-------------------------------------- The reason the fire department tells Honda to tell it's owner's to stop overfilling the tank has just appeared on your driveway. YOu can get owner's manuals from the wrecking yards, and Honda still has many of the old ones available. If that fuel had gone down a sewer cap, the outcome could be very bad. Fuel is very cold when it comes out of the ground at the gas station, but it expands a lot as it warms. That's why it's illegal to overfill your tank. You're not a smoker, are you? :-( 'Curly'
Filled up the tank yesterday right to the top around 6pm and then parked the car later that evening indoors about 11pm. Today at 2pm I had a puddle of gas about 1m in diameter under the gas tank by the driver's side rear wheel. (I was parked on a level surface). I've never experienced a gas leak before, but have a feeling its from the tank. Could it be that I just overfilled the tank right up into the neck and that a seal there is starting to go? Should I replace the whole tank? Any other ideas what could be causing the leak? Thanks in advance, Theo
thats news to me, and i think ive read my owners manual front to back a few times. isnt that just a general warning? or something especially specific to hondas? hondas of that era? not just that. if they had parked in an enclosed garage with a natural gas water heater or gas clothes dryer, that would have been a big problem.
I noticed that mine leaks when full only when the front end is on jackstands. I assume a leaky filler tube. I had no idea it's common to all Civics. This is why building code mandate that burners of gas fired appliances located in garages need to have their burner at least 18" above floor level.
The funny thing is that this is the first time I have noticed the leak. The only other contributing factor would be that my garage is heated (underground in an apartment building), and the temperature just dropped here significantly as well (around -15°c).
If the car has been driven in winter conditions often, the tank and or parts of the fuel lines may be corroded and leaking. It happened with my '93 Accord a few years ago. So take it to a mechanic who specializes in this type of maintenance.
------------------------------------ Call your fire department and ask them. In Alberta it's illegal to put gasoline in a glass jar, an antifreeze bottle, a bucket, etc. The gas stations can get in BIG trouble if they let you do it. Same thing if you jam you pager in the pump nozzle to allow you to go wipe your windows while the tank is filling. (some stations don't have the 'latch') I'm sure it is in texas too. 'Curly'
really? in california, we have signs at all the gas stations saying its illegal to dispense gasoline into an unapproved container, yadda, yadda, yadda.... only makes sense.
I've seen similar in other states: Stations won't sell you gas unless it's in a certified container. Curly's explanation about why drivers are warned not to overfill gas tanks is the first I've seen that makes any sense. Nice to have a reason not to go beyond one click now.
We have signs in Texas as well about dispensing into unapproved containers, do not get back in car while pumping, turn off cell phones, etc. I have also occasionally seen topping-off on the list of do nots. I have yet to see anything that says its ILLEGAL to top off. If it is, then I estimate somewhere around 99% of drivers using self service gas pumps around here are breaking laws. As I understand it, the manufacturers recommend against it because it can back flow into the charcoal canister and mess up the EFE system (You will get a "check engine" light if this ever happens). The EPA doesn't like it because the little bit that spills on the ground can evaporate into the air. Any explosion risk that might be there is from static sparks and is addressed by the "do not get back in car while pumping gas" admonition (which is also rampantly ignored). The thing I am taking issue with here is the assertion that it is illegal to top off. If that were the case, then self service gas stations would have to be eliminated, since the station owners would be liable for any law breaking done using their property.
-------------------------------- I'm guessing you're not going to phone the fire department, right? If I cram 60 litres of ice cold gasoline into my CR-V (so there's no room for expansion in the tank) and park it on the street in the summer, where are you expecting the excess will go when it expands to maybe 64 litres? Down the nearest sewer drain? That's the kind of calls the fire department / hazardous materials team LOVES to get. Where will the city send the bill, and will the TV station show my license plate # on the six o'clock news? Will they mention my name? It won't be me getting caught. -- 'Curly'
No, I'm not going to call the fire department. For one thing, they are not responsible for enforcing any laws. I did just come from the gas station though. The pump has warnings printed all over it. I took the opportunity to read them. Everything you can imagine is warned. Nothing about topping off. I can't remember the TV news ever focusing on the fire department responding to a dripping car. This whole fire department thing is just silly. I have lived in Texas for over 30 years. Consequently I know something about fuel expansion in the summer. I have never seen four liters of expansion pouring out of a car. In fact, on all four of my current cars ('91 240sx, '96 I30, '00 TL, and '02 Pathfinder), the pump clicks off within 2 tenths of a gallon of what they hold when filled to the top of the filler neck. If its going to expand by 4 liters (essentially a whole gallon), not topping off isn't going to help. Perhaps you are overestimating expansion? It may or may not be ill advised to top off a particular car. I have never seen anything (except your assertion) that has ever said it is illegal to do so. I guess its possible that it might be (illegal) in Canada. Different country. No evidence of it here.
------------------------- I'll check with a (veteran) fireman I know. Maybe breaking a 'bylaw' isn't the same thing as illegal. 'Curly'
Yeah, you do that. Other than arson investigations, I have yet to meet a fireman who enforces any laws. It just chafes me when people start getting so self righteous that whatever they personally decide suddenly becomes "illegal" for everyone else. It might be illegal to pour raw gas on the road (if not, it should be). That is not the same as topping off. Even at that, you live in a different country from many of the rest of us. What your laws may or may not be is irrelevant to those of us who don't live in the same jurisdiction.
That's been the case in the 3 states in which I've lived. This is an especially interesting thread for me because I live in NJ where it's illegal for drivers to fill their cars (I am not making this up). IIRC I first saw the warning about not topping off when gas stations went to vapor recovery equipment, i.e., it's mostly an environmental concern. Some stations in NJ still top off, although most let it run until it kicks off automatically & remove the filler then. Topping off one's tank early in the AM (or otherwise filling with cold gas) and parking without driving much could cause a puddle of gas as the cold gas expanded as far back as I can remember (certainly during the 70's with non FI engines). One poster mentioned cold temps with a heated garage, thus ensuring maximum expansion.
