Fuel System not venting?
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Joined: Jan 2007
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From: Kennesaw Ga
Fuel System not venting?
HELP, I've got GAS!
Weird fuel system gremlin:
I was driving my '99 Vert home from work in stop and go traffic for over an hour when I got the Master Caution, Check Gauges, and LOW FUEL message on the DIC. The analog gauge, which had been sitting at 1/4 tank, suddenly went to completely empty. It was in the low 80's and I didn't get over 30 miles an hour for quite a while. Coolant temp, with AC on, was between 225F and 230F, oil temp was ~244F.
I was thankfully close to a gas station. When I opened the gas cap, there was a strong, 4-6 second venting of pressurized gasses (with only a very slight fuel odor) that felt like a high pressure air hose had let loose. I filled up, the tank was actually still nearly 1/4 full of fuel, and made it home with no other problems.
I've never had this problem before, in temps much higher than this, in traffic worse than this, on trips longer than this. I'm a little spooked on this one. Sooo,
1) Is there a vent of some kind on the fuel system that has become clogged or otherwise non-functional? Where would this be and how could I test or repair? I kinda expected the gas cap to have a venting mechanism...
2) As much over-pressure as I experienced when I opened the gas cap, I'm concerned about the tank deforming. I noticed no gas leaks nor gasoline smell, but where would be a likely place for me to see some sort of structural fatigue on the fuel tank(s)?
Many thanks in advance,
-G
Weird fuel system gremlin:
I was driving my '99 Vert home from work in stop and go traffic for over an hour when I got the Master Caution, Check Gauges, and LOW FUEL message on the DIC. The analog gauge, which had been sitting at 1/4 tank, suddenly went to completely empty. It was in the low 80's and I didn't get over 30 miles an hour for quite a while. Coolant temp, with AC on, was between 225F and 230F, oil temp was ~244F.
I was thankfully close to a gas station. When I opened the gas cap, there was a strong, 4-6 second venting of pressurized gasses (with only a very slight fuel odor) that felt like a high pressure air hose had let loose. I filled up, the tank was actually still nearly 1/4 full of fuel, and made it home with no other problems.
I've never had this problem before, in temps much higher than this, in traffic worse than this, on trips longer than this. I'm a little spooked on this one. Sooo,
1) Is there a vent of some kind on the fuel system that has become clogged or otherwise non-functional? Where would this be and how could I test or repair? I kinda expected the gas cap to have a venting mechanism...
2) As much over-pressure as I experienced when I opened the gas cap, I'm concerned about the tank deforming. I noticed no gas leaks nor gasoline smell, but where would be a likely place for me to see some sort of structural fatigue on the fuel tank(s)?
Many thanks in advance,
-G
