Accessing the fuel in modern vehicle gas tank, to run generator

An inverter on an idling engine will certainly work, but is a pretty inefficient generator.

Also, a maxxed out alternator at idle parked, is not a happy alternator.

I have acquired temperature data on my own alternator, and will no longer max out my alternator, at idle ,for more than a few minutes( making 50 amps) as it quickly gets to 220f, though at 65mph it stays under 140f making 121.4 amps.

100 amps at 14v, is 1400 watts

Alternators are only 55% efficient or so
Inverters are only About 85% efficient or so
In a power outage who cares about efficiency.

Portable generators range from 10% - 20% efficiency if that matters.
 
fuel dripping all over while emergency vehicles cant get around is dumb. He was an idiot so leave him without a generator since he was too dumb to get fuel.
Leave the gen out of fuel until a gas station is open. I would be afraid of water in the fuel tanks.
 
He refused to listen to get his gas when it was easy to do so. Let him learn that he needs to think. Its not lack of kindness.. you need to allow people to fail so learning can occur.
My daughter had an idiot friend that never put gas in her car until it was dead. The car got hit sitting in the road with no lights on. Totaled car. Learning occured
 
@wrcsixeight depending on the severity of the situation.....how level of comfort tolerating the FLA heat, food source....hell, survival as a whole, he can take a set of angle cutters to that fuel line and cycle the key and fill a pan with fuel then transfer it to the generator.

Repair bills be ****ed, it's about survival.
 
He refused to listen to get his gas when it was easy to do so. Let him learn that he needs to think. Its not lack of kindness.. you need to allow people to fail so learning can occur.
My daughter had an idiot friend that never put gas in her car until it was dead. The car got hit sitting in the road with no lights on. Totaled car. Learning occured
Not many like you left, brother. Unfortunately, self accountability, self reliance, learning has been something not practiced in this country for a bit, for a few generations now.

Don't want to get political, but God forbid something happens in this country. There would be only foreigners(legal ones such as myself) and rednecks with the intuition and toughness to survive and dig this out.
 
He refused to listen to get his gas when it was easy to do so. Let him learn that he needs to think. Its not lack of kindness.. you need to allow people to fail so learning can occur.
My daughter had an idiot friend that never put gas in her car until it was dead. The car got hit sitting in the road with no lights on. Totaled car. Learning occured
He is 85. He probably learned more and forgot more than most of us.
Never tried it., but I would guess a low compression Jenny would run on a mixture of Toluol and Mineral Spirits and some twc3. You can get painting supplies in gallon tin cans at Walmart or the hardware store.
 
@wrcsixeight depending on the severity of the situation.....how level of comfort tolerating the FLA heat, food source....hell, survival as a whole, he can take a set of angle cutters to that fuel line and cycle the key and fill a pan with fuel then transfer it to the generator.

Repair bills be ****ed, it's about survival.
Why exactly do you need power to survive? I made it a week without in middle of winter after ice storm. I am guessing the tap water still works .
 
Its not an emergency.
@ 85 years d he has gotten used to some comforts.

Still has fuel, rationing generator use to keep freezer below 32f. No cable/internet/tv has him bored.

Said he went out, found one station pumping fuel, with huge lines in all directions, and decided he did not need gas that badly.

Thanks.for.those who had helpful.replies regarding extracting fuel from a modern vehicle's tank.
Most other replies just remind me why I prefer conversing with canines.
 
So I have thought about this before. I store fuel for my genny but in a bind I would split the line at the fuel rail, plumb in a hose, and use the fuel pump to empty the tank. Of course I have the fuel line removal tool and know how to use it. There really is no other way to empty the tank without dropping it. I have been meaning to pull a fuel rail on my next junkyard visit so I can build up said hose with a proper fitting ahead of time.
 
That old vet with Vietnam tats sitting next to you at the diner and you think he's "frail" . He can probably still stomp you out.
Truth! My dad was in his 80's and in a memory care facility when he climbed an iron gate and walked home. I can see the San Andreas fault from my front door. I currantly have 30g of gas for my generator plus gas in my off road toys that's easily accessed with a siphon hose


I also have 2000g of water stored.

If we have "the big one" all the unprepared people around here plus in the los Angeles area will be in real trouble.

