I had 1/4 of a tank of gas, and tried to fill up my car, less than a gallon would go in at a time and it kept spurting back out, then the little cover over the entry fell in the tank. My CEL has been off an on for over a month, and when i had that check it came back as an emissions issue and i was to have my vapor canister fogged. I’ve been unemployed since november so since i was told an emissions issue isn’t severe, i let it go cause i could afford the money it was going to take to find the problem, let alone fix it…and now this happens…I’m wondering if they’re connected problems.
If this is a 2000 or newer Sentra, the gas tank vents through the vapor recovery canister during refueling. If the tank cannot vent, the incoming fuel backs up into the fill pipe tripping the pump nozzle. The built up vapor pressure will then vomit some of the added fuel back up the fill pipe.
So if the emissions issue has to do with the vapor recovery canister, this problem could well be related to the CEL being lite. A prudent person would get the DTC codes read to determine what the ECM has determined is wrong.
Hope this helps.
when the CEL came on I took it to autozone, and they read the codes. I haven’t had any problems with this car in the 2 years I’ve had it, however, I have been doing a little research on the car and there was a recall regarding the vapor canister and fuel tank. when i purchased the car it had 40k miles on it and now it’s got 90k, is it possible that the recall problem was checked before they sold me the car but the problem hadn’t yet presented itself?
Very possible. Go on Alldata and pull up the TSBs for you make, model, and year of car. Hopefully the recall will be mentioned in a TSB. Otherwise, contact a dealer’s service department and ask the service adviser what the recall exactly covered. Have him/her read the text of the recall to you.
You should know that divulging the year, make, model, engine size and configuration, and retrieved codes will be helpful to us to give you point specific replies. Gives us a chance be your eyes and use our experiences.
It’s a 2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8S
I don’t remember what the code was, but it had three options for problems and they were all related the fuel cap (which i replaced and the code came back 2 days later), the vapor canister, and one other thing i can’t remember but it was still emissions related.
This is a copy of the recall i found.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 05V269000
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE
Manufacturer: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Potential Number of Units Affected: 44000
Year: 2005
Make: Nissan
Model: Sentra
Manufactured
from: 2004-11-03
to: 2005-03-07
Recall Date: 2005-06-07
Summary:
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A VAPOR HOSE LOCATED IN THE FUEL TANK MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FORMED CORRECTLY DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PARKED WITH A FULL FUEL TANK, FUEL MAY FLOW INTO THE VAPOR HOSE, WHICH IS CONNECTED TO A VAPOR CANISTER.
THE VAPOR CANISTER COULD BECOME FULL, AND EXCESS FUEL COULD SPILL OUT ONTO THE GROUND. FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Wow, I have the same problems! My Nissan Sentra '05 just started doing this today. It has 140k miles (I drive a lot). Plus, I am also a broke grad student looking for a job!
If this recall was not completed or if the replacement part has failed, you now could have a vapor canister filled with gasoline. The tank cannot vent through the canister while you are filling causing your problem.
on the bright side, if it IS a recall, and not a TSB, then you shouldn’t have to spend a dime fixing it.
are you the original owner? i’ve put 54K on mine in 2 years, and i’d like to put another 50k on it at least before i get rid of it. frustrating as all get out when you need your car to survive but can’t afford to fix it when disaster strikes. 
Next question…i didn’t buy it from a Nissan dealer…should I start by taking it to the dealer i bought it from?? or go straight to the local nissan dealer?
If it is the subject of a recall then you should take it back to a Nissan dealer. It should be free.
If it was a TSB, then I suggest an independent mechanic. That likely will be cheaper than having the dealer do it.
I parked my car as flat as possible last night, and it said that i had 3/4 of a tank of gas. when i went out in checked it this morning, it registered as nearly full…i have no idea what to make of this…
Yes, I am the original owner. I thankfully have a father who is very handy. I looked at the recall on this and it does not seem to be exactly related to this problem with the cover falling into the fuel tank, but my father thinks it will be covered for some reason.
This year I replaced practically everything in the car, so I really want it to last!
I took my car in monday, and they said the recall doesn’t apply. It was the vent valve…of course yours could be different…good luck