blkvet6

Filled up with gas yesterday, and the solenoid pulled the release plunger IN, but would not come back out. Used the manual pull cable to actually push the plunger back out, but apparently the spring or whatever pushes it back out broke (so the fuel filler door would not stay closed). So I went to my local Chevy dealer, and they had the actuator and cable assembly IN STOCK (I love that about Chevrolet / GM)! Spent the afternoon taking my time putting it in...had to pull back the driver's side rear carpeting, and remove the wheel and then remove most of the screws for the driver's side rear wheelhouse panel to get at the cable and side of the fuel filler.
When buying the new assembly, the dealer remarked that this was the FIRST TIME they had EVER sold one! I only have 20K miles on the car (2006, Z51), so relatively speaking, I've not done that many fill-ups. I wonder how many others have had to replace this? (Fuel door will open, but the plunger won't came back out, thus cannot close/lock the door)?

C8-Vette

You could have replaced the spring in the actuator for under a buck. Save the old one and take it apart and insert a 1/4 " spring. You could use it as a spare! It's a common problem that's why the dealer had it in stock. I've done mine and 2 others for friends.

ofallonrick

Do tell on how to do this my spring is sprung....

Codez

Here's a link to an DIY fuel door fix.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/atta...cement-diy.pdf

Here's another link with more detailed pictures. I'm tackling this project tomorrow....

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...se-sticks.html

C U IN REARVEIW

i replaced the spring as well...when i found out the part was $100 and the actuator was still working fine....$0.89 at lowes.

Codez

What an easy DIY fix. Like others, I discovered a rusty and broken spring that I replaced with one from Ace hardware ($1.45). I had to snip the replacement spring down a bit, but again, easy stuff.

Fuel door stays shut each and every time now....took about 45 minutes in all, and that counts cleaning off the inside fenderwell and rim.

cesarcano06

I just got mine like that, my fuel door will not stay lock or close, So I went to the dealer and I will have to pay $269.00 for the whole thing. I need to find out how to do that so I can replace mine like you did... lol.

Vettefan#852

2005 Z51 50k Miles
Fuel door would not stay closed yesterday. Determined the solenoid was ok and the 'return spring' at the door end of the control cable had probably failed. Others have had this failure. Rather than replacing the spring that would have required removing the rear tire, inner fender, etc. I elected to add a new spring at the actuator assembly. Purchased a 13/16 x 3-1/4 compression spring (P/N 88228) at Menards (89 cents) and cut it to 1/2" in length. Disconnected control cable from solenoid assembly and slipped the spring over the barrel of the assembly and reattached the cable that goes to the fuel door. Took all of 15 minutes after getting the spring. Works just fine.

VMI-2002

Thanks for this input. Hoping to save a trip to the mechanic. How did you disconnect the solenoid cable from the control assembly? I have a 2006 convertible and can access it by opening the storage area for the roof. I found the cable going through a rubber plug towards the release mechanism. I can't seem to find where the cable disconnects. Thanks!

Vettefan#852

I have a coupe so access to the solenoid (release mech.) may be a little different than your car. My solenoid is just behind the interior vertical carpet lining the rear storage compartment. Access is very easy - just pull back the top edge of the carpet. My cable has a black plastic fitting at the end of the cable where it attaches to the solenoid assembly. The fitting has two fingers 180 degrees apart. A small barb on the end of the finger secures the fitting to the solenoid assembly. The fingers can be carefully spread apart to detach the cable. A new spring can then be placed over the solenoid shaft. The cable can be reattached by simply pushing it on - the barbs have an angled surface to force the fingers open as the cable is attached to the assembly. Unbolt the solenoid assembly from the rear fender when adding the spring - it make the job very easy. Hope this works for you. Bob S.

63 Forever

I have been trying to fix the Fuel Door on my 2011 GS convertible. Is the fuel door assembly different on mine than on the 2006. I'm not a mechanic and don't want to get involved in something that I can't fix. Thanks.

Dano523

cmonkey713

Good information, thanks for posting.