Hi everybody. I have a really weird situation here, or so I’m told.
Yesterday, I turned on my car and got a message on my dash telling me to check my fuel cap. I did, and it was fine. The message still didn’t go away, so when I got to work, I actually unscrewed my cap to check and make sure everything looked normal. At this point, I noticed that the metal flap that usually covers the opening of the gas tank was gone. After showing this to my neighbor, he said that it looks like there’s actually an entire component missing from the mouth of the tank, and not just the flap. I’m sure there’s a technical term for this part, though I have no idea what it is.
I’m guessing that, the last time I got gas, this part of my gas tank went with the nozzle when I took it out. How I didn’t notice this is beyond me. Unfortunately, the last time I got gas, I was 100 miles away from home. I called the station to ask if anyone had seen anything resembling what I might be looking for, but they said no.
My question is, am I in for a nauseatingly expensive repair here? Is it possible to just replace that one part, or am I going to end up replacing a whole lot more? I haven’t taken it to a mechanic yet because I’m trying to go in armed with some knowledge about what can be done here. Any help is greatly appreciated.
First, do nothing. The fuel tank must be properly closed for the emissions system to work right. If you don’t get the cap in right, or cross-thread it or something, you will set either the check engine light (most cars) or a specific fuel cap light (in your car). Take the cap off and re-close it carefully. If the cap is now correct, the light will not immediately turn off. It takes a few engine start/stop cycles for the computer to decide all is well. So the light may go off tomorrow if not later today.
I don’t know enough about your car to help with the bigger question. One reason for that narrow flap inside the wider fuel neck is to stop you from using the wrong gas pump. If the gas cap still seems to close correctly, and if the light eventually goes out, it may be that the part you lost is inconsequential.
If the light does not go out, then you have to weigh the cost/benefit of repair vs doing nothing. If you do nothing, the light will never go out and you will be venting a small amount of gas vapor into the air, contributing to excess pollution. You may also fail your annual inspection/emissions test. I expect that a repair will require draining and dropping the tank, to either weld a new part in or just replace the entire tank. I certainly would not want anyone welding on it without dropping and draining it.
Thank you for the info. What you’re saying about the repair is exactly what I’m afraid of. If it’s still safe for me to drive, I’m inclined to leave it alone, although the fact that I can’t see my odometer because of the “check fuel cap” message is pretty irritating. Not irritating enough to pay for that repair, mind you…
It may not require dropping the tank. On may of today’s cars the fill pipe is attached to the fuel tank using a flexable rubber connection. These can generally be accessed by removing interior panels. If I understand your post correctly, the part you’re referring to will have been press fitted onto the end of the fill pipe, perhaps with a spot weld.
Thanks a bunch. It’s helpful to know what the part’s called.
I stopped by the auto parts store yesterday to see if I could get that part from them. They don’t carry it, but they told me that there have been a rash of gas thefts in my neighborhood recently. The guy there said he thinks what probably happened is that someone tried to steal my gas, but got their hose or siphon stuck and took that component with them. I had thought this might have been the case because of some new scratches near the fuel door, but this confirms it for me. I’m filing a police report and hoping my insurance will cover the cost of the repair, but if they won’t, at least I know I can get the part.
I have a 2008 Nissan sentra and noticed that after putting some gas in car so I can make it to the station that the flap is missing. The gas can got stuck and I wiggled it and finally it came out. My husband and I have driven it and no light came ok n. Will it damage my car if it is sitting in my gas tank or affect the sensor in reading how much gas is in the tank?
Why are you letting your fuel level get so low that you worry about getting to the station. That is a good way to ruin your fuel pump and that is an expensive repair. Not going to mention that you revived a 5 year old thread and it would be best to start your own. Frankly just drive on it will not effect your fuel gauge reading.
I live in Texas and there was gas shortage and no gas at the stations for a few days. Sorry about the old thread. I am new to this and just started today and getting used to it. Thanks.
As long as this thread is revived, for anyone else that sees it and has this problem, in that era’s Honda V6 cars, when the “check fuel cap” message comes up, it’s often actually the evap purge valve that’s the problem. The good news is the part is cheap, and pretty much anyone who owns a screwdriver can replace it easily.
Now you’ve done it. Our engineers will be calculating that the quarter size steel disc now in the fuel tank will displace .2 milliliters of fuel causing the fuel gauge to read .005% optimistic.
@aoichan_30 … if your problem is you accidentally pushed the little metal circular flap where you insert the fuel pump nozzle , if that fell into the tank, very unlikely to cause any problem. The purpose of the flap I presume is to prevent dirt from getting into the gas tank, and it probably helps prevent gas vapors from escaping, and there might be a safety function for that flap. So until you get it repaired, don’t remove the gas cap unless you need to, be extra careful when the gas cap is removed there’s no ignition sources nearby, and about debris getting into the gas tank.
BTW, you are welcome to post here anytime, but best to post this kind of topic as a new thread. Next time click on the maintenance repairs link, then click “new topic”.
