FYI: What happens when you overfill the gas tank - LotusTalk

MattG · 10-26-2009, 04:39 PM

Ever wonder what happens when you overfill the gas tank? Me neither. On a drive last month, I stopped to fill up at a run-down gas station in the middle of nowhere (hey, it's Colorado, not a lot of choices sometimes). The pump was incredibly slow, slower than I've ever seen before. Eventually, I noticed gas literally pouring out from under the car! Either it was too slow to trip the auto-shutoff, or that feature of the pump was broken. No fuel got on the paint, for there's a drain hole in the plastic part surrounding the fill tube. I opened the engine cover to help evaporation, and pushed the car forward a few feet to get it away from the pool of gas on the ground. The clerk inside was pretty much indifferent when I told her about the problem.

Probably goes without saying that I waited quite a bit before starting up the car after this...

lotusport · 10-26-2009, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattG

Ever wonder what happens when you overfill the gas tank? Me neither. On a drive last month, I stopped to fill up at a run-down gas station in the middle of nowhere (hey, it's Colorado, not a lot of choices sometimes). The pump was incredibly slow, slower than I've ever seen before. Eventually, I noticed gas literally pouring out from under the car! Either it was too slow to trip the auto-shutoff, or that feature of the pump was broken. No fuel got on the paint, for there's a drain hole in the plastic part surrounding the fill tube. I opened the engine cover to help evaporation, and pushed the car forward a few feet to get it away from the pool of gas on the ground. The clerk inside was pretty much indifferent when I told her about the problem.

Probably goes without saying that I waited quite a bit before starting up the car after this...

Hey, don't pick on Colorado! There are many other places you could be (more miserable)...

Chances are your car will/has thrown a malfunction code due to raw gas in the charcoal cannister from overfilling. You'll just get to drive around for awhile with the "Check Engine" light on. It will clear itself in a few days.

apk919 · 10-26-2009, 04:52 PM

YouTube - Jos Verstappen pitstop fire 1994

PatrickShim · 10-26-2009, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apk919

YouTube - Jos Verstappen pitstop fire 1994

Holy crap!!!

Next time you fill up your car at the track, I'll be sure not to light up a cigar next to you.

pixieluv · 10-27-2009, 04:29 AM

I do not trust the auto shut off so if I ever see over 7 gallons going in the car I stop pumping right then. Only once did I ever need more than 7 gallons and that was after a track day... stupid bubbling gas throwing off the gauges!

TimMullen · 10-27-2009, 10:14 AM

What happens when you overfill the gas tank?

Well, on some cars, it has been known to cause damage to other systems in the car - for example, it can flow through the vacuum system into the cruise control mechanism and cause failures. It all depends on the car (not that we have to worry about our cruise controls

).

Usually the worst is that it gets into the charcoal canister as mentioned above.

dasmoofler · 10-27-2009, 10:32 AM

Not the Lotus, but I once hit a pot hole so deep the gas tank hit the ground and got a hole poked in it. I didn't notice it until several hours later when i smelled gas in my house. I opened the door to the garage and a HUGE puddle of gas. And my gas water heater is just on the other side of the wall.

MyFutureSelfnMe · 10-27-2009, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dasmoofler

Not the Lotus, but I once hit a pot hole so deep the gas tank hit the ground and got a hole poked in it. I didn't notice it until several hours later when i smelled gas in my house. I opened the door to the garage and a HUGE puddle of gas. And my gas water heater is just on the other side of the wall.

What kind of terribly engineered car was that?

MyFutureSelfnMe · 10-27-2009, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixieluv

I do not trust the auto shut off so if I ever see over 7 gallons going in the car I stop pumping right then. Only once did I ever need more than 7 gallons and that was after a track day... stupid bubbling gas throwing off the gauges!

I've never seen or heard of the auto shut off not working.

I don't pump gas anywhere other than Sunoco or Shell either though, and only stations that look new or well maintained. In Mexico I use Pemex stations and I've never had problems there either though. If I start pumping gas and it's going abnormally slowly, I stop pumping and leave.

TimMullen · 10-27-2009, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyFutureSelfnMe

I've never seen or heard of the auto shut off not working.

