Vent: learned the hard way at a gas station in Tulsa why you don't leave your car running while pumping gas

Was in a rush last Tuesday, left the engine on while filling up. Pump clicked off after only 3 gallons and the vapor recovery system kicked back fumes that smelled like straight poison. Has anyone else had that sensor trip on them?

3 comments

3 Comments

drewr1527d ago

My buddy's a mechanic in Tulsa and he told me that 87% of those vapor recovery sensor trips happen because of a bad purge valve solenoid. Your car thinks it's flooding the engine while the pump's running, so it kicks the system into a weird feedback loop. Next time, try turning the key to accessory mode instead of leaving the engine running, that lets the pump work without confusing the car's brain.

the_thomas27d ago

Whoa, hold up a second! I think turning the key to accessory mode might actually prevent the fuel pump from running at all, since it's usually engine-on that powers it. The real trick is to keep the car running but make sure the gas cap is on tight and the purge valve isn't stuck open, or the system will still freak out. That 87% stat sounds like something a mechanic would throw around after a busy week, but a vacuum leak or a bad canister can trip those sensors just as easy.

charles_young9227d ago

That "87% stat" bit caught my eye too - a buddy of mine spent three weekends chasing down a bad canister that kept tripping the light on his Silverado, and it was just a cracked hose that looked fine to the naked eye. Mechanics love throwing out numbers like that, but in my experience the simplest stuff usually gets overlooked first.