Hello all! Today was my first day fueling up the car. After removing my gas cap and fueling the car with gas, I inserted the cap and turned but I did not hear a click. Is my cap defective?
What does your owner’s manual say? Caps do usually click.
Owner manual says it should click once but I didn’t hear anything
No click, and it just keeps turning, then it is defective. The Toyota dealer will hand you a new one.
Edit: If it doesn’t keep turning, i.e., seems to come up tight, try turning harder. New cars are harder to “click” than older ones.
It stops turning but will the cap break if I try to turn harder??
Thanks, I just had to turn it harder. Was scared it was going to break haha
You probably have a good feel for how tight the cap should be. Just use that twist force. If you have forgotten, try out another car’s cap that clicks and get a feel for the torque.
Alternately, you can go to the dealer and get a new cap as this is a part of the emissions warranteed systems which extends longer and for higher mileage than the power train warranty.
Alternately X2, you can wait until the Check Engine Light comes on with an emissions DTC code and then tighten the cap a little tighter.
I wouldn’t crank down too hard as you might jamb/strip the threads or break the rubber O’ring. One thing you can try is to remove the cap; have someone strong hold the treaded part; and you crank on the handle. A visual check might reveal why the cap is not clicking i.e. a bent piece. I once discovered a service facitily had switched caps by just the feel and sound of the older cap. I now mark my caps with the car’s license number.
Go to your dealer and try the caps on a few other cars of the same model. If yours doesn’t work the same way, then have them fix the problem.
“Today was my first day fueling up the car.” “Thanks, I just had to turn it harder”.
Problem solved–now you will know how to tighten the gas tank for your semi-annual fill-up six months from now.
I have to turn the gas cap rather hard to make it click on my 2011 Toyota Sienna. It must be a Toyota thing.
I had to concoct a special “T-wrench” out of PVC pipe so that a friend could remove and install the gas cap on her Corolla. Since that time, perhaps two years ago, she’s received numerous enquiries from other patrons at the gas station asking where she got it.
If anyone patronizing this forum has a disability and would like, I can try to post a sketch. It’s easy to make, very inexpensive, and works great.
I have a 13 Rav4 and I don’t turn it enough to click but it works anyway. It stops in the same place so maybe mine doesn’t have to click. I’ll read it again next time. After reading the above: I had to make a lever wrench so I can use gas pumps. Some day I’ll make a wrench for the gas cap.
It’s easy. A few pieces of 3/4" PVC, two PVC “T” junctions, a few caps (optional) to finish it off, a hand saw, and some PVC cement. Only takes a few minutes to make.
In Oregon we are not allowed to pump our own fuel. I have no problem with that. I have pumped enough while working at/owning service stations. Even if it’s raining I leave my window down in order to hear the click(s) when the “gas passer” replaces the cap. Unrelated comment. About a year ago the station I refuel at the most started washing windshields! Is there hope for the return of the service station?
Sgtrock, that would drive me crazy. The older I get is that less I trust others to do things right. In the case of pumping gas that would mean not spilling it on the side of the car and not topping off the tank.
I remember when stations used to pump the gas, wash the windshield, check the oil, and even give the driver a free drinking glass with each fillup. There used to be a pressurized air hose laid across the lanes connected to a pulse-sensitive “bell” that made a loud “ding ding” sound when you drove over up to the pump, letting the attendant know you were there.