My Jimmy Won`t Take Gas!

[Brenton]

So, I can only get $2 of gas into my Jimmy at any one time. It isn`t a blockage, I don`t think, since i`ve gotten $8 in once, and $20 once.
Is it possible that it isn`t venting well? It is -20 celsius here (about -5 or -10 in the US?), but it was doing it at -5. So I`m not sure if the cold is the problem.
What do you think?

[Troy@Protekt]

Man I`m glad I live in Florida! Living with stuff like that in the winter would drive me nuts.

[BlueZero]

Dumb question but did you try a different station?

I used to have problems with just one station in town. All the pumps at that station didn`t work well with my truck.

[Poorboy]

It could be a vapor lock , but that usually happens in hot weather
I`d try another station too

[Big Leegr]

If the nozzle is bent or missing the spring, it could be touching the inside of the gas tube and shutting off thinking that the car is full. Try pulling the nozzle out a bit. (Or go to another station. )

[Brenton]

I`ve actually tried 6 or 7 different stations, and I`m running out of gas. ack

[jaybs02]

You could try using a gas can to see if you have the same problem. If it backs up then it`s a venting problem.
If it works at least you can get fuel in your tank so that you don`t run out.

I had a similar problem in a car I had and I used to have to rock the car or jump on the bumper to get it to take fuel. It was some type of air pocket in the tank.

"J"

[Scott P]

I have that issue with our Envoy, but only at the Exxon station next to the house. I think it has to do with the vapor recovery system. Sometimes it`s fine and other times it takes forever because of the constant stops.

[Brenton]

You could try using a gas can to see if you have the same problem. If it backs up then it`s a venting problem.
If it works at least you can get fuel in your tank so that you don`t run out.

I had a similar problem in a car I had and I used to have to rock the car or jump on the bumper to get it to take fuel. It was some type of air pocket in the tank.

"J"

I hadn`t tried jumping on it, but it does back up. The time I took $20, like Scott, it took forever

[CharlesW]

Do you know anyone at a GM dealer store?
It sounds like this is a not uncommon problem and the dealer mechanics might have a TSB covering it.
Like others, I have had the problem with a specific hose nozzle at a station, but it sounds like you have tried several stations which should have ruled that possibility out.
New truck time?

[cwcad]

One thing that I have done when this problem has presented itself to me is to pull the nozzel back out of the necklike an inch at a time until the flow becomes steady.

You may have already done that. It is merely a suggestion.

[Brenton]

Yeah, so I brought the car into the shop to warm up today, but when I took it to the gas station (a sixth one), it still didn`t work. CLick, click, click -- all the way to $6 bucks.
I`ll have to see a mechanic, this is dumb.

[harry444]

This might sound stupid but try this when you stick the nozzel in the tank turn it upside down in other words handle to the sky then start pumping I had a blazer that had a problem like yours and this is what I did to gas it up.

[Joe's detailing]

. CLick, click, click -- all the way to $6 bucks.

Sounds to me like a full tank lol...
On a serious note a repair shop sounds like a good idea...Joe

[Brenton]

So we took the charcoal filter off, and there seems to be a fume blockage of some kind. We were able to fill the tank and wait till warm weather on Tuesday and see if anything changes, but we think we need to drop the tank.