When pumping gas, pump cut outs after only a gallon or so

[Chuvalo]

I've got a 2011 Ford Edge.

Until 2 weeks ago, could fill up with gas without any issues.

Now, the gas pump shuts of after only pumping a gallon or so of gas - takes forever to put in 10 gallons. Happens at different service stations using different pumps. Fuel gauge works fine as well.

fwiw....these Fords have Ford's ' Easy-Fill ' capless fuel system...though I'm not sure if that may be relevant or not.

Ant suggestions as to what might be behind this ?

 

[Ferzerp]

Numerous reasons, all related to air not getting out of the tank while you try to pump fluid in.

The venting is no longer directly to the atmosphere on modern cars, so it is far easier for failures. You can overfill the tank and get liquid fuel in the evap system, your venting tubes can melt, collapse, etc.

Basically, your tank isn't venting as it should for one of a few possible reasons. Putting fuel in it now is like when you flip an oil jug completely over where no air can get in (except in reverse, no air can get out).

Are you prone to overfilling your tank? They can fail on their own as well, but that's one way people cause them to fail.

 

[Chuvalo]

Numerous reasons, all related to air not getting out of the tank while you try to pump fluid in.

The venting is no longer directly to the atmosphere on modern cars, so it is far easier for failures. You can overfill the tank and get liquid fuel in the evap system, your venting tubes can melt, collapse, etc.

Basically, your tank isn't venting as it should for one of a few possible reasons. Putting fuel in it now is like when you flip an oil jug completely over where no air can get in (except in reverse, no air can get out).

Are you prone to overfilling your tank? They can fail on their own as well, but that's one way people cause them to fail.

No.

If anything, I usually go out of my way NOT to ever over-fill the tank on all my vehicles.

But, you did touch on vent tubes.

I'm not the least bit technical, but I'm beginning to wonder if some sort of vent tube may be plugged or otherwise obstructed in some way - i.e something as simple as a blast of compressed air might remedy perhaps ?

I don't suppose there are any sort of ( possibly ' wonkly ' ) sensors that may be part of a fuel filler set up is there ?

 

[QueBert]

question OP, have you tried holding the nozzle at more of an angle? I bought a new car last month and it would fill up 50 cents and click off, I finally figured out if I lifted the nozzle from the bottle and tilted it a bit it would keep going until it was full. I don't exactly understand why this worked for me, but I had the same problem at 2 different gas stations, and this did work.

 

[Chuvalo]

question OP, have you tried holding the nozzle at more of an angle? I bought a new car last month and it would fill up 50 cents and click off, I finally figured out if I lifted the nozzle from the bottle and tilted it a bit it would keep going until it was full. I don't exactly understand why this worked for me, but I had the same problem at 2 different gas stations, and this did work.

Yup...tried that. Didn't make a difference.

If anything, even though I wasn't spilling gas at the pump handle location while filling, it somehow still actually resulted in a bit of gas finding it's way on to the ground from beneath the car somehow ( is that part of some by-pass of the fuel filler system that would allows gas to leak down ? ) .

Besides, I'd hoped I wouldn't have to jump though some procedural hoops each time I'm in for gas - i.e. nuancing a gas pump in a such a way so it won't shut off every 30 seconds.

I don't want any more adventures at the pumps going forward...just an uneventful fill up where the pump only clicks off when the tank is actually full.

 

[marvdmartian]

Dumb question.....are you filling up at the same station, same pump, every time?

The reason I ask is because when the pump kicks off (stops flowing fuel), it's not really the pump, it's the nozzle. The nozzle is designed that when it senses fuel backing up into the nozzle, it kicks off (we could get into an explanation how it does this, but I really don't feel like typing it all out).

However, not all nozzles are made the same. Any station worth a crap (IMHO) uses OPW brand nozzles. Occasionally, you find a station that's trying to save a few cents, and they use an off-brand nozzle, which might be more prone to problems like this one you're having.

