Emergency! Gas Cap Won't Open

[Angelicevil]

So, there I was this evening at the petrol station about to put petrol in (down to last two bars) when I turn the gas cap...it clicks...it clicks some more...

I know it's definitely not locked because I don't lock my gas cap. However just in case I had an early onset senile moment I stuck my key in. I know the lock is supposed to turn a little but nope it stays solid. I keep twisting my gas cap every which way and all it does is click. It's really starting to drive me mad as I have to go to a wedding on Friday 60 miles up north and I need the car!!!

Have to phone the garage tomorrow if it doesn't sort itself out but really would prefer to avoid that as I just don't have the time to take off work right now to get the car shifted about the place.

Happen to anyone else?

Help!!!

[weevicky]

So, there I was this evening at the petrol station about to put petrol in (down to last two bars) when I turn the gas cap...it clicks...it clicks some more...

I know it's definitely not locked because I don't lock my gas cap. However just in case I had an early onset senile moment I stuck my key in. I know the lock is supposed to turn a little but nope it stays solid. I keep twisting my gas cap every which way and all it does is click. It's really starting to drive me mad as I have to go to a wedding on Friday 60 miles up north and I need the car!!!

Have to phone the garage tomorrow if it doesn't sort itself out but really would prefer to avoid that as I just don't have the time to take off work right now to get the car shifted about the place.

Happen to anyone else?

Help!!!

Hey, my cap has stuck a few times, but I've always managed to open it eventually. The way I have figured to do it is if you push all your body wieght in while turning it, that usually works. I got told it was te pressure in the tank that was making it stick, but thats alot of bull.

[Moffmo]

Youd be surprised the amout of pressure petrol can create

[yazburner]

yea its true, i was opening the petrol cap on my yaris and it was really pressurized! thought it was someone drving past with the worlds quietest engine and the worlds loudest dump valve, but no, it was my petrol tank.

me and the guy at the pump next to me jumped half a mile!

its worse if its hot and you havent opened the tank for a while

[weevicky]

Yeha the guy said it was pressure on something else lol. The noise my tank makes when i open it is unbelievale lol, some times a huge whoooosh im like woah!!

[Angelicevil]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately the theory is sound but not the problem it seems with mine. Weather has been hotter and I only opened the fuel tank up on Friday so I haven't a %$(in' clue what's happening here. I'm getting very anxious because I have a wedding on Friday to go to that I've been looking forward to for a very long time and it's being held in the middle of nowhere as well. ARGH!!!

It's really annoying the heck out of me something shocking.

[yazburner]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately the theory is sound but not the problem it seems with mine. Weather has been hotter and I only opened the fuel tank up on Friday so I haven't a %$(in' clue what's happening here. I'm getting very anxious because I have a wedding on Friday to go to that I've been looking forward to for a very long time and it's being held in the middle of nowhere as well. ARGH!!!

It's really annoying the heck out of me something shocking.

its a little known something called sods law, always rears its ugly head when u least want it too.

i hope you get it all sorted out

[T.F.S.B.I.G.W.S.]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately the theory is sound but not the problem it seems with mine. Weather has been hotter and I only opened the fuel tank up on Friday so I haven't a %$(in' clue what's happening here. I'm getting very anxious because I have a wedding on Friday to go to that I've been looking forward to for a very long time and it's being held in the middle of nowhere as well. ARGH!!!

It's really annoying the heck out of me something shocking.

its a little known something called sods law, always rears its ugly head when u least want it too.

i hope you get it all sorted out

Good luck with that - let us know - but, got to ask the obvious. Did you ask the staff at the filling station to help?

[T600]

Good luck with that - let us know - but, got to ask the obvious. Did you ask the staff at the filling station to help?

Good question T.F.S.B.I.G.W.S.

I used to work in a filling station way back, and most of the staff were experts at getting filler caps off as so many customers had problems removing them (or in some cases even finding them).

By the way Angelicevil, if the problem is low pressure in the tank then don't drive to a filling station and then try to remove the cap. First thing in the morning, before you start the car try to remove the cap. If you free it then lubricate the rubber seal, replace cap and then go to fill up.

HTH

[johnan]

My cap is self locking when it is replaced and is turned clockwise until it "clicks".The key is not used to lock it.

To remove it ,the key MUST be inserted and turned anticlockwise to unlock it .This can be very stiff but it will turn.Then remove the key and unscrew the cap.

Fill up, replace the cap, turn clockwise until it clicks and your set to go.The cap is now locked and secure.

[Angelicevil]

My cap is self locking when it is replaced and is turned clockwise until it "clicks".The key is not used to lock it.

To remove it ,the key MUST be inserted and turned anticlockwise to unlock it .This can be very stiff but it will turn.Then remove the key and unscrew the cap.

Fill up, replace the cap, turn clockwise until it clicks and your set to go.The cap is now locked and secure.

