The last two times I've been at the pump, I haven't been able to get more than 5 gallons of gas in the tank before it just comes pouring back out. I'll wait about 10 seconds, pump another half gallon in and then it'll come pouring back out again.

What I have is a 71 California Duster. It has 4 vent lines going from the tank into this tube that extends up into the trunk. It looks just like the filler tube and is the same size. It has a cap on the end of it. Does the gas vent through the cap? I'm wondering if I could take that off and clean it out or take the whole tube out or what. I'm a little afraid to though because 3 of the 4 vent lines are going to be a major pain to get back on. Does anyone have experience with this vent system?

Well you sure have a plugged vent system. Being its from shaky side
I have no idea where its plugged. Lol

shadetree

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brass handled wrench,bfh and a BIG screw
driver. If it aint drawn blood you aint done.

The vents have lines that go to the large tube. Within the large tube there are smaller tubes for each vent line with varying lengths. There is another line leading from the large tube that pipes the vapor to the crankcase (through a nipple on the crankcase filter in the rear of the valve cover). The fumes are then sucked into the manifold to be burned via the PCV. I don't remember the rest of the theory behind it all - I think Dan explained it once in one of his past posts. There are good diagrams in the FSM of this system.

I don't think the cap on the large tube is removable is it? You can temporarily unhook the rubber lines(or at least one or two of them) leading to the large tube to see if that improves the situation any.

I'll get some minor gas spilling out on fillup. The only time I had anything as severe as your describing though is when I tried filling up sooner then I normally do. I use 11 gallons give or take every 3 days - once I tried filling up only 2 days after, and wondered why I could only get 8 or 9 gallons in the tank before the pump clicked off and more then the usual fuel spilled out the tube. Took me a while, but I realized I had been filling up sooner then I normally did that time so there was more gas left in the tank then anticipated.

Yeah I get the little spill when I get it full but this is basically just pumping it right back out. My fuel gauge is a little wacky sometimes so I just go 300 miles and then fill up. I was probably at 315 miles when I filled up this time. A couple fill ups ago I could only get 8 or 9 gallons in and then it started pumping out....should have been more like 12-13 gallons. Then last time I was able to fill it all the way up. Now this time I'm having the same problem as a few weeks ago. I'll try unhooking one of the lines and seeing. I just didn't want gas to come out of it because doesn't it have to be vented higher than the top of the fill tube?

I haven't looked at the diagram in a long time. I thought the vents were at the top of the tank, so unless the tank is pressurized (and the car is on level ground) gas couldn't go up the vents. You could always try it at home just to be safe.

Any chance you used different station to fill up at when you had these problems? Some stations here in CA I can't use at all because their type of nozzle just doesn't seal right against the tube.

I've found a couple gas stations with a certain type of nozzle that my car works well with, but even then I usually have to sort of lean in on the pump nozzle to make sure the vapor recovery rubber thing-a-mabob is nicely sealed, otherwise I can't get any gas to pump at all.

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1954 Ford, Tudor Mainline
1976 Plymouth Valiant, 4 door


www.automotive-ninja.com

I think it has more to do with this damm "vapor recovery" crap that this putrid state puts on it's pump nozzles. This is the only state in the nation that gives me problems when I fill up. Other States don't have them and I don't have a problem there. I can't wait to leave this F'ed up place!!!!