas can to minimize the chances of gas streaming onto the ground.
6. Using the simpler version...
6. Using the simpler version of the fuel pump drain with only the fork spades means you have to have someone else hold the tube and gas can while you hold the spades into the fuel pump connector. It’s a crude way to do it, but it’s cheap and simple and sure beats sucking in an accidental gulp of fuel when trying to use a syphon.
5. When using the fuel pump...
5. When using the fuel pump drain with the connector end, it’s easiest to connect it to the battery first then plug in the connector to the pump. It helps to have 3-6 inches of rubber tubing tightly secured over the fuel pump pipe and pointed into an empty gas can to minimize the chances of gas streaming onto the ground.
6. Using the simpler version...
6. Using the simpler version of the fuel pump drain with only the fork spades means you have to have someone else hold the tube and gas can while you hold the spades into the fuel pump connector. It’s a crude way to do it, but it’s cheap and simple and sure beats sucking in an accidental gulp of fuel when trying to use a syphon.
25ft. spool of 16-gauge 2- Conductor speaker wire
$7.99Dorman/Conduct-Tite 100 pcs. solderless terminal kit
$8.99
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