CanadianToy

I have a 99 4runner which is hard to fill up to the top. The pump clicks off 15liters or almost 4 gallons before the tank is really full. My range is horrible on this truck about at only about 500 Kms or 310 miles and that is with a full tank. This drops by nearly 100 kms or 60 miles if I don't top it off. The trouble is that it takes for ever to get the gas right up to the tank. It seems I have to let it burp over and over again as I fill up the top portion.

Does anyone else have this problem? Have you fixed it somehow?

Thanks,

CT

tj884Rdlx

some things I was thinking, you may already have thought these too:

are you having this problem at multiple stations? are you setting the nozzle to self-dispense at too high a rate of delivery? has this problem always been there, or just recent development, like seasonal? have you tried not pushing the nozzle too far inside the filler neck?

i had a car that used to have a problem occasionally with running while set to self dispense, it would always click off. i found that by backing out the nozzle a little bit, it would work ok. sometimes i'd have to set it to medium fill instead of quickest fill, with the notches on the inside of the handle for the self dispense. good luck man

gas filler nozzles vary by state here, some have the vapor recovery, some don't, so you may get varied responses.

CanadianToy

Yeah, regardless of the station or rate of fill I have to put the nozzle just inside the opening to get any fill at all. I play the click, click click game for the top portion of the tank.

Thanks,

CT

terryjmatthew

Do you have a CEL by chance? We have run into a similar scenario on a RX300.

Turns out, the owner was bad about cramming it full of gas and the evap canister got filled with fuel and has no way to empty.
Might be worth checking out.

Take the evap canister loose and give it a good shake. If it sloshes, then that might be your problem.

Jeenyus04

vent tube plugged? i guess thats pretty close to the above

X-AWDriver

Overfilling is bad for the evaporative emissions system and you shouldn't fill the neck up.

The tank is 18 gallons or so but there is a bit over a gallon that can't be used since the pump doesn't sit on the bottom of the tank. I generally fillup with about 15.5 gallons when the guage is reading pretty low and these results are quite typical when filled properly w/o the click,click,click,click which will eventuallly saturate the charcoal canister causing it to fail and it's a dealer only item that isn't cheap.

You should also allow a little room for the vapors to expand when it heats up outside since the pressure can be bad for the whole fuel system.

5-spd for life!

There is actually a TSB fix for your filler tube which replaces the whole top end of the neck with a longer and wider vent tube so you can top off your tank easier. Dont worry about filling it up too much and messing something up. I have had my 4runner for 2 years and fight with this problem at every fill-up. The only way to fix this is to buy the filler tube unless your truck is under the manufacturers warrenty.

Roadtripr

How much are you able to tank before it starts to click?
Did the empty tank light just come on when you fill it? Then it is pretty normal to have about 3-4 gallons still left in the tank and only be able to fill up 15gallons or so. 310 miles to a tank is in the right neighborhood depending on whether you drive city or hwy. You can destroy the evap canister by overfilling it.

CanadianToy

If I don't top it off I can only do about 250 miles to a tank. I get almost exactly that the EPA says the truck can to: which is 18.9 mpg or 13 l per 100 kms.

CT

Cxrazy

I only get 220 till I get the gas light.

I hate you guys.

Roadtripr

By a tank you mean fill up from the gas light comes on? (250/18.9 ~ 13 gallons, or close to where the light comes on). If so it sounds pretty normal. The 250 miles range is about what I get (in mixed town and hwy) when the light comes on. Typically then I go an extra 40-50 miles and then fill up it up and still I won't get in 18 gallons (more like 16).

The only time I managed to get about 18 gallons in was when I ran it dry. I know the gauge can read a bit wierd (there is a TSB for it) but I only got to act odd when I tried to overfill and it didn't read normal for most of that tank. However as I said earlier I have about 4 gallons left when the gas light comes on you probably do too. If you really want to test it try bring a full gas can along and see how far you can go past the light coming on (it should be +550kms)

One_96TR4

I hate you, I would kill for 500kms. I get about 400/tank which is about 250miles/tank.

CdTriX

wow you get 500km on a tank?

i get 350km from little less than 1/4 tank left and then i fill the tank. the last 1/4 tank drains a lot faster so i don't really drive the truck under 1/4 tank.

if i drain it completely, i'd probably hit 430-450km but i don't want to be stuck in the mud or traffic aching for a gas station

crolison

I get around 300-350 miles a tank if i push it (before the light comes on)

just slow down whenever you get closer to where you want to fill it too.

22R-to-5VZFE

My tank spills out gas when filling up to max? Can anyone explain this? fuel will drip from behind the body work...can anyone explain this? The fuel pump was just replaced so I guess they did not seal up around the neck/fill hole huh? Is this easy to fix?

Fo-runna

Mine does not like to fill all the way up either. If you look at the tank, the filler tube does not connect to the top of the tank, it connects on the side near the top; I beleive this is the reason it is a PITA to get the full 18.5ish gallons in there. I don't beleive this will hurt the charcoal canister as it is still within capacity specs. I know many people that have the same issue and just nurse those last few gallons in like I do.
I usually get 300-350miles out of an 18+ gallon fill up. Sometimes a little less if I do all city driving. I'm easy on the skinny pedal though.

5-Spd for life - you got a link for that fix?

EWAYota

Your over filling and gas is spilling out.


I always do the self dispense till the pump just stops. Thats where it ends for me. I usually fill up at 265 miles on a tank but could probably get to 318 and coast empty into a gas station if needed

CanadianToy

That is exactly what happens to mine. I'll check the charcoal canister to see if there is any liquid in there.

CT

Roadtripr

I could be wrong but my guess is you are filling up the charcoal canister as you are overfilling. Yes Spec is 18.5 but how do you know you are empty unless you are running it dry? Forcing in 18 gallons could mean you have 20+ gallons in there, and there needs to be some free space. If you go pump 18+ gallons routinely you would have run dry at some point. My guess is you havn't. Do you start filling it up shortly after the light came on (therefore roughly w. 4 gallons left in the tank)? The canister repair is not cheap.

Fo-runna

I usually run 30-40 miles after the light comes on. More than once to the point that hitting the throttle got only sputtering, not speed. As a result, I'm sure it's dry when I do the full fill up. Half the time I just throw 5-10 gallons in to get me around. The rest is fill ups from bone dry.
I never fill it up to the point that it's visible in the filler. (I've done that before on some previous vehicles I've owned). Also, I never smell gas; which of course is the purpose of the charcoal canister; but when they are filled with gas, it tends to smell under the hood.