TOTALLY GEEKED!

Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
totallygeeked -> totallygeeked general -> Car Talk - Proper Fill-Up Technique
Post Info TOPIC: Car Talk - Proper Fill-Up Technique
ed11563


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 9186
Date:
Car Talk - Proper Fill-Up Technique
Permalink  
 

Mike vs. Housemate: Who's Right About Proper Fill-Up Technique?

  RSS

Dear Car Talk

Oct 27, 2015 (Archives)

7 Comments

gasoline
Dear Car Talk:

Please settle an argument between my housemate and I: Should you fill your tank from the side opposite the pump -- i.e., stretch the pump hose across your car? I say you should not do this.

-- Michael

Well, to settle the first argument, it should be "my housemate and me," Mike. 

Unfortunately, you lost the second argument, too. If the hose reaches the fuel filler neck and "seats" in there well enough to allow you to activate the fuel pump, you can pump away.

Many modern gas pumps still use a rubber bellows around the filler nozzle that seals the filler hole and captures gasoline vapors, rather than letting them escape into the atmosphere.

Those rubber bellows are being phased out, but there are still a lot of them around.

On those pumps, if that seal is not formed, the pump won't activate -- and you'll be standing there listening to the handle go "click, click" without pumping any gas.

But if your car is narrow enough, and you park close enough to a pump that you can reach the hose across your trunk and fit it comfortably in the filler neck, you have our blessing, and the blessing of the petroleum industrial complex, Michael. 


__________________

The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.

Always misinterpret when you can.
ed11563


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 9186
Date:
Permalink  
 

  • Avatar
    steverinoCT • 29 minutes ago

    I go to many stations where the pumps are designed to allow easy fill-up from either side. I just hang onto the hose with one hand to give some slack at the nozzle and also keep the hose off the roof (I drive a Civic).

  • •
    Avatar
    BigBadBob • 14 hours ago

    It scratches the paint!!!! What kind of junkers do you guys drive around in? Oh yeah. Now I remember.
    And besides, it makes it look like you're too dumb to know which side you fill up on. But, maybe there's a reason for that.

  • •
    Avatar
    hyhybt • 19 hours ago

    I'm surprised that, since he brought it up, he didn't explain *why* those systems are being phased out. Are they ineffective? Are they being replaced by something else? Some other reason?

  • •
      Avatar
      g8treng hyhybt • 17 hours ago

      I'm surprised too. My understanding is that the bellows system gives the vapor-laden air in your nearly-empty tank someplace to go other than the atmosphere. As the liquid gasoline pours in, it forces the vapor into the underground storage tank, replacing the volume of liquid that was pumped out. These vapors come out of the car through the filler neck, not through the vapor recovery system, so I don't see how eliminating the bellows doesn't allow this source of emissions.

    • •
      Avatar
      virtualphtn hyhybt • 18 hours ago

      They're no longer as necessary because newer cars now have onboard vapor recovery systems, but they're still required by some states (like California).

    • •
    Avatar
    yellowbal • 19 hours ago

    You can and are allowed to fill up on the "wrong" side. Is it best practice? Having the dirty hose lay on the paint is not my preference. But if you're leasing or don't care, then it doesn't matter.



__________________

The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.

Always misinterpret when you can.
ed11563


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 9186
Date:
Permalink  
 

The question wasn't "can you", the question was "should you".

Yes, you can.

No, you shouldn't.

Why would someone want to do that?

 

By the way (in case you find yourself in a rental / borrowed car), there's a little arrow showing by your gas gauge, that points to the side with the fill pipe.

 

 



__________________

The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.

Always misinterpret when you can.
ladyloonatic


Regular

Status: Offline
Posts: 367
Date:
Permalink  
 

I agree that it's possible (ie, you CAN) and also agree that you probably shouldn't.



__________________
Lexxy


My dog name is Sasha, too!

Status: Offline
Posts: 6679
Date:
Permalink  
 

Why would you? All the gas stations I've been to have plenty of pumps for either side.

__________________
chef


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 6644
Date:
Permalink  
 

I think it's an incredibly stupid thing to do and often wonder how someone doing it can be so dense. Those hoses are not smooth and can scratch your paint. Also, if the hose breaks for some reason, there will be gas all over your car.

I have never and will never go to the wrong side of the pump.

__________________

~At Gnome in the Kitchen~
ed11563


Guru

Status: Offline
Posts: 9186
Date:
Permalink  
 

Lexxy wrote:

Why would you? All the gas stations I've been to have plenty of pumps for either side.

 This can be a problem on the New Jersey Turnpike. For years, the prices at the service centers were way less than the prices at other stations in  New Jersey and New York, so many drivers filled up there. SO there were lines, and the attendants would direct drivers to whatever space was available, on either side of the pumps.



__________________

The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.

Always misinterpret when you can.
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.
totallygeeked -> totallygeeked general -> Car Talk - Proper Fill-Up Technique


Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse 		Powered by ActiveBoard