I recently purchased a 99 4cyl turbo VW Passat. It seemed like a great deal minus a hidden problem. Everytime I go to fill my gas tank, a few seconds in the clicking starts. I have to play the angling game so that the sensor doesn’t go off. It takes about 4 or 5 tries to fill my tank half-way, and by then I give up because of that constant (and fake) click-your-tank-is-full sound. Losing patience, please help. What’s wrong?
The problem is either that the evaporative emissions system for your gas tank has a clog/kink in a hose or (more likely) that the person or persons who owned the car prior to you frequently decided to fill the tank after the gas pump had clicked off. (You know–the type who think that it is a good idea to keep playing with the nozzle in order to add–perhaps 1/4 gallon extra fuel.) This might be a good idea if one is crossing the Gobi desert, but for anyone with regular access to gas stations, it is silly and potentially costly.
By consistently overfilling the tank, they likely caused damage to the evaporative emissions system–either a valve or the carbon canister. If the carbon canister needs to be replaced, be prepared to spend many $$$.
After you have it repaired, remember–when the gas pump clicks off, don’t put in any additional gas!
Sorry for the bad news.
Try not sticking the nozzle in all the way. I had a vehicle once that I had to pull back about an inch from all the way in in order to fill it up.
air vent not operating properly for the air to escape as the liquid goes in