Alas my lock is not and has never been stiff and it always used to turn the standard quarter of a turn when I inserted the key which it didn't last night. It won't turn at all last night because I thought that maybe it had locked itself since the last time I filled up on Friday. Have had the car for a year and it's always been a simple case of I just turned the cap anticlockwise and it opens. Yes, it can take a bit of force at times when it's pressurised but nothing like what I've been experiencing since last night. Even tried it this morning before I left for work and still no joy. Taking it to the garage later on at lunch and seeing what they can do.

[weevicky]

lol I work in a filling station. The amount of people that have asked me to get their filling cap of is high. Mainly the old people with clios or corsas have the main difficulty. A person in a 107 asked me last week there and just the same just push all the body weight into it. The old car that i havent been able to open was a mazda convertible.

It's funny though, these are big strng people that are asking em to open them and heres little me, 19yr tryign to open them :)

[compressor mad]

iv had a few aygos in my garage with that problem we had to drill them and screw a self tapper in which locks up the cap allowing you to get it off

was just a thot depends how nasty you want to get ;)

[Angelicevil]

Hi guys,

Well I took the car back to the dealer who had a look at it. Turns out that whenever they changed the locks on my earlier this year after it had been stolen and recovered they forgot about the lock in the fuel cap. It had locked itself and whenever I inserted the key which obviously didn't fit something had snapped causing it to jam up. So the whole cap has been removed and loosely inserted back to enable me to fill up the car until they can get an appointment to get it sorted.

At least panic over.

[Parts-King]

Hey, my cap has stuck a few times, but I've always managed to open it eventually. The way I have figured to do it is if you push all your body wieght in while turning it, that usually works. I got told it was te pressure in the tank that was making it stick, but thats alot of bull.

Sadly that is NOT bull, a lot of pressure is created in the tank, thats why it goes whooosh when you open the cap, it's gas escaping, not being sucked in. However, that clicking is so you cant overtighten it, press in with all you weight and turn anti clockwise (left!) that should do the trick Kingo

[rsgtc]

yea its true, i was opening the petrol cap on my yaris and it was really pressurized! thought it was someone drving past with the worlds quietest engine and the worlds loudest dump valve, but no, it was my petrol tank.

me and the guy at the pump next to me jumped half a mile!

its worse if its hot and you havent opened the tank for a while

I had never seen this behavior until I bought an Aygo (or drove a rented Yaris).

I believe other manufacturers must have a pressure release valve in the cap.

Why doesn't Toyota implements this? Or is my theory wrong?

[Jan van de Wouw]

It's not Toyota-specific: my previous car was a Nissan 100NX

and it did the same (even worse) as my Aygo does...

A lot of pressure is generated by the fuel that's being pumped

to the engine, but doesn't get injected; this fuels is returned to

the tank warmer than when it left there as a result of being

pressurized, having been through the pump and near the engine...

[ben_e71]

It's not Toyota-specific: my previous car was a Nissan 100NX

and it did the same (even worse) as my Aygo does...

A lot of pressure is generated by the fuel that's being pumped

to the engine, but doesn't get injected; this fuels is returned to

the tank warmer than when it left there as a result of being

pressurized, having been through the pump and near the engine...

yeah I'v ehad this on nearly every car I ever owned.

[Raistlin]

Guys

I was told by one of Mr T's men to drill a minute hole in the cap to stop the pressure build up, Do you think that it is safe to do ?

Raistlin

[weevicky]

Guys

I was told by one of Mr T's men to drill a minute hole in the cap to stop the pressure build up, Do you think that it is safe to do ?

Raistlin

Try this will caution. My stupid friend decided to do this with the cap still attached to that car. One small spark and it wud have went boomb.

[Jan van de Wouw]

I was told by one of Mr T's men to drill a minute hole in the cap

to stop the pressure build up, Do you think that it is safe to do ?

Safe or not, I wouldn't do it; IMHO it's a stupid "solution" and

you might risk damaging the locking mechanism inside too!

Gascaps are not supposed to have a hole in them, I could even

imagine that in some way this could void part of your warranty!

[Raistlin]

Trust me I will remove it beforehand , I don't think the insurance company would be too impressed if I blew up a four week old car by being a plonker

[T600]

In the olden days, petrol caps usually had holes in them, or else air could get up the overflow pipe to prevent the low pressure in the tank. I'm not sure when or why this changed - perhaps because vapours could also escape from the tank through the hole? However, seems the lack of a vent hole is causing quite a few problems on modern cars.

[Red Yaris 54]

Guys

I was told by one of Mr T's men to drill a minute hole in the cap to stop the pressure build up, Do you think that it is safe to do ?

Raistlin

That would defeat the object of having a pressurised fuel tank system..............do not do it.

[T.F.S.B.I.G.W.S.]

Guys

I was told by one of Mr T's men to drill a minute hole in the cap to stop the pressure build up, Do you think that it is safe to do ?

Raistlin

Sounds like he's taking the p**s! You don't do a DIY repair on a car which is covered under a warranty - and certainly not a modification. Once you start messing with it the problem becomes yours not Toyota's. DIY repairs and modifications will not be covered under warranties - even if they solve the problem and - drilling a hole in a fuel cap (!?). If that's all that is needed then let T do it - on second thoughts; get a second opinion.