What Color Will The Gas Cap Be?

Gas-Powered Awesome said:

Yes it is.

A regular cap seals out dirt. When removed the nozzle goes into a clean filler neck protected by the cap.

When using a "capless" filler, the nozzle pushes a flapper that is exposed to the elements into the filler neck, along with all the crap that is on and around it. Bad idea.

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Actually, not quite right. The filler neck is still protected...

The following is from: http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdirs/retail/Easy Fuel.pdf


Preventing Contamination

A flexible rubber seal, attached to the outer fuel filler door, seals the fuel filler to help prevent dirt, snow or rain from entering the fuel filler neck (Figure 6.). If the seal becomes damaged, it must be replaced to prevent possible contamination of the fuel tank. A pictogram on the seal reminds the owner to use the funnel, if fuel is being added from a portable fuel container.




The amount of dirt is probably miniscule in most cases. I've never noticed any in my wife's Explorer and we haven't had to change fuel filters though she's pushing 40,000 miles. It is probably an issue for people who drive on a lot of dusty dirt roads or off road a bunch but neither of those scenarios seems likely in an Elio. Those 20 fill ups per 12,800 miles probably won't add much dirt to a filter. I've fueled my F350 with some horribly dirty nozzles... Diesel fuel seems to attract the dust and dirt but if it were capless, I don't think I would have introduced much more dirt.

If the pump is IN the tank and not filtered prior, I could see that as not quite ideal as the dirt would pass through the pump first. Still, I just can't see it as much of an issue. I drove a lot of dirt roads in rural Georgia growing up and never had fuel pump issues. Okay, it was a '65 Mustang with a manual fuel pump...

If you really feel like the big manufacturers haven't done some analysis on engine or pump wear and tear due to the capless system, $25 can buy you some peace of mind.

http://accessories.ford.com/locking-fuel-plug.html

pistonboy said:

Will a gas can nozzle fit this thing? I know a California gas can nozzle will not!

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Ford includes a funnel along with the jack and spare tire in case you should feel the need to use a gas can... seriously, there is a gauge that tells you when you are getting low on fuel, why would you go through the trouble of putting gas into a can and then into the car? Why not just straight from the pump? Do people actually run out of gas in this day and age? We have gauges, people... it isn't that difficult. But yes, a simple funnel the right size is all you need (or a screwdriver to depress one of the release levers while using the nozzle to depress the other... I've seen it done).

Gas gauges fail, bad range guesses, unexpected traffic jams. These things happen. We're not all perfect.

As for the nozzle, replace that CARB garbage with a real nozzle ==> http://ezpourspout.com/ <== link

And how else could I get an awesome shot like this? Notice the car is still running. No, that is not parallax error.

Gas-Powered Awesome said:

And how else could I get an awesome shot like this? Notice the car is still running. No, that is not parallax error.

View attachment 6440

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Holy crap! Low tire, too! Does it always idle at 2,000 RPM at a stop? I'm assuming you are stopped because the emergency brake is either on or you are low on fluid. Any crud in the gas tank will be at the bottom. That last 1/4 tank of gas is what clogs up filters the fastest. You really should keep some gas in the car at all times. What happens when the zombie apocalypse starts?

Ty said:

Holy crap! Low tire, too! Does it always idle at 2,000 RPM at a stop? I'm assuming you are stopped because the emergency brake is either on or you are low on fluid. Any crud in the gas tank will be at the bottom. That last 1/4 tank of gas is what clogs up filters the fastest. You really should keep some gas in the car at all times. What happens when the zombie apocalypse starts?

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Also in-tank fuel pumps overheat when they are not fully submerged..

Ty said:

Holy crap! Low tire, too! Does it always idle at 2,000 RPM at a stop? I'm assuming you are stopped because the emergency brake is either on or you are low on fluid. Any crud in the gas tank will be at the bottom. That last 1/4 tank of gas is what clogs up filters the fastest. You really should keep some gas in the car at all times. What happens when the zombie apocalypse starts?

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Not a low tire, a useless TPMS system. I run aftermarket wheels without senders. There is no way to disable the useless indicator.

Idle is fine. My foot was holding it at 2000.

