Although it may be tempting to add as much fuel as you can when filling your tank, exceeding the pump’s initial automatic shut-off may cause significant damage to your vehicle, resulting in costly repairs. It can also have a negative impact on the environment and potentially jeopardize your safety.
The vehicle’s evaporative emissions control system can be damaged by overfilling the tank. These systems have been used for many years to regulate the release of toxic emissions that happen when gasoline evaporates, which it does easily. At any level of concentration, these fumes can be detrimental to both the environment and individuals inhaling them.
Before having these devices, any gas vapors would gather at the top of the tank and fuel-filler neck, leaving either while driving (via the gas cap’s vent hole) or while opening the gas cap to fill the tank. The function of the control system is to capture these vapors and subsequently combust them in the engine along with the liquid gas.
The usual method of operation for this system involves utilizing the engine’s suction to pull the vapors into a sizable canister containing charcoal. When the appropriate moment arrives, the fumes are then drawn into the engine to be combusted.
Vehicle Damage
These devices are specifically intended to function with vapors, rather than liquids. If you fill your tank too much, it can block the opening where vapor enters with liquid gas, which can then be drawn into the charcoal canister. This may harm the canister and may damage other components of the system, resulting in the activation of the car’s check engine light and potentially requiring expensive repairs.
Safety Consequences
According to Consumer Reports, gasoline expands in volume by about 1% for every 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Since it is not unusual for the temperature to fluctuate by 30 degrees in a day, if you put 15 gallons of gas into a tank when it is cool, it will expand by more than a quart when it warms up by 30 degrees. If the tank is filled over its capacity, it could result in gas being pushed into the feed line of the charcoal canister or causing a leak, which is a significant safety concern.
Overfilling: An Unnecessary Expense
Due to the significance of keeping gasoline vapors from being released into the atmosphere, fuel pumps at gas stations are typically equipped with their own vapor recovery systems. These systems are designed to capture the vapors that are produced while you are refueling your automobile with petrol. The purpose of the large rubber collar or accordion-like tube on the pump handle is to conceal the opening of your filler neck while you’re filling your tank.
Conclusion
If you continue to fill your tank after the initial click, this system can draw in the recently added gasoline, which you have already paid for, and it may also harm the pump’s vapor control system. Excessive filling might also result in gas splashing out, leading to a small loss of money. However, this amount is insignificant when compared to the potential expense of the damage it could cause to your car.