What happens when you overfill your gas tank?

Question

So yesterday I filled up my gas tank usually go after 3 clicks but lately my car hasent been reading full so I went over the usual clicks will this do any damage to the car the only thing that happen was when I took out the refuller thing some gas left the tank..

I have an 03 mitsubishi montero drove it on the freeway after filling it up runs ok havent seen a leak is there any place else that i should be looking for or hering for..

and were do i look for this problem and how much would get it fix

Answer 1

nothing...i fill mine up completely until it is at the brim of the neck...where i can see that it is full. never hurts anything, just puts the fuel gage needle on the peg.

Answer 2

Your OK...
Your engine system is sealed front to rear on this model and system is built so when it clicks its full, air pushing up cause the tube to fill also clicking the nossle stopping the fuel flow...

Most people need to round it off, I recommend nearest nickel...
If you click click click and just keep getting has much as posiable in there you just have poor fuel mileage for the 1st 1/4 to half gallon and will run a little rich in Mountain area's... But thats only 7 to 18 miles... Reason is your injection fuel line sysytem has a return line because the injectors run off high pressure and can't burn off all the fuel being delivered by th fuel pump...

Main thing is clean any Gas that has spilled over on the out side clean the truck with soap and water ASAP save your clear coat and if posible let the counter person know Someone spilled gas next to the pump if its very much...

ADDED after reading others quotes...above mine. This Model DOES NOT HAVE A Carburetor..... This is a High Pressure Fuel Injection System...From the Factory.

Answer 3

Beside the apparent safety risks from fire, gasoline is bad for your paint finish. Also, your fuel tank is designed with room for the fuel to expand, and if it is full to the brim, significant amounts of fuel can expand and spill out all over the tank. Bye-bye, expensive gas. As mentioned before, it can ruin your purge canister (part of your vehicle's emissions system), causing your 'check engine' light to illuminate and resulting in costly repairs. An overfull tank can also spill fuel when the vehicle turns and the gasoline 'sloshes' to the side that the fuel filler is on. It is also environmentally unfriendly. Some modern vehicles are so clean that the car actually emits fewer hydrocarbons (unburnt gas) from the tailpipe than actually escapes from gas vapors when you are refueling. So, in a sense, you are making your Montero pollute more by overfilling.

Also, some gas stations, being environmentally friendly, use vapor recovery system to draw gas vapors into a storage tank. If you 'top off', you can actually lose some of that expensive fuel you are paying for, as it can be sucked into the vapor recovery tube.

Answer 4

Well, there is no harm on overfilling your tank except for the waste of money and maybe some eventual paint damage to the car if you do not clean up the spill after the overfill.

As to looking for any leaks, check the gas tank itself for any moisture spots. Next check the fuel lines, fuel pumps, all the way to the engine compartment.

Answer 5

I overfilled my gas tank and notice a spill under the bottom truck is not leaking anymore is it ok to drive

Answer 6

It pours out onto the ground and is actually considered a hazardious spill....no joke. As far as hurting your car....it does nothing. Inside your gas tank is a 'float' that tells your car how much gas is in it.Could be that it's going out or maybe it's your gauge.Wouldn't think the gas does much for your paint job either but it evaporates so quickly, not that big a deal.Maybe you should try and buy an american car next time.:)

Answer 7

Sometimes overfilling the tank is not avoided, just be careful in your subsequent gassing up. Make sure you clean up the area where the leaks pass through, this pose no harm to your car...

Answer 8

There is a hose coming off your filler neck that leads to a charcoal canister.It absorbs the fumes.Overfilliling can get gas into the canister

Answer 9

Not a smart thing to do , it could catch on fire , sometimes it will eat the paint around your gas filler , It will eat a hole in the pavement and could cost you for clean up at a self serve station if the owner is one of those cranky guys.

Answer 10

normally it will spill out onto your car and onto the ground. so, don't do so many clicks. narrow the clicks down to a minimal.the nozzle knows when a tank is full, that is why it shuts off.