Fuel Spilling out on Nissan Maxima

I am having problems getting fuel into my car. I have a 1999 Nissan Maxima SE and I started having problems getting fuel into the tank. Everytime I squeeze the pump the gas either flys out of the tank or stops the pump....this makes getting my car filled up very time consuming and frustrating. My husband has looked the car over, checked the vents and the fill tube and has not found any problems. Also, when unscrewing the cap, there is an extreme build up of pressure that sometimes blows the cap right out of my hand.....I have never had anything like this happen before. I would really like some feed back on this before I take it to the shop. I would like to know what kind of price I am looking at to fix this problem, if anyone can even tell me what the problem might be.

Thanks,
Sheelah

 

You have to remove the cap SLOWLY like the cap says . It's worse on hot days mostly I'm sure.

Some filling station equipment is condusive to "burping" out fuel. My coworker's 88 Caprice wagon is one such "burper".

Try various stations with different types of nozzles. Some work better than others.

If all else fails it should be covered under the factory warranty, but I'm not so sure anything can be done.

 

I will be going to a Nissan Factory training center tomorrow to work on the HVAC equipment, I know the instructor (Very smart guy), If I don't forget I wil talk with him About it.

 

Howdy HVAC man!

Long time no chat.

I now have a 400 converted Pontiac like yours. Originally a Turbo 301. A freebie.

Check out my post under "Joe's gone Bird"

 

Trust me....I am opening the cap slowly......but that is not what my problem is and it isn't the gas stations either. This car was fine when I got it....I did not have any problems with filling the tank.....now, no matter where I go, it does the same thing over and over again. Fuel spills out and I have to go at a ridiculously slow rate which takes me 15 - 20 minutes to fill. I can never hold the pump wide open, because as soon as I do gas flys out...all over the car and me! Would this have anything to do with the computer?

Thanks for your suggestions and comments. I guess I will have to take it to the dealership and get screwed in the process.

 

Why? 99 vehicle. Covered by the factory warranty. Shouldn't cost you anything.

Computer likely has nothing to do with it, unless it has a vent problem.

And certain types of filling station equipment WILL cause it to burp fuel out.

GM wagons by design tend to burp it out. You just work around it .

 

I would guess either a restriction in the hose leading from the tank to the opening. I would say take it to the dealer and have them fix it.

 

I have Talked to the instuctor about your problem, He Recognizes the problem, and you are by no means the first one to encounter it. First off has the check engine light came on? doesn't really matter at this point, he Xeroxed me several pages on this problem so I'll try and sum it up:

On Board Refueling Vapor Recovery (ORVR)
Symptom: Cannot refuel/Fuel odor strong from fuel filler opening is strong while refueling.

locate back of tank, there are 4 tubes other than the filler tube (what you use to fuel car) 1. Signal Line 2. Recirculation Line 3. Refueling EVAP vapor Line 4. evap purge line
Check each hose for Kinks, blockages, or any sources of restrictions. you can try by Starting from the left most tube (Signa line) disconnect it and blow air into it and check that there is no leakage, blow air into Refueling Evap Vapor Line (first larger tube to the right of filler neck) and see if air flows freely into the tank.
Check air continuity between signal line, and Refueling Evap line, (second tube to the left of filler neck, and the first tube to the right of the filler neck)
anything other than these rather easy checks should be investigated more by a qualified Technician, other questions asked was, Has the car ever been rear-ended?, or in an accident? is the car used?, this should be under Nissan's Factory Warranty, and will be easily recognized by a factory trained Nissan technician He says it's somewhat common in these cars.

If you think you may need more information rather than going to a dealer I can scan these 4 pages he gave me, and e-mail them to you.
Good luck





*I enjoy helping people

 

And help you did.

Good job HVACMan.

Off to the dealer on this one for a free repair.

Bravo!

 

Thanks Hvac Man!

Yes, the "check engine soon" light is on and as a matter of fact, I think it came on around the time that this problem started, but I attributed it to needing a service check when the car hit 50,000 miles.

Secondly, the car is used and I am not sure if it was rear ended, but I noticed, after I bought it, that the front bumper paint was a slight shade different from the rest of the car....so I got to thinking that the car very well may have been wrecked previously.

I am going to have my husband check everything out that you have suggested and if we need more info I will e-mail you and let you know.

Last thing......even though it is a 99' I travel with my job and I have put a lot of miles on it since I bought it and it is over 50,000 miles already.....the factory warranty would not be in effect still would it?


Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it!!

Sheelah

 

No, but it's an emission related failure/concern that is usually covered for 5 years/50k as the federal government stipulates. This might net you a free repair, but......

Did you buy the vehicle from a Nissan dealer and did you know it was wiped in a collision before?

Have the dealer pull the codes that are setting the check engine light and they are probably the cause of the fuel burping.

Chances are if it was wiped in a collision, something is pinched as everyone said. That's poor body work and workmanship though to let a car go out like that. I wouldn't trust it if it were my car

 

Hello,

I know its been a long time but this has been the only help I've found. I am now having the same problem with my 2002 maxima. i've taken it to two different shops and neither have found anything (thankfully they've been honest and not charged me) i am very scarred to take it to Nissan at $150/hr for labor, youch! I bought the extended warranty for my car so im covered for about another 25K miles. Also the check engine light has been faintly lit since i bought the car almost exactly two years ago but of course the dealership told me that it wasnt coverd. Wanted to know if anyone had any updates?

Thanks in advance!

 

These problems are hard to diagnose. It can either be the filler neck, the ORV valve, or something intergral with the tank. Start with the cheapest, and easier thing, the filler neck.

 

This is for anyone in the future that might have this problem. It is a known issue with some 4th and 5th generation maxima's i finally took it to the Nissan Dealership and was furtunate enough to speak to a great service writer and mechanic. He informed that it was the filler neck and he told me (I'm explaining in my own words now b/c i don't remember all the terms) that there is a ball inside the tank that raises as the tank gets full and the pump uses it to know when to stop. Well that ball had gotten stuck to the top of my tank. They had to replace the entire tank and several other pipes and valves. This also caused the check engine light to finally turn off. Thanks Tony Jones! without him as my service writer i would have given up on Nissan autoshop a long time ago. But again i repeat all of this was covered under warranty!

 

GREAT TIP! Thanks. Never heard of that before, but has a smaller but similar problem with and 85 Maxima.