Gas Spill

rfloyd7522 · 05-13-2007, 01:22 PM

Bad experience today when filling up, no problems with filling until the nozzle clicked off and I pulled it slightly out of the tank and continued to fill, it spewed out gas onto me and the ground, what is the practice for filling? In my other cars this is no problem.

lenjack · 05-13-2007, 02:04 PM

not a good idea to top off after the pump clicks off. This is not uncommon.

**TonyPSchaefer** · 05-13-2007, 03:10 PM

Yeah, you might want to search on "burp" or "overfill." I'm not saying that you intentionally overfilled, but some people have reported that the "burping" occurs under one of two situations:
1. They are attempting to intentionally overfill the bladder.
2. It turns out that the gas pump auto-shut off is not sensitive enough and it overfills the bladder.

kdmorse · 05-13-2007, 03:43 PM

If I'm reading your post correctly, you forced in more gas that the tank could hold, and it burped it back out at you.

If you pull the nozzle out just the right amount, you can disable the automatic shutoff on the pump completely and create a nice pressure seal. If you do it just right, you can then pump gas beyond the capacity of the bladder, essentially blowing it up (just a little) like a balloon. Then when you remove the nozzle (like removing your lips away from a balloon you just blew up), the excess you put in, comes squirting back out.

If the gas squirts just the wrong way, it can end up some places where it's not supposed to, which is *really* bad for the car.

So, in summary - Don't do that.

-Ken

qbee42 · 05-13-2007, 04:54 PM

What type of car are you driving? Your profile says it's an "other non-hybrid". If it is a Prius, and you just haven't updated your profile, the answer is just as the other posters have stated: don't top off. The Prius fuel tank bladder is likely to cause problems when you do that, some of which can be quite expensive.

Tom

05-13-2007, 03:43 PM	#4
kdmorse Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Germantown, MD Posts: 197 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	If I'm reading your post correctly, you forced in more gas that the tank could hold, and it burped it back out at you. If you pull the nozzle out just the right amount, you can disable the automatic shutoff on the pump completely and create a nice pressure seal. If you do it just right, you can then pump gas beyond the capacity of the bladder, essentially blowing it up (just a little) like a balloon. Then when you remove the nozzle (like removing your lips away from a balloon you just blew up), the excess you put in, comes squirting back out. If the gas squirts just the wrong way, it can end up some places where it's not supposed to, which is really bad for the car. So, in summary - Don't do that. -Ken __________________ 2006 Black Package #7 Dark Grey Interior Headlight Flasher EV Mod

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05-13-2007, 01:22 PM	#1
rfloyd7522 Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 11 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Bad experience today when filling up, no problems with filling until the nozzle clicked off and I pulled it slightly out of the tank and continued to fill, it spewed out gas onto me and the ground, what is the practice for filling? In my other cars this is no problem.

05-13-2007, 02:04 PM	#2
lenjack Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Pennsylvania USA Posts: 330 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #5 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	not a good idea to top off after the pump clicks off. This is not uncommon.

05-13-2007, 03:10 PM	#3
TonyPSchaefer Ruler of Omicron Persei 8 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Far-North Chicagoland Posts: 8,346 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 4 Times in 2 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 15	Yeah, you might want to search on "burp" or "overfill." I'm not saying that you intentionally overfilled, but some people have reported that the "burping" occurs under one of two situations: 1. They are attempting to intentionally overfill the bladder. 2. It turns out that the gas pump auto-shut off is not sensitive enough and it overfills the bladder.

05-13-2007, 04:54 PM	#5
qbee42 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 5,560 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 6	What type of car are you driving? Your profile says it's an "other non-hybrid". If it is a Prius, and you just haven't updated your profile, the answer is just as the other posters have stated: don't top off. The Prius fuel tank bladder is likely to cause problems when you do that, some of which can be quite expensive. Tom