best way to drain fuel tank
 

hi everyone!
so my '78 300d has been having issues accelerating and reaching maximum speeds. the plastic inline filter is not anywhere near being half full, so i have a feeling that its not getting enough fuel. i was going to start by cleaning the fuel screen on my tank....
everything i've looked up on line says to just drain the fuel tank, what would be the easiest way to do this???
and then how do i get the screen out?

thanks!
sanna

Get under it and look. You should see a big nut above the rear axle. Unscrew it and the screen comes out.

Hi Sanna,

In my opinion you are better off siphoning the fuel out of the top of the tank before attempting to remove the screen. There are many many threads along the lines of "how do I get diesel out of my eyes / hair / clothes" on this forum. If you remove the diesel safely first you'll not have to start a thread like this of your own!

To gain access to the top of the tank you need to remove the first aid kit and then remove the fuel tank sender unit. (The bit that measures how much fuel you have left in your tank).

You'll need a 46mm socket / open ended spanner to remove the fuel sender. You're better off with a 46mm box spanner if you can find one as this is the best tool for the tank screen which is also 46mm. (I've had trouble finding them though) Funola did some jiggery pokery with some plumbing supplies in this thread

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/295814-daft-w123-300d-nut-bolts-sizes-3.html

There's also this in the wiki that is probably of interest to you

PeachPartsWiki: 240D Fuel Tank Removal and Cleaning

And if you want to be sure you've got a fuel blockage you might like to try swapping the return and supply lines at the engine end and seeing if that helps. This will work with at least a 1/4 full tank - perhaps 1/8 full...

You might also want to remove the ground strap from the battery before you begin

I agree. And while you're under the tank, I would replace the rubber hoses as it's time anyway on a 1978 car.

thanks everyone! i'll give it a try today