Gas Tank Overflowing?...

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BrokenRex

Member
the vehicle in question is a 89 CRX Si. during the summer months if the car had more than half a tank of gas, when parked in the sun, fuel would pour out of the filler neck. i would go in to work, and come out to find gas flowing down the side of my car, sitting on top of a puddle of gas the size of my car. then i could open up the gas cap, and the gas would settle, i would put it back on and no more would overflow.

i have no idea why this could happen, it was obviously related to the heat here in phoenix, but how so much gas would come out is a mystery to me. any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated, as i'd hate to return to a burned out rex, or worse, have someone get injured by my negligence.
 
the pressure in your fuel tank is getting to high because of the heat, I would say that the fuel pressure relief valve is bad, its located inside your fuel tank, I believe that its integrated into the stock fuel pump but im not entirely sure
 
I have never heard of that happening.
 
yeah everyone that i ask around here thinks i'm full of it until they see it with their own eyes. it's wierd, because if i dont open the cap myself and let the gas settle, it will just keep coming out till it's almost completely empty (about 1/10 left.) even if my weekly gas didn't cost me more than a new set of tires, i'd want this fixed..... swapping in a new pump as soon as i get some free time, i'll keep you posted.

and btw, swapping pumps on a rex is a complete bitch. please dont post about how easy it was to do on your eg or ek. please.....
 
Fuel pressure issue. That valve your speaking of should be located near the sending unit. So the tank can breathe. The increase in heat will increase pressure in the tank, but it shouldnt be coming out of the filler neck. Have a tech look at it and make sure nothing else is restricted.

And stop crying about your fuel pump on a crx, its CAKE if you know what your doing. :) Good luck.
 
Fire hazard, hell id be afraid to start my car.
 
And stop crying about your fuel pump on a crx, its CAKE if you know what your doing. :) Good luck.

:werd:The hardest part is dropping the tank, then its like 8 10mm's and the and it comes right out. Fuel pump on a Jeep out on the trail is a real bitch.
 
I don't think your problem is any of the above mentioned things... My car done the EXACT same thing, and the problem was that the fuel cap didn't have a good seal so it was messing with the pressure in the tank, came out from work one day and, just like yours, fuel was pouring down the side of my car...took the cap off, and it would quit.

What fixed mine was replacing the fuel cap...haven't had a problem since. Its worth a try anyways, new caps are only like $5 at somewhere like advance auto or autozone, etc....not a bad idea anyways especially if you wanted to get one that locks.

Good luck to ya.
 
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I don't think your problem is any of the above mentioned things... My car done the EXACT same thing, and the problem was that the fuel cap didn't have a good seal so it was messing with the pressure in the tank, came out from work one day and, just like yours, fuel was pouring down the side of my car...took the cap off, and it would quit.

What fixed mine was replacing the fuel cap...haven't had a problem since. Its worth a try anyways, new caps are only like $5 at somewhere like advance auto or autozone, etc....not a bad idea anyways especially if you wanted to get one that locks.

Good luck to ya.
:huh: rep for you, good to know! cheap and easy to try, anyway. gonna try to remember that if/when this ever happens to me.
 
i changed the cap a few summers ago when it first started, which didn't seem to have any affect. and no i am not currently driving the thing, i have an ek to drive for the summers (no a/c in my rex, and it gets insanely hot here.) i dont mind the heat so much as the possibility of returning to a burnt heap of metal. this weekend sometime i'll replace both the pump and the cap. i'll keep everyone updated.
 
i got the pump and cap changed this weekend, but unfortunately was not able to get the vehicle running to go test out the fuel problem. the motor that i swapped in recently was a purchase from craigslist, and was said to have been running upon removal. i replaced a few seals and gaskets before throwing it in, however once in and wired up, i began cranking it (with fuel pump unplugged just to build oil pressure.) well the oil light never went out, but the engine spun freely. so i figured it must have really loose clearances to not build enough pressure while cranking, but decided to plug in the pump anyway. the engine fired up reluctantly, was really rough running, like it was going to die constantly, but the oil light went out. i felt better.

just then, i smelled fresh oil, and the oil light clicked back on.... i felt bad again. immediately i shut it off, and got out to find about two or three fresh quarts of oil under my car (which was outside of my garage, so we'll see if the HOA catches wind before the kitty litter does it's thing....) pushed her back to her half of our garage and laid out the kitty litter. later i had my wife crank it after i added more oil, i seen the oil coming right out of the back of the motor where the head meets the block. so it's either the gasket, a warped head/block or a cracked head/block. i'm hoping for the gasket....
P1010582.jpg
 
That sucks, didnt think that much oil could come out of a seal. I havent seen that much oil since one of my local shops forgot to tighten my drain plug, helped kill an already dying chrysler engine.
 
Sounds like something is warped. Check both the head, and the block for warpage with an drafting ruler when you swap out the HG.

And remember, if something is warped, you get to get it milled or decked and get some free compression!
 
yeah, i just need to find the time to do it now. about the amount of oil there, i didn't actually see it while it was running, but when my wife was cranking it, it was gushing out. while it was running it had to be spraying it out, because the whole rear of the engine compartment is covered in oil. i'll let you guys know how it goes once i get some more free time.
 
yeah, i just need to find the time to do it now. about the amount of oil there, i didn't actually see it while it was running, but when my wife was cranking it, it was gushing out. while it was running it had to be spraying it out, because the whole rear of the engine compartment is covered in oil. i'll let you guys know how it goes once i get some more free time.


Did you change the oil filter recently? A common problem is:

When you pull off the old oil filter, the gasket is stuck to the block, and doesn't come off with the filter. When the new filter and gasket goes on, you've got problems.

Look back there with a mirror. Take off the filter, and ensure there's only one gasket. I've seen them get baked on, and people will have two gaskets, and not know it. Sometimes it'll be fine, but most of the time it doesn't hold the honda high oil pressure well.
 
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