[Judge Roy Bean]

I have read quite a few threads on the forum dealing with gas pumps constantly shutting off when fueling. It has been happening with my 2013 FJ over the last month or so. When refueling, the pump shuts off every 2 seconds. it doesn’t matter what angle I hold the gas pump handle or how deep I insert it. The only thing I can think of now is that I over filled my tank to the point that I contaminated my charcoal evap canister and it is clogging up the venting process.

I live in South Florida and when Hurricane Dorian was knocking on our door, I filled up a lot of extra gas cans in case I had to run my home on the generator. When we luckily, (and I mean very luckily), escaped from being hit with the Cat 5 storm, I used the fuel cans to fill up my FJ for two weeks, filling it ALL the way up. Since then when I go to the gas station, the pump shuts off every few seconds when I try to fuel up. Takes forever to fuel up and really pisses me off.

If it’s the evap charcoal canister, it is not a cheap fix. Any suggestions or tips from the FJ community here???

 

[FJ-6MT]

I think if it were an issue in the evap system, that you would have an ODB DTC code, so probably the canister is fine.

I have issues filling up at some pumps too. The FJ has a fairly small fill pipe. Some gas stations seem to have the pumps set very fast these days (especially Costco). I think that they are trying to speed up the traffic through the pumps but the FJ can't take on fuel so quickly. I try to fill with the pump handle only slightly squeezed to get a good fill-up.

 

[debFJVT]

Glad you escaped the hurricane. I sometimes have the same issue and it seems to be only at particular ststions. Luckily the Valero stations that carry ethanol free premium have been fine. Agree with FJ-6MT you’d be throwing codes if the canister were damaged or malfunctioning.

 

[Lee44]

I've noticed the difference between Costco and Fred Meyer (besides the cost). I get a better fill at Freddy's, they do a slower fill for sure. I did a fuel transfer from my cans (10gal) and filled it up manually. Got a lot more miles out of that tank.

If it does need the evap cannister, I really hope it doesn't, think of me for the bad one. Need a bad one for @Iconic_ as template for a skid design. '13 and '14 are different than the others.

I agree that you'd be getting codes.

Lee :smile

 

[cory3122]

I have the same problem with my Tundra. Seem to start after I had to syphon the gas out of the tank because it had been sitting for a year. I figured the vent must have got messed up when I Jammed a hose down the neck. I don’t drive it that often and haven’t had time to investigate.

Is it possible you might have done the same thing filling from the gas cans?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Judge Roy Bean]

Some gas stations seem to have the pumps set very fast these days (especially Costco).

BINGO, thats where I always fuel up...... I am not throwing any codes (at least according to my Scan Gauge). I will try a different gas station when I refuel next time. I’ll update the forum with the results....

Thanks so much to those that took the time to reply....

 

[Charley B]

My 2013 does the same thing at Mobile stations in East County , San Diego.
I almost have to hold the nozzle upside down sometimes.

 

[algonaman]

My Costco nozzles are actually the best ones around me for FJ fueling experience. Chevron and Cenex seem to be temperamental. I think less to do with the specific seller and more about the nozzles they currently have, some are updated and some are still older. Costco by me has lines out the gazoo for gas, always, so their nozzles are maintained and new-ish.

 

[VooDoo Blue 57]

The Costco pumps are very temperamental. Depends on which pump I use at my Costco, some fill without problem, others (like mentioned above) I have to manually fill holding the lever partially open and nursing it along.

 

[Lee44]

One thing I forgot to mention about any of our stations, they fill the tank, we don't/can't. Oregon. Costco sets the fill at max rate and when it clicks off that's it. I watch the gauge and tell them when it clicks off too early. Sometimes they ask. For us Costco is still the best place price and they are organized, get you through fast.

Love it in Washington, pump your own!

 

[minhster]

I've had my 07 for close to 3 years now and I don't think I've ever gotten a full tank of gas without having to do something. I usually have to angle the nozzle sideway and even then it might prematurely click off once or twice. I always look at the gas gauge before I fill out and estimate how much I need so I know when the click off is real. It use to be annoying but now it's just part of FJ ownership for me. I also think the Charcoal Canister would throw a code if it were clogged and I've passed smog a few times since.

 

[rindacella]

I had the same problem with mine and when I googled it I found the charcoal canister issue but also found somebody mentioned getting something stuck in the filler hose. They also used a plastic gas jug and part of the safety mechanism popped off in the filler hose partially blocking it. We took the filler hose off and ran a coat hanger down inside and out the other end popped the white plastic piece that popped off the gas tank we had used a couple weeks prior. I would check that first seeing that you said you used several jugs of gas after the hurricane.

 

[CabinCruiser]

From owning a gas station (before we pulled the pumps), I can tell you that there are really some major differences in the equipment, such as pump health, clean filters, different rate nozzles, and even leaks. The best way I've found with the FJ at high flow stations is to only insert the nozzle in enough for it to stay there without having to hold it (just the tip, please!), and even then I occasionally have to squeeze the trigger to only the first notch.

