I ran into the gas tank fill issue on my 07 GT this morning. I went to a different gas station (one that I never used before) and it clicked off about 4 gallons from being full. I didn't realize this until I started it up and the needle wasn't at "F". I went back and tried filling again to no avail. It would start to spit out gas at the nozzle.

From everyone's posts here at TMS, it seems Ford still hasn't found a solution even for 07 GTs. I've read the DIY method of cleaning the evap fresh air intake hose but I've had that hose completely clogged on another Ford and it did not affect filling the gas tank.

 

I think others have posted that there seems to be a dependency on flow rates, gas nozzle design, and vapor pressures that can cause this. It happened on my '07 recently, which is the first time I've seen it. I was filling up at a gas station in a different state. I tilted the nozzle up to deal with this. The seal between filler tube opening and the nozzle was tighter, and the gas proceeded to flow normally.

Given the frequency with which this has happened to me in the last year, I would tend to look less at a bad part and more at the individual nozzle at a given gas station.

 

I've only had this problem twice in 6000 miles with my '07. The first time, I didn't know what what going on - then I read about it here. The second time, turning the nozzle upside down worked.

I found a station that has pumps that work all the time so I usually gas up there.

I can sort of understand having a problem with the first model year of a redesign...but in the third year? It's disappointing that Ford hasn't addressed this issue by now. Other manufacturers seem have mastered the technology of getting gas into their fuel tanks. IMHO putting the blame on pumps that work fine with 99.9% of the other vehicles on the road is not valid.

Funny story...I was refueling my OTM at a gas station when I saw someone having a real problem putting gas in a Mustang. It had the look of a rental (V6, rocker stripes, door protector, ,bar code stickers on the window) and since we were close to an airport I thought it likely. I walked over and asked: "Rental?" The guy said yup. I suggested he turn the nozzle upside down, and it worked. He must have thought I was an automotive genius! When he got home he probably told everyone that in California, you have to fill rental cars with the nozzle upside down.

 

Happened to me for the first time yesterday as well - about 4 gals. short - on my new 07. This is about the 10th time I've gassed this car and only knew to invert the nozzle by reading on this forum . Good thing I can still do mental math and know about how much the tank should hold.

 

I figure my Stang is just being temperamental, like most women.

 

I've had other cars where the pump shuts off well before it is full. In those cases, just as in the one I experienced recently, the nozzle was bent at an angle that made it difficult to ensure there was a good seal between filler neck and it. In those cases, I also had to re-position the nozzle to complete fueling.

While I do believe there were enough occurances to warrant a redesign in the filler neck from what went to production, I think the improvement has made a difference. One way to know is we could review warranty claim data.

How do you know that these pumps work fine for 99.9% of the other vehicles on the road?

 

I too have had other cars where repositioning the nozzle (ususally just twisting a bit) would allow it to fill; however, I never had to invert the nozzle til this car.

 

I guess it was an extrapolated estimate having owned many cars in the past 40 years, having driven hundreds of rental cars, and never experiencing (or even hearing about) this problem until now.

As rynh mentioned above, I've had to reposition the nozzle after a shutoff at times, but never had to leave a station with a half empty tank.

 

Like I posted a few days ago, I've got an 06GT and have had the fill problem a few times.. but nothing like I experienced the other day... I tried every angle, position, fill rate, pulling back the vacuum seal, etc.. no dice. It was like the feeder gas tank tube was filled and wasn't going to drain down into the tank in any reasonable time.. I had to quit @ 6 gals... drive around the block.. then fill again. I honestly don't believe it's the angle of the pump handle... the times mine has given me fits is when it's a hot day. Here's a link to my post:
http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=70458

 

After sitting for a few hours, I opened up the gas cap to check it out and I heard it burping.

 

I have not yet inverted the nozzle to fill, only angled it (perhaps at 45 degrees from the vertical) in this car.

 

With good fortune like that, you should buy a lottery ticket (and soon)!

 

I've had the opposite luck with lottery tickets...been buying them for almost as long and not one of them has worked correctly!

 

I went to max out the tank this morning and it started doing it again. So this time I pulled out the filler nozzle a bit more just so it was hanging into the filler. After I did this, it filled the tank just fine. I think there's some built up vapor pressure inside the tank that needs to be burped out because I've consistently filled at this specific pump dozens of times w/o having to pull out the nozzle. Either that, or my theory about my Stang being as temperamental as a woman is actually correct.

 

I suppose your woman is Irish too

 

I understand your joke, but I used the adjective properly in my sentence.

 

OK, I tried this and it helped out a lot:

At most gas stations (at least here in Holland) the ground where you park your car next to the fuel pump has a slight "slope" going slightly down towards the fuel pump. Park your car at the "wrong" side of the fuel pump so your fuel tank door is on the higher side.

Try to find a gas station where you notice the slope towards the fuel pump the most.


Works for me.

 

All the gas stations here are flat for the most part

 

Try it anyways. Even a 1% slope (which you could not even see) can help.

 

Interesting theory... hadn't thought about angles. I'll have to give this a try. Guess you could carry around a 1 ft length of 2x10, and put it under the left rear tire (roll up on it) to get the slope you're talking about.