Hurricane Dean is bearing down on the Texas coast and I drove to about five places looking for 5 gallon gas cans for my generator. Everyone is sold out. I did buy a hose with a little pump on it hoping that I could siphon the fuel out of my JK or F150 if it came to that.

However in my testing I have been unable to get the hose into the tank on either vehicles. Either my hose is too big, or the tube has some sort of a siphon - prevention device.

Does anyone know if its possible to run a hose down to the tank?

 

I actually wasn't able to siphon the gas out of a 95 pontiac bonneville a friend decided to give to Salvation Army. I was thinking it was because of the way they make the necks for the gas tanks now, etc, that it's next to impossible unless you've got a fairly long thin hose to do it.

 

I've been searching the internet for a definitive answer whether it's possible or not. So far I haven't seen anything certain. I have read that newer vehicles have a valve in the tube that prevents gas from flowing out in the event of a rollover, it also prevents a hose from going through.

 

I had the same problem with my vehicles during Ivan then Katrina. I cannot remember where I read this but this worked for me in a pinch. Slide a small sipon tube down the filler neck as far as you can. Get an air compressor with a blow gun and place it in the filler hole. With a few shop rags to make a seal, blow air into the tank and the gasoline should be forced into the siphon tube. I tried this to get gasoline for my generator post Katrina (11 days w/o power). What problems this may have caused on the donor vehicle I will never know, I sold it soon after in preparation to get my JK.

I had a 110 air compressor I ran off my generator for this last ditch effort to obtain fuel.

Good luck hope this works

My lesson learned: Keep at least 8 of those 5 gallon cans along with enough stabilizer handy during the season.

 

I read on a post, here in this forum, that one of the members was the victim of someone siphoning his gas while he was in the grocery store. The discussion revolved around buying a locking gas cap. So, it may be possible.

 

LOL!!! You live in Texas and have a problem getting fuel!!! Where does all the fuel go that is produced there if it can't stick around to help it's own citizen's?! Something is just plain wrong with that. Well, I definitely wish you the best. My home town here in FL got 3 direct hits 2 years in a row. We still have roofs around town with blue tarps on them.

 

Fuel isn't the problem, having something to put it in is the problem right now.

 

He's having a problem finding gas cans, not gas.

 

i remember hugo! i lived in charleston at the time... that was my first hurricane. i figured one wasnt enough so i moved back to florida!

 

I was out of electricity for 15 days last January in Missouri, due to the ice storm. Spent many hours trying to get gas out of a Toyota minivan and Chevy Colorado truck. Tried every hose I could find and finally had success using an 1/8 air hose from a fish aquarium. It took some time and patients to get it past the mechanism installed in both vehicles to keep gas from being siphoned.

Once in about 5 feet, I sucked and could see the gas coming down the clear tube. Placed it in a 5 gallon gas can and waited for over an hour for it to fill. Siphoned over 20 gallons over 7 days. You can pick up the thin hose at any hardware or pet store.

Good Luck.