O/T Can't fill gas tank

Anonymous-0 · Sep 30, 2011

I have a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer that keeps shutting off the pump at the service stations. It will only accept about 1/100 of a gallon at a time. Takes a long time to put 15 gallons of fuel in it! Also have had 2 fuel pumps installed to "correct" a fuel gauge that doesn't work. It registers full no matter how much gas is actually in the tank. Anyone out there know what the fix for this is? Thanks to all who reply.

Old Roy · Sep 30, 2011

Taking a guess that somehow the return air flow ( Vapor recovery) system may be clogged.

We had a Van at work one time it was hard to fill just because someone kept over filling it and the charcoal canister got wet inside not letting vapor recovery system to work properly.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 30, 2011

What Roy says is true. Habitually topping off causes canister problems. One other thing though, I have found, sometimes there is a way, or angle, that you can hold the nozzle, in the fill port, that will let you fill the tank. It is only found through trial and error, though!

robgIN · Sep 30, 2011

If it reads full all the time it probably has an open circuit in the sender wiring. If it won't take fuel the vent line for the filler neck may be pinched or kinked from having the tank out. Start at the tank and work your way back checking for a broken or corroded wire and you will probably find your guage issue.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 30, 2011

Where is the charcoal canister locatedOn my Mountaineer? Is it an expensive part to replace? Thanks.

Duner Wi · Sep 30, 2011

Maybe this part,info from Rock Auto.
1999 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER 4.0L 245cid V6 MFI (E) SOHC : Emission : Vapor Canister
MOTORCRAFT Part # CX1690 More Information About this Part {#F5OZ9D653AA}
F5DX-9D653-AA
$63.79

oldtanker · Sep 30, 2011

(quoted from post at 17:39:15 09/30/11) Where is the charcoal canister locatedOn my Mountaineer? Is it an expensive part to replace? Thanks.

There are 2 hoses that go from the filler neck to the tank. One is the fill side the other the vent to allow air to excape from the tank as it fills. You have a plugged vent or it got kinked or pinched when it was reinstalled.

Rick

davediehl@hotmail.com · Sep 30, 2011

The pump itself will have nothing to do with the gauge reading. There is a float and a sending unit that sends information to the dash.

Don-Wi · Sep 30, 2011

Dad had that issue with his Tacoma. Turned out to be a cardboard seal like off a bottle of gas line anitfreeze got stuck in the tube.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Bob · Sep 30, 2011

He may have a "fuel unit" that combines the pump and sender in a non-serviceable unit.

36 Coupe · Oct 1, 2011

Steep price for a can with some charcoal in it.My 96 Ford F150 has some very rusty steel tubing in the vapor recovery system.The line could be clogged with rust.My sons 06 GMC is having a slow fill problem.I understand GM has a solenoid in the vent system that fails.Hard to work on these stupid design fuel systems.There has to be a better way.

36 Coupe · Oct 1, 2011

Since most gas is 10# alcohol the is little reason to add dry gas to a tank now.

Stephen Newell · Oct 1, 2011

It sounds to me like the vent in the gas tank is plugged that lets the air out. I had a Ford Contour that did that. Since the air had to come out the fill neck it sent gas out there too upsetting the sensor on the gas nosel.

John B. · Oct 1, 2011

WE had this filling problem with a school bus, van type, and I ended up replacing the fuel fill hose from the tank neck up to the fuel cap. This cured the filling problem. Before replacing this part it took 20 minutes almost to pump 15 gallon of fuel.

Blackhole49 · Oct 1, 2011

We had a dodge Caravan at work with this problem. There was a fitting in the hose down by the tank that had what looked like a ping pong ball in it. We were told it was to keep gas in the vehicle in case of a rollover. Removing the ball solved the problem.

ihredo4 · Oct 1, 2011

Not sure if this is the right vehicle that the solution is for but here goes. The vent is plugged and gives a "full" tank issue when you are putting gas in. Read somewhere that it could be nothing more than a spider web that blocked the passage. I would blow that tube out or run a wire down to break any blockage before I would buy any other part. As complicated as the modern systems are it may solve both problems.

dstates · Oct 1, 2011

I had this happen to my Chevy Blazer. For my vehicle there was some sort of vent shut off solenoid that was all gunked up. One it was replaced I had no more issues.

Of course it was on top of the tank. I think labor was just as much if not more than the part.

Bob · Oct 1, 2011

Black, you likely have the CORRECT answer... something is wrong in the area of the ball in the filler neck at the tank.

O/T Can't fill gas tank

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

Old Roy

Well-known Member

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

robgIN

Member

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

Duner Wi

Well-known Member

oldtanker

Well-known Member

[email protected]

Well-known Member

Don-Wi

Well-known Member

Bob

Well-known Member

36 Coupe

Well-known Member

36 Coupe

Well-known Member

Stephen Newell

Well-known Member

John B.

Well-known Member

Blackhole49

Well-known Member

ihredo4

Member

dstates

Member

Bob

Well-known Member

Similar threads