Having trouble with gas filling. Tank not venting. Refueling nozzle always clicking off. Anyone else have had that problem?

When a car will not run right after refueling, it is usually the vent valve, that vents the tank.
If not opening, then using a small amount of gas will create a very strong vacuum, and not allow the car to run.
Try cracking the gas cap a little, to let air in and reduce the vacuum. Automotive Evaporative Emissions Part One

Hi Jennifer-
I believe I may be able to help you with the gas spillage you are having when filling the tank. This happened on my 1998 Toyota Camry.
One day, even though I was low on fuel, the attendant had trouble adding gas to my tank. Gas would spill during filling or the nozzle would click off (as though it was full) even though it was not. I had to stand there myself and slowly add gas until the tank was full.
I learned that my car had a thin vent tube that would run from the gas tank to the gas tank opening. As gas is rushing into the tank during filling, the air that is being displaced from the gas tank escapes through this tube. This tube had rusted closed a bit and was restricting the air flow escaping from the tank during pumping causing the problems I described. Once this tube was replaced, my problem was solved!
Hope this helps!

Hi, sounds like your vent valve is stuck closed. It is supposed to default open, but the spring may have failed. I don't know if you can buy the valve separate from the vapor canister assembly, but I would shop around. The guy at the following post was having trouble finding one: http://www.cobaltss.net/forums/problems-service-maintenance-69/evap-vent-solenoid-100807/

The vent on the tank is restricted and the pump nozzle can't take all the air coming from the tank as it fills. Many gas stations across the country have vapor recovery nozzles designed to capture air from your fuel tank and vent it back into the tank under ground, and out the roof vent pipe on top of the building. It's for fuel vapor emissions reduction. Until you put a few gallons in the tank, pull the boot back a little with your fingers to unseat it from the filler neck, then let go and you should be o.k. If it keeps shuting off after that, then you may have a problem with your own vapor recovery system not working properly. Check other nozzles and see if they all are that way. Mabe it's the station.

If your having trouble filling the fuel tank. Consider a few things first, Have you tried holding the filler nozzle at a different angle? Have you had any resent repairs done to the fuel tank and/or filler nozzle? Are you trying to fill a fuel tank that is already full?
If none of the above suggestions apply to your problem then you may have an obstruction down inside the filler collar or the vent tube that runs parallel with the filler tube.

The tank vent pipe may be blocked or kinked, it usually branches off the main tank filler pipe and can be seen from under the car.

the fill vent is inside the fill tube . your fill is 2 inch and inside it is a 3/4 inch that your gas goes down it runs from the filler neck to the 3/4 mark inside the tank your vent is the area between the outside if the inside tube and the inside of the outside tube . and vents through the gas pump nozzle ... gm has a problem with there trucks where the inside fill tube gets kinked after a while and kicks off the pump . i have never seen anyone fix this problem and have it work for long . i have a 2003 chevy truck same problem have to fill real slow . pulled tank , checked all lines changed fill neck ( flapper door in fill neck bad ) .... put it back . same problem . good luck . i gave up

You have a blocked or restricted evaporative cannister or vent valve or both. When you fill the tank with gas, the air is expelled through a line attatched to the emissions cannister and then through another line to the vent valve. If these are restricted or damaged, this could cause your symptoms. Usually you can still fill the tank very slowly though. Usually, the canister ges saturated from gas from overfilling (topping off).
The fix is to replace the EVAP canister.

The ORVR (On-Board Refueling Vapor Recovery) system consists of a unique fuel tank, flow management valve, fluid control valve, one-way check valve and vapor canister.

The ORVR (On-Board Refueling Vapor Recovery) system is used to remove excess fuel tank vapors. This is done while the vehicle is being refueled..

Fuel flowing into the fuel filler tube (approx. 1 inches I.D.) creates an aspiration effect drawing air into the fuel fill tube. During refueling, the fuel tank is vented to the EVAP canister to capture escaping vapors. With air flowing into the filler tube, there are no fuel vapors escaping to the atmosphere. Once the refueling vapors are captured by the EVAP canister, the vehicle's computer controlled purge system draws vapor out of the canister for the engine to burn. The vapor flow is metered by the purge solenoid so that there is no, or minimal impact on driveability or tailpipe emissions.

As fuel starts to flow through the fuel fill tube, it opens the normally closed check valve and enters the fuel tank. Vapor or air is expelled from the tank through the control valve and on to the vapor canister. Vapor is absorbed in the EVAP canister until vapor flow in the lines stops. This stoppage occurs following fuel shut-off, or by having the fuel level in the tank rise high enough to close the control valve. This control valve contains a float that rises to seal the large diameter vent path to the EVAP canister. At this point in the refueling process, fuel tank pressure increases, the check valve closes (preventing liquid fuel from spiting back at the operator), and fuel then rises up the fuel filler tube to shut off the dispensing nozzle.

There is air outlet in fuel line refueling point to tank this may clogged you need to replace the fuel line from the refueling point to fuel tank.......


Good luck....