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Thanks guys. I came on here today specifically to see if anyone else had problems with their gas filler door release not resetting to the latching position and here are all these useful answers.
I hadn't thought about the release in the trunk, duh, so I just went out and gave it a little push and I'm back in business. The latch works perfectly.
I'm assuming that if the latch button moves freely with plenty of rebound from the spring that the rusted spring is probably not my problem (yet) and that maybe the cable got stuck in the trunk as suggested early on in the thread.
Thanks again for all the great suggestions, tip, photos, and fixes.
Thanks all who contributed to this thread. It gave me a lot to go on to fix the problem with the fuel door not shutting.
Here is the best permanent fix I could figure out without removing the fender well.
Remove the 10mm nut on the actuator in the trunk to give some slack on the cable.
Remove the door and the one screw holding the gas filler and move to the left. Remove the plunger assembly and pull it through. The spring will be rusted and broken.
Add a new spring, cut the spring so it gives enough compression to keep the plunger all the way out. Clean and lube the spring area and cable.
Here is the spring I found to fit perfect.
Re-install the plunger.
If the fuel door doesn't close flush with the body, loosen the plunger screw and push the assembly in towards the gas filler and re-tighten.
Last edited by PotenzaZAP; 02-25-2016 at 12:47 PM.
What I find amazing here is that the first car I can remember owning with a remote gas door release was a new 1988 Acura Legend. We owned that car for ten years and put over 100K miles on it and the remote gas door never had to be repaired. Almost 30 years later Chevy, on the other hand, can't seem to design one that doesn't fail. Tsk, tsk
Thanks all who contributed to this thread. It gave me a lot to go on to fix the problem with the fuel door not shutting.
Here is the best permanent fix I could figure out without removing the fender well.
.
Thanks PotenzaZAP! I followed your terrific instructions on this. Turns out that my spring was ok, but I replaced it anyway. However, my root problem turned out to be a sticky slide mechanism on the actuator in picture 1. Some WD-40 fixed that so the cable could pop the nipple back out. Also, I originally forgot to reattach the cable to the nipple before reassembly, so it didn't work at all at first. All is good now, thanks again!
I will try messing around with the manual fuel door release string. If not, then I will visit Home Depot for the spring, which I think is the problem. If that doesn't fix it, I guess I'm going to the stealership.
I wonder if I can order the actuator myself and install it? It looks fairly simple to install.
Has anybody tried ordering the part and replacing it yourslef? If so, point me in the right direction and I'll post my install.
Thanks Corvette Forum!!!
I had your problem and fixed it with the box of springs from Home Depot. . It's not that hard to fix. The worst thing is to remove the wheel and the wheel well liner.
Thanks all who contributed to this thread. It gave me a lot to go on to fix the problem with the fuel door not shutting.
Here is the best permanent fix I could figure out without removing the fender well.
Remove the 10mm nut on the actuator in the trunk to give some slack on the cable.
Remove the door and the one screw holding the gas filler and move to the left. Remove the plunger assembly and pull it through. The spring will be rusted and broken.
Add a new spring, cut the spring so it gives enough compression to keep the plunger all the way out. Clean and lube the spring area and cable.
Here is the spring I found to fit perfect.
Re-install the plunger.
If the fuel door doesn't close flush with the body, loosen the plunger screw and push the assembly in towards the gas filler and re-tighten.
Thank you PotenzaZAP for the great write up and pictures. I had rigged mine with a spring inside the trunk attached to the actuator that I followed in another thread a couple of years ago. That worked but I didn't like the idea of it being rigged. I saw your posting yesterday and repaired mine the correct way, like you did. Thanks again.
Well. Now I am in a BIG PICKLE. I just followed these instructions. Well, soon as I moved the gas filler to the left, the entire plunger just disappeared. Yep, it is now somewhere in the body of the car. WTF. Does anyone know where it is, How do I get it back. OMG. This is crazy. Was trying to do this without having to take off the wheel as I do not have the tools to do that and am afraid (as a lady) to do it by myself. So, any chance on getting my plunger back? Any suggestions.
WARNING: Old thread revived... because it's still helpful and I wanted to post that my 2005 coupe's actuator spring lasted 17 years 6 months and 36,000 miles.
Did the wheel removal option and found the disintegrated spring inside the actuator. Replaced it with a spring from a soap dispenser bottle. Just had to shorten it quite a bit for a good fit. Can't imagine how much a dealer would charge to fix one of these today.
Very helpful thread that saved me some $$$ today!
Rusted fuel tank lid actuator spring on 2005 coupe. Lasted 17 years 6 months from new.
On my 2005 mine went out within 3 year warranty period. I have to check my records for approximate date. Dealership replaced cable under warranty. I used Top Tier Fuel as well as Chevron. Also used bottle of Chevron Gas Treatment (black bottle)and Chevron Fuel Injector cleaner (grey bottle) additive occasionally.
Has anyboyd had an issue with the Fuel Door on the 2005 C6 not latching when closing? Just got back from the gas station and it seems that the latch to hold the fuel door closed will not reset to the lock position. The button is depressed.
I pressed the fuel release button several times and see the latch wanting to pop-back out but it won't. I used so needle nose pliars to pull the latch out but in won't stay.
Thanks to all who reply!
Oh boy. I had that on my 2012 GS about six months ago.. The cable is probably shot and the replacement part is about $220 and with labor and all the BS fees, it cost about $400 to fix at the dealer.
What I find amazing here is that the first car I can remember owning with a remote gas door release was a new 1988 Acura Legend. We owned that car for ten years and put over 100K miles on it and the remote gas door never had to be repaired. Almost 30 years later Chevy, on the other hand, can't seem to design one that doesn't fail. Tsk, tsk
That's why everyone is buying Japanese cars that are made in Japan. The work ethic, culture and discipline goes far in the pride of work they do.
12-10-2015, 04:52 PM
The Forum comes through again
lol, that will teach you to use cheap knock off fuel!