It will be a mess.
 
Why exactly do you need power to survive? I made it a week without in middle of winter after ice storm. I am guessing the tap water still works .
Not sure if serious.....or maybe you hate critical thinking.

Let me break this down for you, spoon feed you, if you will.

Op came to one of the most technical sites....ever....full of gear heads and engineers to ask a question regarding a serious event surrounding his elderly father. Obviously he's worried. We gave him some solutions....maybe some were far out there.

While I tend to respect the older generation and give them more credit than guys my age do, the fact is that he's in a serious situation without fuel for his generator. HE'S 85, unlike you or me, we do not know if he's on medication that is required to be kept at a certain temperature. That right there is why I mentioned doing whatever he's got to do to get it running if needed regardless to the damage of the supply vehicle. I was not going to ask the op about the above. So, YES, electricity might be a must.

Furthermore, I have made it without electricity and comms in NH 9 days in NH in the middle of winter. I was out there fixing that stuff. His situation and needs differ given his advanced age.
 
This is why I keep my Jeep tank full most of the time (it’s a toy that I could just put gas in when I go play instead of filling it). It’s 15 gallons of storage that can be accessed by jumping the pump relay and pulling a hose to run to the can. We also have 7.5 gallons in 2 cans. That’ll run the generator for a few days.

My prayers are with him, and I hope he gets power back soon.
 
Not sure if serious.....or maybe you hate critical thinking.

Let me break this down for you, spoon feed you, if you will.

Op came to one of the most technical sites....ever....full of gear heads and engineers to ask a question regarding a serious event surrounding his elderly father. Obviously he's worried. We gave him some solutions....maybe some were far out there.

While I tend to respect the older generation and give them more credit than guys my age do, the fact is that he's in a serious situation without fuel for his generator. HE'S 85, unlike you or me, we do not know if he's on medication that is required to be kept at a certain temperature. That right there is why I mentioned doing whatever he's got to do to get it running if needed regardless to the damage of the supply vehicle. I was not going to ask the op about the above. So, YES, electricity might be a must.

Furthermore, I have made it without electricity and comms in NH 9 days in NH in the middle of winter. I was out there fixing that stuff. His situation and needs differ given his advanced age.
I too was pretty dismayed by the comments on this thread. Yes, if it was a millennial I would point and laugh also. He is 85. 85 year old forget things. Getting up can be difficult. Lifting a gas can may be difficult. I am fortunate my 86 year old father lives in a small town. If he didn't have gas a neighbor would likely fill his generator without being asked.
 
Not sure if serious.....or maybe you hate critical thinking.

Let me break this down for you, spoon feed you, if you will.

Op came to one of the most technical sites....ever....full of gear heads and engineers to ask a question regarding a serious event surrounding his elderly father. Obviously he's worried. We gave him some solutions....maybe some were far out there.

While I tend to respect the older generation and give them more credit than guys my age do, the fact is that he's in a serious situation without fuel for his generator. HE'S 85, unlike you or me, we do not know if he's on medication that is required to be kept at a certain temperature. That right there is why I mentioned doing whatever he's got to do to get it running if needed regardless to the damage of the supply vehicle. I was not going to ask the op about the above. So, YES, electricity might be a must.

Furthermore, I have made it without electricity and comms in NH 9 days in NH in the middle of winter. I was out there fixing that stuff. His situation and needs differ given his advanced age.
Hanstringing your functioning transportation to remain in a situation where you need to run a generator for power is idiotic.

Get in the car and drive to where there is power.

Critical thinking...
 
the fact is that he's in a serious situation without fuel for his generator.
This isn't some remote spot in Nevada or Montana 50 miles from the nearest town. If he's in a life threatening emergency he can call 911 or drive to the hospital. That he isn't in a nursing home indicates he isn't incapacitated or frail.
That right there is why I mentioned doing whatever he's got to do to get it running if needed regardless to the damage of the supply vehicle.
I've gotten fuel out of a 10 year old Nissan Versa by hotwiring the fuel pump relay and connecting a hose to the fuel rail, but I had the service manual to look up the wiring diagrams and fuel system. I wouldn't even attempt that on a 2022 Cadillac what with the high pressure system they have.
 
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