Siphoned?

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Chris G

Active Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2006
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Location
Salem, OR
Hey all! I have a 07 ST and a couple weeks ago I thought I had more gas then my tank gauge showed, and I was worried at the time I was siphoned. I went to get gas in my truck two weeks ago and the pump kept clicking off but I was only getting 10 gal so the attendant manually did it (live in OR).



Today I wanted to fill up the tank and the pump went 4 gals before turning off. The attendant came over and tried again. He barely gets to his next car when it turns off again. So he tries again. Same thing. So he came to my window and asked if I was expecting much gas, and I said yeah about 18 gal. So he tried again and again. I asked if it was the pump or the car he said its the car the pump had been working fine all day. He said he thinks I was siphoned and that the spring in the neck was damaged or a piece of tubing was in the tank or something. Is that possible? Any other possibilities? Thanks!
 
Is Check Engine light on? If so, what code(s) is/are stored? I think you've got a blockage in the gas tank evap canister or vent hoses that's stopping a full fil. I've read this problem rears its head when we try to "squeeze" a little more gas into the tank. Worked OK on older cars before emissions control changes, but not so much now. Video linked below may help.
 
The evap canister vent valve gets clogged. You can remove it and take it apart and clean the dirt out of it, should be ok after that. Funny thing is when you pull the vent off you will still be able to blow through it, it doesn't take much of a restriction to cause your problem.
 
Wow Vic. That is a crazy video. Is the evap vent valve easy to get to on the Trac? I don't have access to a hoist. Does the fuel system need to be depressurized?
 
Have you tried another gas station? I have found some of the newer pumps, especialy @ shell. They pump so fast the fuel foams. Like the airiator on the kitchen fauscet. I have to let it go very slow. Happens most of the time when I need 17 or more gallons.

Sometimes it is such a problem, I stop it and go elsewhere. The problem go's away. That is my experiance. I thought it was my problem at first. It is the gas stations new fast fill pumps. I have got good at recognizing the pumps that I dont use. Sometimes backing the nozzle out some and going slow helps. Just takes a long time....:banghead:
 
Wow Vic. That is a crazy video. Is the evap vent valve easy to get to on the Trac? I don't have access to a hoist. Does the fuel system need to be depressurized?



Chris, I don't know where the vent valve is on the Trac, but the plumbing has to be pretty much the same on modern cars. I'd get underneath (wear safety glasses!) the filler neck tube and see if I could make sense of it. You might look on Ford Parts website for a diagram for help identifying part. There's no pressure in the tank.
 
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You should be able to crawl underneath the truck easily enough to access the filter. Being that the evap system is not part of the fuel supply system nothing needs to be done with the fuel system in order to service this. You will be looking for a small rectangular box with a hose attached to either end of it. One of the hoses will be attached to the canister vent solenoid. You can either purchase a new vent filter or open up the old one and clean it out (that's what I do). If this doesn't solve the problem then you either have a evap canister vent solenoid that is partially closed or the evap canister itself has a restriction and needs to be replaced.
 
Thank you all. I am going to try this over the weekend.



Eddie I did try Texaco as well. Same thing. And since us Oregonians are too stupid to pump our own gas I cant change the flow or try anything different. I've had the Trac now for 7 years and never had this problem.



I found a schematic that shows a vent line zip tied to the filler neck right in the rear tire well. So my guess is if I follow that when she's on ramps I should be able to find something.
 
And since us Oregonians are too stupid to pump our own gas I



Do you live in a state, that wont let you pump your own gas? If so that sucks, cant trouble shoot fueling issues....:banghead:
 
There are two states that will not allow you to pump your own gas....Oregon and New Jersey. Their main objection to consumers pumping gas is pollution, since too many people try to overfill their tanks and spill gas.



....Rich
 
Yeah, I used pump my own gas when I traveled to Oregon as the station by the airport had one lazy attendant that never bothered to come out unless there were more than two cars, and then of course he went to the newest arriving car first, go figure. I just played "Oh, I didn't know" and was on my way to catch my flight.



They say now if you get caught, the fine the driver and the attendant $100 each. Must be new since they seem much more attentive now. I also use a newer station closer to PDX.
 
So I forgot to post back but it was a paper wasp nest in the plastic elbow valve of the vent line (its zip tied to the fuel neck in the right wheel well). Cleaned it out, and went to the gas station and got a full tank! Thanks everyone!
 
Damned insects! :grin:



The gas station in my small hometown in PA employs a couple of younger guys to pump gas. Their pumps are so old that they don't even have credit card slots. Everytime I stop there they try to pump in as much gas as they can just to get to an even dollar figure because it is easier for them to make change for those customers who pay with cash. Odd thing is I always use a credit card. I try to tell them they could be damaging the fuel systems on their customer's cars but they don't believe me. I try to pump my own gas now when I stop there. PA is not a communist state, yet. :sad:
 

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