Fuel line hemorrhaging! Help!

[Tim Goetz]

Just bought my first Winnebago Adventurer 98'. Didn't have a fuel line leak when I purchased it (it was on fumes). Stopped and added 50 gal. and when I got it home gas was pouring out of a line in the right frame right beside the fuel tank. The shop wants approximately $700 to fix. $500 just to drop the tank!
My question: Is there a way to get the fuel out of the tank? I think I can manage to fix the line if I can remove the fuel and drop the tank. Any help would be appreciated! Can't wait to get on the road!

[Jim_HiTek]

There are companies that suck out your fuel for you in nearly every small/med/large town so google for your area and call around. Might be called 'Fuel Polishers' in your area. Keep 10 gallons for when you're done.

Over the last 16 years of full time RV'ing, I've read several threads about people dropping their tanks themselves and with a tranni jack and some wood to make a saddle, it really didn't sound all that difficult. You'd need to get creative with your google searches but RV.net and iRV2.com would both likely have one or two threads about that job.

Usually it's the fuel line, that pressure line from the fuel pump inside the tank that leaks up on top of the tank and it's fairly common. When you have the tank down, and you only need drop it 6" generally, replace all those hoses.

[EyezOpen]

Originally Posted by Tim Goetz

Just bought my first Winnebago Adventurer 98'. Didn't have a fuel line leak when I purchased it (it was on fumes). Stopped and added 50 gal. and when I got it home gas was pouring out of a line in the right frame right beside the fuel tank. The shop wants approximately $700 to fix. $500 just to drop the tank!
My question: Is there a way to get the fuel out of the tank? I think I can manage to fix the line if I can remove the fuel and drop the tank. Any help would be appreciated! Can't wait to get on the road!

What is happening is very normal, the fuel lines are mostly steel but there are several lines along the way are rubber and they are more than probably rotten.

It is as simple as getting light getting under the RV and checking/ replacing the rubber portions. As to your tank...there should be a drian cock underneath it, one simply sets up a system to drain it and move on from there....or pay the cash for someone else.

I can tell you on the surface it seems like a very big job, if your capable of doing this type of work it is quite simple and easy to do.

[We Be Gone]

Block of wood and floor jack will do the trick. Just lower enough to reach the lines. Not a big job. I have done plenty of them.

[Edd505]

Originally Posted by We Be Gone

Block of wood and floor jack will do the trick. Just lower enough to reach the lines. Not a big job. I have done plenty of them.

good floor jack with a wood cradle.

[dons2346]

You can use the old fashioned 'Oklahoma credit card" aka siphon hose. Just siphon the gas out into 5 gallon jugs until the level gets low enough for you to change the leaking hose.

[GypsyR]

I happened to have a motorcycle jack and dropped my 70 gallon tank with it. About 40 gallons in the tank. Did this several times actually. One time because I popped a fuel line. A couple of times it got off center and one end went down too much. Made it easier to get at the pump and lines but to go back up I had to also use a regular floor jack under the low end to level it out. I could have drained fuel but took a shot at not doing so since the motorcycle jack is rated at 1500 pounds or over double what the tank would weight when full. Hard part was actually removing the the filler hose from the tank the first time before even messing with the tank itself.

[EyezOpen]

Originally Posted by GypsyR

I happened to have a motorcycle jack and dropped my 70 gallon tank with it. About 40 gallons in the tank. Did this several times actually. One time because I popped a fuel line. A couple of times it got off center and one end went down too much. Made it easier to get at the pump and lines but to go back up I had to also use a regular floor jack under the low end to level it out. I could have drained fuel but took a shot at not doing so since the motorcycle jack is rated at 1500 pounds or over double what the tank would weight when full. Hard part was actually removing the the filler hose from the tank the first time before even messing with the tank itself.

We are in total agreement on the filler hose removal, now that i had forgotten about. A 300 lb gorilla comes to mind for that job.

[gatorb8]

I accessed my fuel lines by putting floor jack on one side of tank and loosening bolts on other side, lowered the passenger side far enough, all fill tubes were on driver side which only pivoted, not lowered, my tank had 30 gallons in it

[arcaguy]

Yep I think that the shop was apply the "RV premium" pretty liberally in this case. I'd look into doing it myself or look for another shop. At their prices it's about $75 a bolt which is way too much in my book.

[153stars]

I have an 18" square of 3/4" plywood that I can bolt to floor jack with shoe removed.
If running new fuel lines. I used copper nickel tubing for my 1ton crewman dually brake lines you can buy for fuel. It's easy to bend, manipulate ,double flare and won't rust away

[THenne1713]

There is also a HF hydraulic lift table ($200-$300) that offers potential; on mine, I can see connections using my smart phone camera, but have not attempted to reach without dropping, but wondered if I could, e.g. GEN fuel line, but table also good for GEN removal? https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=lift%20table