fuel filler opening lid

[gasguzzler]

Hi everyone,

I have a 98 camry that seems to have the fuel filler opening lid "stuck" in the closed position. I just filled it up yesterday and it opened fine then, but this morning when I tried to pop it open to add some FP60 (via the latch by the driver seat) it wouldn't open. Does anyone know what could cause this? Broken spring inside? Broken latch? Someone suggested that I pry it open but I am not sure brute force is the best solution. The FSM I have doesn't seem to cover this.

This is the first time I've seen this and frankly I am puzzled at how something this simple can break down. Or is this considered normal wear and tear? I would hate to see people pull up to get gas on a empty tank only to find that they can't open the lid. Oh well, at least I have enough gas to last me throughout the week. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Dave H]

My best guess is either the cable snapped, stretched, or is frozen. More than likely it snapped or is slipping. I doubt it would get stuck in a day.

Only solution I can think of is trying to access both sides of the cable to check if it is still intact and attached securely at both ends. My latch mechanism at the fuel filler door can be accessed by reaching up through my fenderwell. There is a plastic cover over it that shrouds the latch mechanism and also the pipe that goes to the gas tank. Yours may be similar.

You didn't mention what happens when you pull the fuel door lever. Does the lever move, is it harder to move, or is it very loose feeling? This would help pinpoint the problem some. I would not use brute force to open it. This would more than likely result in expensive bodywork needing done.

My Maxima has the same type system, and the thought has crossed my mind (like everytime I fill up) about what would I do if it malfunctions. I feel somewhat relieved everytime it opens.

Dave

 

[lindermant]

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/avalon/56991-fuel-door-wont-open/

 

[gasguzzler]

Dave H, thank you for the suggestion.
lindermant, thank you for the link.

Yesterday afternoon I spent a few minutes playing with it and what I eventually did was tie a piece of rope to opening latch/level, pull up on it, and play around with the fuel opening lid. It eventually open when I pushed on the left side of the lid. Upon close examination, the problem is as described in lindermant's link. Somehow the spring (just a piece of bent metal that compresses and decompresses) broke off of the plastic retainers. The retainer itself is nothing more than a piece of plastic with two rather flimsy-looking protrusions (also made of cheap plastic). It looks like it will break off rather easily if it gets caught on something (piece of clothing maybe? Not an experiement I would want to try.)

So lesson of the day: keep a piece of string/rope in your car, you never know when it might come in handy.

 

[lindermant]

cool - glad the link helped!

do your best to not look like you're stealing gas when monkeying with that fuel door

 

[gasguzzler]

Just got the replacement spring from the dealership, was 5.40 + tax. I guess 5.40 for 8 years is not too bad. The part was pretty easy to replace, took me 15 secs to pop out the old piece and 15 secs to pop in the new one.

Funny you should mention that, a few people were looking at me funny when they saw me pulling on the rope while trying to open the fuel door. Maybe they thought its a new way of stealing gas?