I have always used the gas pump handle latch set on the slowest position to fill my tank and it trips off the gas pump when full. This time while I was checking under the hood the handle latch did not trip off and overfilled the tank by a couple of gallons (estimated) before I realized what was happening.

Other than the strong odor of gas present inside the cabin for the past 24 hours the engine is running normally. So now I'm wondering if any short or long term damage will result from this overfilling?

 

Just damage to your wallet and maybe paint if it ran down and you left it on. Clean the gas off that area asap, wax that hell out of that area.

 

It may have overflowed into the charcoal canister, used to capture the fumes, all part of the emmisions control system. If a code gets set, the canister may have to be replaced. This happened to me on my F150; I used to "top off" the gas tank, which I found is a big no no. Eventually I got a code, and had to replace the canister. You're supposed to stop filling at the first "click" of the fuel nozzle shut off. If gas is forced to get into the filler neck, it can flow into the tube that connects to the canister.

UPDATE: I checked the factory repair manual, and the vapor line connects to the top of the gas tank, not the filler neck. I'd say your alright with not damaging the canister, since overfilling would not change this at all.

 

The paint is okay and no codes are present at the moment, but I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that none show up.

 

I don't think it is possible to overfill the tank....16 gallons is 16 gallons no matter how long you pump gas into a full tank. It simply runs out the cap or into the vapor line back to the tank if the nozzle does not stop. I NEVER leave the fuel on auto without my hand still on it. I have seen to many handles that are bad and to many trails down the side of nice cars....it can do serious damage to paint after some time. Plus....checking under the hood when things are not hot is much more accurate and safe.

 

UPDATE: I checked the factory repair manual, and the vapor line connects to the top of the gas tank, not the filler neck, and then to the canister. I'd say your alright with not damaging the canister, since overfilling at the filler tube would not have any effect on the vapor tube/canister.

 

Bucko, Thanks for taking the time to look up the info as it’s a relief. Much appreciated.

Did my normal driving routine today and remained code free. Looks like I dodged the bullet except for the resulting gas smell and won’t be trusting the nozzle auto shut off any longer!

 

You could always come fill up in Jersey

 

I never let any of those pump jockey's here touch my vehicles.

I can't tell you how many times they've spilled fuel all down the side of a vehicle and then act like nothing happened.. I've also caught them multiple times changing the amount when you're paying cash and keeping the difference.

 

Yeah some of them are pretty bad. The guys at the wawas are decent enough tho. That's where I usually fill up

 

You simply can't over fill by "a couple of gallons". That would be a very large puddle on the ground.

 

Yep, it was a very large puddle and big enough to completely surround the car.

 

Holy krap! Open flame alert!

 

thanks for all the information guys