Your fuel intake is in the very bottom of the tank. That's the way it works. The "last 1/4 tank" is an old myth from the carburetor days. All the gas in the tank goes through that "last 1/4 tank" before it gets to the pump. It all gets mixed-up too over every bump and around every corner.

I have gas in the car. It's still running!

Because there are too many lawyers in the world, gas gauges on modern cars are wildly pessimistic.
At this fillup I think I put in 14 gallons in a 16 gallon tank. Yes, nearly all 16 are usable. So I still had more than 30 mile of range with the gauge two needle-widths below "E". No, it's not broken.

If the zombie apocalypse comes, I have other mechanical devices more capable of dealing with the horde.

bowers baldwin said:

Also in-tank fuel pumps overheat when they are not fully submerged..

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Only if they are run dry. The fuel through the pump cools it too.

Gas-Powered Awesome said:

Not a low tire, a useless TPMS system. I run aftermarket wheels without senders. There is no way to disable the useless indicator.

Idle is fine. My foot was holding it at 2000.

Your fuel intake is in the very bottom of the tank. That's the way it works. The "last 1/4 tank" is an old myth from the carburetor days. All the gas in the tank goes through that "last 1/4 tank" before it gets to the pump. It all gets mixed-up too over every bump and around every corner.

I have gas in the car. It's still running!

Because there are too many lawyers in the world, gas gauges on modern cars are wildly pessimistic.
At this fillup I think I put in 14 gallons in a 16 gallon tank. Yes, nearly all 16 are usable. So I still had more than 30 mile of range with the gauge two needle-widths below "E". No, it's not broken.

If the zombie apocalypse comes, I have other mechanical devices more capable of dealing with the horde.

Only if they are run dry. The fuel through the pump cools it too.

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Well said. Some TPMS's work based on the antilock brake sensors. Some work on those senders in the tires. Still others work on cap sensors. Any way to take 4 sensors and connect them to the car without putting them in the wheels? Fake out the car, so to speak?

Gas-Powered Awesome said:

Not a low tire, a useless TPMS system. I run aftermarket wheels without senders. There is no way to disable the useless indicator.

Idle is fine. My foot was holding it at 2000.

Your fuel intake is in the very bottom of the tank. That's the way it works. The "last 1/4 tank" is an old myth from the carburetor days. All the gas in the tank goes through that "last 1/4 tank" before it gets to the pump. It all gets mixed-up too over every bump and around every corner.

I have gas in the car. It's still running!

Because there are too many lawyers in the world, gas gauges on modern cars are wildly pessimistic.
At this fillup I think I put in 14 gallons in a 16 gallon tank. Yes, nearly all 16 are usable. So I still had more than 30 mile of range with the gauge two needle-widths below "E". No, it's not broken.

If the zombie apocalypse comes, I have other mechanical devices more capable of dealing with the horde.

Only if they are run dry. The fuel through the pump cools it too.

Click to expand...

Which happens soon after that light comes on....

Gas-Powered Awesome said:

Not a low tire, a useless TPMS system. I run aftermarket wheels without senders. There is no way to disable the useless indicator.

Idle is fine. My foot was holding it at 2000.

Your fuel intake is in the very bottom of the tank. That's the way it works. The "last 1/4 tank" is an old myth from the carburetor days. All the gas in the tank goes through that "last 1/4 tank" before it gets to the pump. It all gets mixed-up too over every bump and around every corner.

I have gas in the car. It's still running!

Because there are too many lawyers in the world, gas gauges on modern cars are wildly pessimistic.
At this fillup I think I put in 14 gallons in a 16 gallon tank. Yes, nearly all 16 are usable. So I still had more than 30 mile of range with the gauge two needle-widths below "E". No, it's not broken.

If the zombie apocalypse comes, I have other mechanical devices more capable of dealing with the horde.

Only if they are run dry. The fuel through the pump cools it too.

Click to expand...

http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/195

That's a good primer on pumps and the last sentence says "Do not purchase fuel while a tanker-truck is filling the station tanks. This can stir debris that has settled in the tanks. Another factor is not allowing the tank to fall below one-quarter. Keeping the tank above this level can greatly extend the life of the fuel pump."