My fuel door wouldn't work with the button or cable. After pulling the wheel well and banging on the fuel door for 30min The button magically started working but the manual release still doesnt work. I really would like to fix before I leave on vacation. Dont want to rely on a intermittent button or actuator out of town

 

Had the same problem on my '04 about 3 months ago. The button didn't work for me twice over a period of almost a year and then just stopped working all together. I got in the trunk and pulled the fuel door release cable and the cable just pulled right off. Of course I was on a road trip for work and had no tools. Had to take it to a shop and get it open to add gas. Got home from the road trip and got a couple of used assemblies off of the Forum. Pretty easy to change out. No problems since.
There are a few of the vendors on here that can sell you a used one. I think the new assembly is a little over $100.
I still have an extra one that I picked up when I was fixing mine (wanted to make sure I got this fixed before I went on the road again!). I'll sell you my extra one for for $30 shipped if that helps you out. This is the complete assembly.
If you need any help or any further info on getting the fix done just send me a PM.
Good luck!!

 

Funny that you mention this....I have had an intermittent problem with it as well. I wonder if there is some kind of spring mechanism that's hanging up ? As Zmeister stated, I should also pick up a used one or two and see what makes these thing tick

 

There are indeed springs at each end of the mechanism. The spring located at the fuel door end seems to corrode over time and either deteriorates to the point that it doesn't work or it starts to hang up. On the solenoid end (in the trunk compartment) there is also a larger spring that forces the plunger back after the fuel door is opened. This end is much better protected since it's out of the weather (the fuel door end is behind the wheel well liner and exposed to the elements) but seems to begin to corrode internally a bit over time and starts to hang up as well. Mine was actually hanging up on the solenoid end. If you take the whole thing apart (not that big a deal if you follow the instructions in the Service Manual or directions on the Forum) you should be able to clean it up, lubricate it and get it working again. I wanted to make sure that I got it fixed right away so I just bought a couple.
I strongly recommend not making the mistake that I made and try to live with it figuring that you'll always be able to fiddle with it and get it to work. That thinking got me into trouble while on the road and made me have to take it to a shop, which I hate to do. They seem to just decide one day that they're going to stop working and that's it.
At the very least test your manual trunk release cable for the fuel door to make sure that you have that as a reliable backup. I did not since my manual release came apart on the first pull. Very frustrating!!!

 

Had a similar problem on a 98 Olds Intrigue I inherited from my mother with 28K original miles.
Just a few well placed shots of WD40 and work the mechanism a few times and it's been good to go ever since.

 

i just had this happen today and the wd40 did the trick...i actually held the button down inside while spraying into the hole...the "stick" popped out eventually and i was able to close my door...always good to be able to do a quick google search and find these threads when ur out on the road!

 

When my button failed, I opened the rear hatch and found the manual release cable. Pulled - nothing. Pulled again - nothing. Tried smacking the fuel door. Checked fuses. Couldn't figure it out. Then realized I was pulling the manual release for the hatch - which was already open.

Once I found the right cable, it worked fine.

 

Is there an adapter that I can use to connect the schrader valve on the fuel rail to the gas pump nozzle? If I needed to fuel up in an emergency and the door broke, I could do that and then reverse the wires on the fuel pump to make it run backward.

 

 

No.