Fuel fill up problems

When trying to fill the van the pump will be shut off constrantly after only putting in a little bit of gas. This was not a problem until the fuel filter clogged and literally blew off the van. the van is a 1994, with a sixc cylinder engine.

I’ve never heard of a system building so much pressure that the filter blew off the car. I guess anything is possible.

I suspect your fuel filter was not the on;y thing plugged up. The pump probably keeps shutting off because the vent line through which the air is veneted as the gas is added is plugged.

Since a fuel pump should not be able to develop enough pressure to blow a filter canister off the car, and the pressure is controlled via a bypass in the pump assembly, let me suggest that this is plugged also.

Since both of these lines come out of (are built into) the fuel pump housing assembly, I suspect you’d find everything on that housing clogged up. Only with removal and inspection of the pump assembly can anyone guess what.

Sorry. I think your problems can only be found by doing the above.

Do you have any pranksters in the neighborhood that might pour something onto your tank?

It did not blow the filter off the van, it blew a line off the filter when it plugged. As far as pranksters, I doubt it. We live well off the beaten path. before the filter incident, the van would quit almost every time it stopped.

With the cap off of the tank, take all the connections (wherever they’re at) and apply air (not FULL BLAST). This would be at the EVAP:PURGE (if so equipped) pump or the charcoal canister …etc. The blown off filter is surely some failed internal bypass, but I don’t know if you have a return line to the tank from the pump that the pressure regulator taps off for the injectors.

Essentially I agree with the other poster, I’m just too lazy NOT to seek less invasive remedies before dropping the tank. It’s not really all that hard given the tools/facilities, but they don’t spare anything on the hose/wire slack. There’s going to be a mojo involved in putting it back together. In some pickups, it’s a heated debate to take off the 6-8 carriage bolts and lift the bed off.

I did not answer this post because of the claimed “literally blew off” information,then when questioned the story turned into a line off. We are here to help so it does not pay too withold information or embelish the story.

What remedy was applied to prevent a repeate of the line blowing off? If your filter was plugged to this degree simply replacing the filter would not suffice, you would have to have the tank cleaned and the “sock” type filter on the fuel pump pickup replaced.