They fail all the time. Good stations swap out a new(er) nozzle very quickly.

Haven't you ever driven up to the pumps and seen an "out of order" sign on the pump? Chances are that's because the auto shut off on that nozzle is having problems..

sonza68 · 10-27-2009, 11:23 AM

I've had it happen to me once as well. I was talking to a friend at the next pump when I heard a liquid pouring on the ground. Sure enough, there was a puddle of gas under the car. I never noticed any ill effects from it.

dasmoofler · 10-27-2009, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyFutureSelfnMe

What kind of terribly engineered car was that?

That was the mighty 1980 Ford Fairmont.

mrcarcrazy · 10-27-2009, 01:20 PM

haha, were you sitting there staring at the meter going "damn, did the tank grow?"

Sorry I just got a mental image of that, and it made me giggle.

MattG · 10-27-2009, 01:54 PM

It kinda freaked me out at first, for there was no gas pouring out from around the handle, and by the time I removed the handle, there was no gas around the filler tube - so I didn't know where the gas was coming from! The drain hole is hard to spot.

What are the symptoms of a damaged charcoal canister?

There was never any CEL, though I haven't checked for any stored codes (the BWR gauge pod is blocking the port, though not a big deal to relocate that...just another project for the list).

lotusport · 10-28-2009, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattG

What are the symptoms of a damaged charcoal canister?

There was never any CEL, though I haven't checked for any stored codes (the BWR gauge pod is blocking the port, though not a big deal to relocate that...just another project for the list).

Not likely that you've actually caused damage to the cannister. If you haven't seen a CEL by now, you're probably home free. The malfunction is that the cannister cannot act to absorb gas vapors from the fuel system when it's already swimming in gas. Gasoline is very volatile, so it will evaporate harmlessly over time, usually in a couple of hours/days depending on how much of a soaking you gave it. Sounds as if your overflow was very minor.

toedrag · 10-28-2009, 09:03 PM

definitely be careful overfilling the tank...and watch out for these guys:

YouTube - Zoolander- Gasoline accident

ACE51 · 10-28-2009, 09:56 PM

I think that gas pumps use a charcoal filter which can get clogged/defunct over time hence they don't stop when its full.

I hate slow gas pumps!

lustrazor · 10-28-2009, 10:26 PM

I've actually had gas pour out all down the side of the car and part of my leg (yes, it was my Elise). Wasn't paying attention and had the pump going at full stream when the auto shut-off failed.

Pretty embarrassing. I got plenty of laughs from the guys waiting at the nearby bus stop. All I could think about was my paint. That was like 8 months ago and the finish is fine.

Cthulhu · 10-29-2009, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lustrazor

I've actually had gas pour out all down the side of the car and part of my leg (yes, it was my Elise). Wasn't paying attention and had the pump going at full stream when the auto shut-off failed.

Pretty embarrassing. I got plenty of laughs from the guys waiting at the nearby bus stop. All I could think about was my paint. That was like 8 months ago and the finish is fine.

I had the automatic shutoff screw up and pour gas down the side of the exige, the attendant was laughing

I snatched his whole roll of paper towels and drove off... and had to come back to grab my gas cap off the pump

10-26-2009, 04:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
MattG insert clever title here Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Living above the clouds in Colorado Posts: 7,676 Images: 11	FYI: What happens when you overfill the gas tank Ever wonder what happens when you overfill the gas tank? Me neither. On a drive last month, I stopped to fill up at a run-down gas station in the middle of nowhere (hey, it's Colorado, not a lot of choices sometimes). The pump was incredibly slow, slower than I've ever seen before. Eventually, I noticed gas literally pouring out from under the car! Either it was too slow to trip the auto-shutoff, or that feature of the pump was broken. No fuel got on the paint, for there's a drain hole in the plastic part surrounding the fill tube. I opened the engine cover to help evaporation, and pushed the car forward a few feet to get it away from the pool of gas on the ground. The clerk inside was pretty much indifferent when I told her about the problem. Probably goes without saying that I waited quite a bit before starting up the car after this... __________________ '05 Elise, Magnetic Blue / Biscuit / Hardtop / http://eliseinfo.com Radar detector mounting brackets for sale here

