missing fuel cap

[Shogun125]

Hi guys

so about a week ago i filled up my car and left the cap on the pump then forgot to screw it it back on cause i normally leave it on the roof (i know... such a stupid mistake )

been driving around and filled up again today and noticed my fuel cap was missing... went to SCA straight away to get a generic one.

anyways, just wondering, would driving around for about a week without a fuel cap have any damage to the engine? i've read that water could enter the fuel tank and cause miss fire causing engine damage,

but could this happen with a week of driving? and also, are the generic caps safe to use in the long run?

argh so worried now, just got the car a few month now, don't want to ruin it already.

at least i will learn from this stupid mistake

Thanks in advance :)

[RollaRollin]

Well that depends if you drove in any rain mate?

But even if you did, I doubt there would be water in your fuel tank and your new car will be fine! :D

Not sure about generic caps, hopefully someone else will chime in on that

Callum

[Kenshin X]

whatever replacement pump u get make sure it seals the fuel tank tight. if it doesn't the pump will work alot harder getting the fuel pressure right for the car. this is the reason whenever you open the cap when u refuel the tank it makes a hissing sound. just fork out a bit more for a genuine cap rather than a sca.

i suggest going to the wreckers and sget one off a zze (not sure if the caps are the same size for the zze122 tanks). its better than the generic ones out there. to answer ur question, no not enough moisture in a week will damage ur car. but its a good idea to get it replaced asap to the genuine one.

[LFT-OOF]

did you wash your car in that week or drive in any rain because if water got in there i would clean out you tank the water wont do anything to you engine because it sits on top of the fuel aslong as you dont run it low on fuel you should get any water if there is any in there....

[clifton]

Next time just put the cap in the little holder on the back of the fuel door. :)

[DJKOR]

whatever replacement pump u get make sure it seals the fuel tank tight. if it doesn't the pump will work alot harder getting the fuel pressure right for the car. this is the reason whenever you open the cap when u refuel the tank it makes a hissing sound.

Is that so? I never knew the vapour pressure of the fuel in the petrol tank had anything to do with fuel pressure after the pump. As far as I know, the fuel cap only has to be airtight to prevent fuel vapour emisions.

[Shogun125]

Well that depends if you drove in any rain mate?

But even if you did, I doubt there would be water in your fuel tank and your new car will be fine! :D

Not sure about generic caps, hopefully someone else will chime in on that

Callum

ah thanks Callum. thats a little more re assuring :)

whatever replacement pump u get make sure it seals the fuel tank tight. if it doesn't the pump will work alot harder getting the fuel pressure right for the car. this is the reason whenever you open the cap when u refuel the tank it makes a hissing sound. just fork out a bit more for a genuine cap rather than a sca.

i suggest going to the wreckers and sget one off a zze (not sure if the caps are the same size for the zze122 tanks). its better than the generic ones out there. to answer ur question, no not enough moisture in a week will damage ur car. but its a good idea to get it replaced asap to the genuine one.

thanks for the info mate. shall go to wreckers tomorrow. i was worried about it when i found out. so i went stright to SCA to get a temporary one.

did you wash your car in that week or drive in any rain because if water got in there i would clean out you tank the water wont do anything to you engine because it sits on top of the fuel aslong as you dont run it low on fuel you should get any water if there is any in there....

lucky! i was about to wash my car after i had lost the cap, but decided not to. think i'm just exaggerating cause its the first time this has happened to me. but i have been driving in a bit of rain :S is there anyway to tell if there is water on the tank? and how would i go about removing the water?

Thanks for the help!

[Shogun125]

Next time just put the cap in the little holder on the back of the fuel door. :)

oh is that what the little hook is for? lol geez feel like an idiot now.

thanks for the tip clifton :)

not my week this week in terms of my car. yesturday left my passenger window fully down and left it there while it was lightly raining for a few hours, fml.

[Kenshin X]

not my week this week in terms of my car. yesturday left my passenger window fully down and left it there while it was lightly raining for a few hours, fml.

oh yeah??? try forgetting the rear right door open and bucket of rain fell overnight?

nothing u can do about the water... just run the tank dry (well 5L of fuel left or something) as a means of "emptying out the fuel" and then refuel it with quality petrol again.

PROBLEM SOLVERED AND HITTING LIFT AGAIN!!!

[Shogun125]

not my week this week in terms of my car. yesturday left my passenger window fully down and left it there while it was lightly raining for a few hours, fml.

oh yeah??? try forgetting the rear right door open and bucket of rain fell overnight?

nothing u can do about the water... just run the tank dry (well 5L of fuel left or something) as a means of "emptying out the fuel" and then refuel it with quality petrol again.

PROBLEM SOLVERED AND HITTING LIFT AGAIN!!!

damn man, that would have been sh!t... yeah i'll just keep driving it till its nearly empty without lift. i heard putting methylated spirits in the tank would help remove water? sounds interesting but too scared to try.

[Hiro]

whatever replacement pump u get make sure it seals the fuel tank tight. if it doesn't the pump will work alot harder getting the fuel pressure right for the car. this is the reason whenever you open the cap when u refuel the tank it makes a hissing sound.

Is that so? I never knew the vapour pressure of the fuel in the petrol tank had anything to do with fuel pressure after the pump. As far as I know, the fuel cap only has to be airtight to prevent fuel vapour emisions.

Fuel tanks shouldn't have much in the way of vapour pressure (thats what the charcoal canister does, it scrubs out the extra vapours), and a properly functioning fuel cap has a one-way valve built into it to let air into the tank to compensate for the reduction in volume as you use fuel - the hissing is often the sound of air ENTERING the system when you crack the cap because the valve has gummed up.

[Kenshin X]

not my week this week in terms of my car. yesturday left my passenger window fully down and left it there while it was lightly raining for a few hours, fml.

oh yeah??? try forgetting the rear right door open and bucket of rain fell overnight?

nothing u can do about the water... just run the tank dry (well 5L of fuel left or something) as a means of "emptying out the fuel" and then refuel it with quality petrol again.

PROBLEM SOLVERED AND HITTING LIFT AGAIN!!!

damn man, that would have been sh!t... yeah i'll just keep driving it till its nearly empty without lift. i heard putting methylated spirits in the tank would help remove water? sounds interesting but too scared to try.

u'll be alright to hit lift mate ;) dw about the spirits. just drive til almost dry and then chuck in fuel and a new cap if u haven't done so already

hiro: whats the best way to clean a gummed up valve? would this be detrimental to the car inthe long term?