The only other thing I could think of, dispenser-wise, is if you live somewhere where they have the vapor recovery systems on the dispensers. They have a world full of idiosyncrasies all unto themselves!

 

[Chuvalo]

Dumb question.....are you filling up at the same station, same pump, every time?

The reason I ask is because when the pump kicks off (stops flowing fuel), it's not really the pump, it's the nozzle. The nozzle is designed that when it senses fuel backing up into the nozzle, it kicks off (we could get into an explanation how it does this, but I really don't feel like typing it all out).

However, not all nozzles are made the same. Any station worth a crap (IMHO) uses OPW brand nozzles. Occasionally, you find a station that's trying to save a few cents, and they use an off-brand nozzle, which might be more prone to problems like this one you're having.

The only other thing I could think of, dispenser-wise, is if you live somewhere where they have the vapor recovery systems on the dispensers. They have a world full of idiosyncrasies all unto themselves!

Nope.... per Post #1....." Happens at different service stations using different pumps ".

It happened at 3 different stations in town ( which prior to a couple of weeks ago ...there was no issue ).

Also happened at another station about 25 kms out side of town and at another station about 100 kms or so out side of town - both of which I've used on a pretty regular basis. And again, up to a couple of weeks ago ...there was no issue with those 2 either

So, the issue would appear to be something to do with the vehicle itself - not the gas stations.

 

[nerp]

So you never topped the tank off? You're the only one who ever filled it? Topping it off just once can ruin your evap system causing this problem.

 

[AmdEmAll]

So you never topped the tank off? You're the only one who ever filled it? Topping it off just once can ruin your evap system causing this problem.

Never heard of this before.. My Lexus LS430 has this issue sometimes.. can take me like 15 min to fill over 20 gallons. I pretty much always top off the system so I guess its f'ed! But then other times it works fine so dunno. When I lived in Detroit on really cold days the fuel gauge would show wrong usually a quarter low or 1/2 low. Related?

 

[Chuvalo]

So you never topped the tank off? You're the only one who ever filled it? Topping it off just once can ruin your evap system causing this problem.

In the past, when filling the tank, as soon as it ' clicks off ' I stop...I never ' top it up ' as it were.

And the only person who puts gas in it is myself or my daughter...and I can guarantee you she never fills it up ( lord knows I wish she would once in a blue moon )....she usually only puts $20+ in it after the low fuel light comes on.

 

[LTC8K6]

My Jeep has a recall for a pinched hose in the evap system. I have to run the pump slow to fill it up, or the pump shuts off. It doesn't bother me, so I have never had it fixed.

I can fill it up fairly fast if I hold the nozzle out a bit, and don't shove it all the way in.

 

[Zap]

My Jeep has a recall for a pinched hose in the evap system.

My Contour SVT way back also had a recall for some similar issue.

 

[LTC8K6]

My Contour SVT way back also had a recall for some similar issue.

I should say it's a Jeep TSB and not a recall.

 

[nerp]

Never heard of this before.. My Lexus LS430 has this issue sometimes.. can take me like 15 min to fill over 20 gallons. I pretty much always top off the system so I guess its f'ed! But then other times it works fine so dunno. When I lived in Detroit on really cold days the fuel gauge would show wrong usually a quarter low or 1/2 low. Related?

Yeah. Don't top off. That extra tiny bit of gas floods the evap cannister and the rest often dumps out on to the ground. Bad for the environment and bad for the car. Topping off was great in the 70s when you could rock your car around to squeeze in extra gas and get air out of the tank. NOwadays the systems are sealed.

 

[phucheneh]

The systems were sealed in the 70's, too. Cars haven't used vented gas caps since some time in the 60's.

OP's problem may have to do with the fact that the Ford system described is garbage. I'd complain to Ford corporate until they got a dealer to swap the junk filler tube out for a normal one with a cap.