10-27-2009, 04:29 AM	#5 (permalink)
pixieluv Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Woodbridge, VA Posts: 160	I do not trust the auto shut off so if I ever see over 7 gallons going in the car I stop pumping right then. Only once did I ever need more than 7 gallons and that was after a track day... stupid bubbling gas throwing off the gauges! __________________ -Christina 2007 Exige S

10-27-2009, 10:14 AM	#6 (permalink)
TimMullen Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Chantilly, VA Posts: 11,391 Images: 19	What happens when you overfill the gas tank? Well, on some cars, it has been known to cause damage to other systems in the car - for example, it can flow through the vacuum system into the cruise control mechanism and cause failures. It all depends on the car (not that we have to worry about our cruise controls ). Usually the worst is that it gets into the charcoal canister as mentioned above. __________________ Tim Mullen --- There is no such thing as Touring suspension or Touring wheels. I love being married. It's so great to find that one person that you want to annoy for the rest of your life. - Rita Rudner Chantilly, VA http://members.cox.net/elans4/ 05 Lotus Elise - Chrome Orange - No Touring - No LSS - No Hardtop - Lotus Driving Lights - Lotus "Chin Guards" - plain and simple. 94 Miata R Package - Black 72 Lotus Elan Sprint - Colorado Orange/Cirrus White

10-27-2009, 11:23 AM	#11 (permalink)
sonza68 MIA Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Chesterfield, MO Posts: 1,031	I've had it happen to me once as well. I was talking to a friend at the next pump when I heard a liquid pouring on the ground. Sure enough, there was a puddle of gas under the car. I never noticed any ill effects from it. __________________ Tom <insert witty saying here>

10-27-2009, 01:20 PM	#13 (permalink)
mrcarcrazy Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Midland, TX Posts: 690	haha, were you sitting there staring at the meter going "damn, did the tank grow?" Sorry I just got a mental image of that, and it made me giggle. __________________ 2005 Magnetic Blue Elise - "the Lotus" (original I know) 2001 Jeep Wrangler - "soul crusher". If you dont GET it after you drive it, then you dont GET it - serpent

10-27-2009, 10:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
dasmoofler Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: SE WI Posts: 3,088	Not the Lotus, but I once hit a pot hole so deep the gas tank hit the ground and got a hole poked in it. I didn't notice it until several hours later when i smelled gas in my house. I opened the door to the garage and a HUGE puddle of gas. And my gas water heater is just on the other side of the wall.

10-27-2009, 01:54 PM	#14 (permalink)
MattG insert clever title here Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Living above the clouds in Colorado Posts: 7,676 Images: 11	It kinda freaked me out at first, for there was no gas pouring out from around the handle, and by the time I removed the handle, there was no gas around the filler tube - so I didn't know where the gas was coming from! The drain hole is hard to spot. What are the symptoms of a damaged charcoal canister? There was never any CEL, though I haven't checked for any stored codes (the BWR gauge pod is blocking the port, though not a big deal to relocate that...just another project for the list). __________________ '05 Elise, Magnetic Blue / Biscuit / Hardtop / http://eliseinfo.com Radar detector mounting brackets for sale here

10-28-2009, 09:56 PM	#17 (permalink)
ACE51 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Summerfield, NC Posts: 620	I think that gas pumps use a charcoal filter which can get clogged/defunct over time hence they don't stop when its full. I hate slow gas pumps! __________________ 06 Exige CO BWRized 05 Civic "Special Edition" 05 Elise CO, Trim shop interior and other things...SOLD

10-28-2009, 10:26 PM	#18 (permalink)
lustrazor Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Francisco Posts: 63	I've actually had gas pour out all down the side of the car and part of my leg (yes, it was my Elise). Wasn't paying attention and had the pump going at full stream when the auto shut-off failed. Pretty embarrassing. I got plenty of laughs from the guys waiting at the nearby bus stop. All I could think about was my paint. That was like 8 months ago and the finish is fine. __________________ '06 Elise w/ touring pack, stage 2 exhaust, electric boot release mod, green wire mod + HID My Lotus blog

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