WriterGuy
08-12-2014, 03:18 PM
Winter is almost here and I expect that I will have the same problem as I’ve had the past two winters – when the temperature is below zero I cannot fill the gas tank in one go; when I squeeze the pump only about 0.15L goes in before the pump clicks off. Then I have to wait a few seconds before I can pump again.
The first year I lived with this problem, but last year when the same problem started I developed a workaround. I had noticed that after doing a bit of the old pump-click-pump I could hear gas draining. So I squeezed another shot of gas into the pipe and bent down to listen. There definitely was gas draining after about 8 seconds of pumping that shot of gas. It seemed to me that there might be an obstruction in the filler pipe, so I looked down the pipe and used a screwdriver to open the little door at the top of the filler pipe that the gas pump opens. I saw a few inches down that there was another little door – about ½-inch diameter – across the filler pipe, and wondered if this door was sticking, either because there was something freezing it closed (this happens only in below zero temperature) or for some other reason. I felt that this little door might like to have some help opening when it gets cold.
I went to Lowes and bought about 3 feet of plastic-covered stranded steel cable about ¼-inch in diameter – cost me about $4.50. The next time I had to fill the tank I took off the gas cap and pushed this new cable tool of mine down the filler pipe until the end was below the lower door. I removed the cable and found I could now fill the tank in one go.
I hope this works for others who have the same problem.
The first year I lived with this problem, but last year when the same problem started I developed a workaround. I had noticed that after doing a bit of the old pump-click-pump I could hear gas draining. So I squeezed another shot of gas into the pipe and bent down to listen. There definitely was gas draining after about 8 seconds of pumping that shot of gas. It seemed to me that there might be an obstruction in the filler pipe, so I looked down the pipe and used a screwdriver to open the little door at the top of the filler pipe that the gas pump opens. I saw a few inches down that there was another little door – about ½-inch diameter – across the filler pipe, and wondered if this door was sticking, either because there was something freezing it closed (this happens only in below zero temperature) or for some other reason. I felt that this little door might like to have some help opening when it gets cold.
I went to Lowes and bought about 3 feet of plastic-covered stranded steel cable about ¼-inch in diameter – cost me about $4.50. The next time I had to fill the tank I took off the gas cap and pushed this new cable tool of mine down the filler pipe until the end was below the lower door. I removed the cable and found I could now fill the tank in one go.
I hope this works for others who have the same problem.