Gas pump at station didn't kick off as I was fueling up.

c good

Original poster
Member
Dec 8, 2011
526
Happy New Year All. Let's hope 2022 is a better year than 2021. My Envoy is still running perfectly since my PCM fiasco. I've got over 1200 miles on it now so I'm confident it was the problem. (knock wood) :smile:

So today I went to fill up my tank and was holding onto the pump handle while fueling up. We all know Envoys can be finicky to fill if the nozzle isn't just rightly positioned. I was thinking it was getting close to clicking off when all of a sudden I had gasoline gush out and spill all over my jacket, pants, shoes and the ground.

It is my regular gas station and I've never had this happen before. The pumps always stop, and I never "top off" my tank because I'm aware of the potential Evap Canister contamination troubles.

I reported the problem to the station manager. I had her write up an "incident report". I wanted to document the malfunction of the pump in case it did any damage to my EVAP system. I've driven 30 miles on it just to bring the gas level down out of the neck. So far I have had no engine codes come up. Hopefully all I will end having to deal with is washing the gas out of my pants, jacket, and shoes!

What are the chances it will throw a code down the road from this overfilling situation? Thanks for any input.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
It have first hand knowledge of this problem. It's the filler overflow/rollover valve in the tank. You'll have to replace the tank. Until then, do not overfill the tank as you will also ruin the charcoal canister as it also fills with fuel.

 
Dec 5, 2011
574
Central Pennsylvania
Happy New Year All. Let's hope 2022 is a better year than 2021. My Envoy is still running perfectly since my PCM fiasco. I've got over 1200 miles on it now so I'm confident it was the problem. (knock wood) :smile:

So today I went to fill up my tank and was holding onto the pump handle while fueling up. We all know Envoys can be finicky to fill if the nozzle isn't just rightly positioned. I was thinking it was getting close to clicking off when all of a sudden I had gasoline gush out and spill all over my jacket, pants, shoes and the ground.

It is my regular gas station and I've never had this happen before. The pumps always stop, and I never "top off" my tank because I'm aware of the potential Evap Canister contamination troubles.

I reported the problem to the station manager. I had her write up an "incident report". I wanted to document the malfunction of the pump in case it did any damage to my EVAP system. I've driven 30 miles on it just to bring the gas level down out of the neck. So far I have had no engine codes come up. Hopefully all I will end having to deal with is washing the gas out of my pants, jacket, and shoes!

What are the chances it will throw a code down the road from this overfilling situation? Thanks for any input.
I'm sure @Mooseman is right on the money - HOWEVER.... that incident report should be made to also serve an entirely different purpose and I would be very concerned if it does not. NO nozzle should EVER do that. Every nozzle is required to shut off, regardless of if you're "holding it" or not, as soon as liquid fuel (even "bubbles") reaches the end of the nozzle. In fact, it's designed in such a way that when working properly you can't make it not shut off. That incident report SHOULD prompt the station to replace the nozzle (and perhaps the hose) altogether. There is a defined service life for them and they are safety items that require periodic inspection, service and replacement. It not being serviced is what allowed the fuel to end up ON YOU and the ground. I don't need to point out the extreme fire/explosion hazard this poses - as a firefighter, I CAN tell you however, there is not only a huge potential for "kaboom" but also a tremendous hazmat problem here.

I experienced the same, only worse, in my 1975 GMC K15 lifted 4x4. Obviously it didn't have EVAP or return lines and totally lacked overfill protection in the tank. There was no rollover valve in it either. When it happened to me, the fuel pushed the nozzle out of the neck. As it swung through the air on the way to the ground it completely soaked me from the shoulders down (gas cap was almost shoulder high) on my front side drenching my leather riding jacket and soaking me to the the bone.... boots, socks, and all. The clincher was that it didn't shut off when it hit the ground so I had to reach down through the fountain of 94 Octane, turn it and click the handle off while gas ran everywhere. While I don't know the quantity of gas that spilled, the puddle it formed was enough to cover three comfortably sized parking spaces - it's ridiculous how liquids spread out once they're "spilled". I ended up asking the attendant for garbage bags to put my clothes in and cover my seat with - the bags melted on the way home. Hours later the pump was out of service pending a filler replacement and the next attendant on shift knew nothing about it - so they did nothing whatsoever for me (except give me the garbage bags). This was over 25 years ago and I didn't know enough to insist they do something about it. Kudos to you for having the foresight to have the report written up and document the incident in case you need repairs done. They may fight you on paying for it, but they're holding documentation that says it's their fault. (I'd be looking to get a copy of the incident report, just in case).

If you haven't managed to get the gas out of your clothes/etc.... I managed to do so by soaking my thick leather motorcycle jacket in the hottest water I could manage to produce with a liberal amount of Lemon Joy(before they started removing all the "earth destroying" ingredients) dish detergent over night. After multiple rinsings it got ran through the washer and spun then hung in the sun to dry (took a couple days IIRC). I then used shoe polish and a horsehair brush to restore it to it's previous state (half "leather" leather, half buck or "nude" leather). My boots, however, ended up completely falling apart as the stitching was purely decorative and they were actually glued together, something I didn't know when I bought them. I did manage to get them replaced by the manufacturer, but that was a customer service nightmare to do. I never wore the replacements, opting instead to purchase properly made motorcycle boots (without spurs this time :duh: ). To complete the visual - I was 20ish at the time and was growing out of probably the worst "skullet" you've ever seen - like a Joe Dirt or Tiger King level mullet but with the sides of my head shaved (and black hair instead of blonde) and the only thing I wore that wasn't black was my socks. On especially "frisky" nights I looked like I just climbed out of a "Ratt" poster, frilly/pirate shirt unbuttoned to my navel and silver belt buckles included.... 44 year old me would describe 20's me with a word that rhymes with "zitshow".
 

JerryIrons

Member
Dec 20, 2011
434
I've had this happen myself, the gas pump was running extremely slowly and I think the physics of it caused it. Luckily I spotted it before it got out of hand, but taught me a good lesson :smile:
 

c good

Original poster
Member
Dec 8, 2011
526
How will I know if it damaged the charcoal canister? Will it set a code? Will a one time overfill damage the canister?
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Mine didn't set any codes or didn't show any symptoms for the charcoal canister. I saw it full of fuel when I took it out trying to diagnose my fueling issue.

I'm sure @Mooseman is right on the money - HOWEVER.... that incident report should be made to also serve an entirely different purpose and I would be very concerned if it does not. NO nozzle should EVER do that.
If it CONTINUES to pour fuel into the tank despite being full, yes, that is a problem with the nozzle not clicking off. But if it does stop like mine did at MULTIPLE DIFFERENT pumps and pukes like mine after clicking off, then it's not a problem with the pump or nozzle but the tank filler valve.
 

c good

Original poster
Member
Dec 8, 2011
526
I've never had problems with it puking out fuel before. I'm sure it was a bad nozzle, that's why I asked for and got a copy of the incident report. My shoes, pants, and jacket are soaking in water, vinegar, and laundry soap right now outside in a bucket.

I will put some more miles on the Envoy again today and add some more gas from a different station and see how it goes. If it pukes again, it's the Envoy. If pump clicks off like it usually does, then it was definitely a defective nozzle.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Let it go down to at least 3/4. Higher than that, it didn't puke for me even with the broken valve in the tank.
 

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