 

[Judge Roy Bean]

Update: Cabin Cruiser’s remark is spot on, I have to now barely insert the nozzle into the fill hole and only lightly squeeze the trigger to pump gas. Seems to get easier the more gas that goes in the tank but when the tank is empty it wants to shut the nozzle off every few seconds. Doesn’t seem to matter which gas station I use, it does the same thing. Just strange that this issue developed after using gas cans to fill up the truck. Still a pain the....

 

[norm356]

Interesting conversation! I've only had that issue a few times, and each time it happened I shut off, cashed out, and moved to another pump at the same station and that one worked fine.

I used to pump gas, and recall how the owner was very conscientious in his maintenance, and hearing him talk about how others don't bother to repair/maintain the hoses and nozzles, causing hassles for the customers (like a hose that won't swivel so it gets twisted while trying to use it, a nozzle that shuts off too easily because its mechanism is worn or out of adjustment, etc).

Since, in my experience, it was always a single pump, I hadn't attributed any particular concern to my vehicle yet. But, come to think of it, it may have happened more times with my (relatively new) '08 FJ than my '93 Camry. I wonder if ever newer cars will be more, or less sensitive to this kind of thing, as their vapor recovery systems become ever increasingly larger and more sophisticated, in effort to further reduce vapor emissions during refueling.

Norm

 

[CabinCruiser]

Interesting conversation! I've only had that issue a few times, and each time it happened I shut off, cashed out, and moved to another pump at the same station and that one worked fine.

I used to pump gas, and recall how the owner was very conscientious in his maintenance, and hearing him talk about how others don't bother to repair/maintain the hoses and nozzles, causing hassles for the customers (like a hose that won't swivel so it gets twisted while trying to use it, a nozzle that shuts off too easily because its mechanism is worn or out of adjustment, etc).

Since, in my experience, it was always a single pump, I hadn't attributed any particular concern to my vehicle yet. But, come to think of it, it may have happened more times with my (relatively new) '08 FJ than my '93 Camry. I wonder if ever newer cars will be more, or less sensitive to this kind of thing, as their vapor recovery systems become ever increasingly larger and more sophisticated, in effort to further reduce vapor emissions during refueling.

Norm

The mechanism in a fuel nozzle has been around for a long time and it is purely mechanical -- and ingenious. Near the tip of the fuel nozzle is a small hole, and a small pipe leads back from the hole into the handle. Suction is applied to this pipe using a venturi. When the tank is not full, air is being drawn through the hole by the vacuum, and the air flows easily. When gasoline in the tank rises high enough to block the hole, a mechanical linkage in the handle senses the change in suction and flips the nozzle off.

Here's a way to think about it -- you've got a small pipe with suction being applied at one end and air flowing through the pipe easily. If you stick the free end of the pipe in a glass of water, much more suction is needed, so a vacuum develops in the middle of the pipe. That vacuum can be used to flip a lever that cuts off the nozzle.
The next time you fill up your tank, look for this hole either on the inside or the outside of the tip.

 

[norm356]

Excellent description!
also, the whole filler neck doesn't necessarily get filled, as there is a smaller tube in each vehicle, parallel to it from the top of the tank pointing right at that where the hole in the filler nozzle neck sits, when the fuel gets to the top of the tank it shoots up that small tube at that hole to shut off the nozzle before the main column of fuel gets to the top and splash out on you

Throughout the fuelling procedure, most of the air being displaced out of the tank goes through the charcoal canister, to catch most of the vapors for burning later, and exhausts the rest of the air out a port. Back in the day, the filler neck was larger diameter than it is today, and a majority of the vapor went out that way. Modern cars use a smaller diameter neck, and route most of the air through the canister. This is why the canister was moved from the engine room to be near the tank.

If any of that got blocked that would really interfere with easy fueling, because the air couldn't easily get out.

 

[CabinCruiser]

Excellent description!
also, the whole filler neck doesn't necessarily get filled, as there is a smaller tube in each vehicle, parallel to it from the top of the tank pointing right at that where the hole in the filler nozzle neck sits, when the fuel gets to the top of the tank it shoots up that small tube at that hole to shut off the nozzle before the main column of fuel gets to the top and splash out on you

Throughout the fuelling procedure, most of the air being displaced out of the tank goes through the charcoal canister, to catch most of the vapors for burning later, and exhausts the rest of the air out a port. Back in the day, the filler neck was larger diameter than it is today, and a majority of the vapor went out that way. Modern cars use a smaller diameter neck, and route most of the air through the canister. This is why the canister was moved from the engine room to be near the tank.

If any of that got blocked that would really interfere with easy fueling, because the air couldn't easily get out.

I always thought on some Toyotas (my Tacoma does it too), the vent line back up to the filler neck was a bit too small or could come up a bit higher to relieve more vapor pressure. Maybe they have slow pumps in Japan. I notice it more of a problem with faster gas pumps.