The information below contains basic safety precautions when working with fuel, which must be observed without fail. In addition, this subsection provides some fuel system related safety rules. All information below should be considered as general guidelines. Any private questions you may have should be resolved with your fire inspector.
General information
A fire extinguisher must be available in the room where fuel is removed from the fuel tank or parts of the fuel system are removed (foam, carbon dioxide, gas or powder). Fire extinguishers must also be available in rooms where fuel is stored.
Disconnect the battery before removing fuel from the tank or removing parts of the fuel system.
Before carrying out work related to the removal of parts of the fuel system, removal of fuel from the fuel tank, placement of containers with drained fuel for storage in an appropriate room, it is necessary to eliminate all sources of ignition. Portable lamps used must be sealed; spilled fuel should be avoided on portable lamps.
WARNING: Personnel authorized to work on fuel systems must be specially trained.
WARNING: Do not remove any fuel system components while the vehicle is in an inspection ditch.
Removing fuel from the tank
The removal of fuel from the tank must be carried out in accordance with the instructions given in the FUEL SYSTEM section of this manual. In doing so, the following precautions should be observed.
WARNING: Never drain fuel from a vehicle's fuel tank while it is in an inspection ditch. Draining or removing fuel from the fuel tank should only be done in well ventilated areas.
The capacity of the container for draining fuel must exceed the volume of fuel that must be pumped out of the tank. The container with drained fuel must have a designation that excludes ambiguous interpretation. The container with fuel must be stored in a room that meets the fire safety regulations.
CAUTION: When draining fuel from a fuel tank, all precautions should be taken to avoid the presence of unprotected lights and sources of sparks.
Removing the fuel tank
In the case when the fuel line is fixed on the fuel tank fitting with a metal spring clip (quick coupling), you must release the latch before you disconnect the other end of the pipeline or remove the fuel tank. This will eliminate the possibility of an explosion of fuel vapors at the moment of detaching the retainer.
As a precautionary measure, immediately after removing the fuel tank from the vehicle, affix a tag to it "CAREFULLY! FUEL VAPOR".
Fuel tank repair
Plastic fuel tanks cannot be repaired. If such a fuel tank is damaged, it should be replaced with a new one.
Body repair
Plastic fuel lines are particularly susceptible to heat. Even heating to relatively low temperatures is dangerous. Melting of pipelines is possible even from remote exposure to heat.
If during the repair of the body work is carried out with the release of heat, then all fuel lines passing near the front of the work must be removed. Open fuel tank fittings must be plugged.
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