How to Siphon Gas From a Toyota

by Josh Baum

Toyota has the distinction of being the world's largest auto manufacturer. It makes best sellers like the Camry, the Tundra and the hybrid Prius. But all of Toyota's cars, even its hybrids, share their basic fuel tank design with the rest of the street cars available today. The fuel tank design allows fuel to be siphoned with a hose, and if you employ a little physics know-how and let gravity do the heavy lifting, siphoning gas from a Toyota can be safe. By siphoning gas out of your Toyota with a hose, you can transfer that fuel to a stranded car that has run out of gas or into small, gas-powered machines like generators, lawn mowers and snow blowers.

Step 1

Park the Toyota on level ground, turn off the engine and take the keys out of the ignition.

Step 2

Open the fuel door, take off the gas cap and feed one end of the rubber hose into the gas tank.

Step 3

Blow into the other end of the hose and listen for the sound of bubbling inside the gas tank of the Toyota. If you hear bubbling, that means the end of the hose is submerged in the gasoline and you're ready to siphon.

Step 4

Set the plastic gas tank where you can easily reach it, then drape the hose so that it comes out of the Toyota's gas tank, slopes all the way to the ground and then curves up to the end held in your hand. Make sure you're holding the loose end of the hose higher than the car's internal fuel tank.

Step 5

Keep the loose end of the hose above the car's fuel tank and start sucking on it using your mouth. Keep your eyes on the hose so you can see the fuel moving through it. Continue sucking only until the gasoline fills the lowest part of the hose and starts climbing the length leading up to your mouth. Then take your mouth off the hose. The fuel trapped in the lowest part of the hose will remain there.

Step 6

Lift the plastic gas can up higher than the car's fuel tank and feed the open end of the hose into the can's opening. With the hose inside the can, carefully lower the can until it is lower than the fuel tank on the car. It is often easiest to just set the can flat on the ground. As soon as the hose and gas can are lower than the car's fuel tank, the gas should start flowing freely through the hose and into the can.

Step 7

Keep your hands on the can and the hose the entire time the gas is being siphoned, and when enough fuel has been siphoned out, carefully lift them both until they're higher than the Toyota's gas tank. The flow of fuel will stop.

Step 8

Take the end of the hose out of the gas can. Straighten out the hose and hold the end up high so that any excess fuel trapped in the hose will trickle back down into the Toyota's tank.