This may be one of those "just me" issues, as I've found a lot of other late 80s Brougham's don't have the same quirks as mine (they're all unique I suppose) but when I fill my gas tank, I find that the pump CONSTANTLY shuts itself because it thinks the tank is full, when it totally isn't. This was the case with my original tank, and it's even worse now that i've put a new after market tank in, and after the pump stops automatically a few times, it shuts off completely because it thinks I'm overfilling the tank, and i have to go inside and tell the attendant to turn it back on.

Ultimately a minor inconvenience, but it's still annoying. I know back in the day when the "behind the license plate" gas fillers were all the rage, pumps didn't have an automatic shut-off, so I'm wondering if it's a deal with the angle of the filler tube.

Oh well.

I've had 5 cars with the filler behind the license plate, and none of them have had that problem.

You just have shit for luck, that's all. lol.

Well, God dammit.

I should just start going to the full serve places and let them deal with it. They're the pros.

Does full service even exist anymore?

As for the tank issue, those nozzles have a return vacuum device on the end of them that shut off the pump if triggered. Basically, if liquid comes up to the spout, it blocks the air flow (of fumes) and stops the pump. Maybe your aftermarket tank has an opening that the nozzles don't like. Is your opening exceedingly tight? Or is there anything directly inside the opening that could be triggering the nozzle?

If I were you, I'd run over to Builder Square and get about a foot of 1" clear vinyl/pvc/whatever hose and keep it in the trunk. Then whenever you fill up, just stick the nozzle into that, and stick that into the tank. Don't know it'd fix the problem, but you may have to watch out for overfilling (as pressure would keep fuel from reaching the nozzle) and watch for curious store owners...hehe

Or maybe this is complete bogus and I'e just made a fool out of myself. (random thoughts, really) ;)

I checked the tank before I put it in. There's nothing there.

The only difference between this tank and the original is that the original neck came up and angled out a little bit more. This one is shorter and sticks up more. I thought about the tube idea, but I don't want to really keep a gas soaked tube in my trunk.

I've got a trio of gas stations at the bottom of my street, a Mobil, a privately owned one that used to be full service until it recently sold out to Shell, and another privately owned one that still is full service. I stopped going there because a kid I know works there and he's a little annoying.

I'm still looking for a place that washes your windows, and checks your tire pressure and your oil while you wait.

actually mine does the same thing, i don't think as bad as yours but it always clicks off. i found that instead of sticking the nozzle all the way in, i barely stick it in. the curious thing is i also have a replacement tank??? otherwise i have learned to live with it

I have had the same problem with my '95 ever since I got it in the summer of 2006. It wasn't until January of 25007 that I found that it took:
> Go to the last pump where you can get your front wheels "downhill"
> Set the pump nozzle to the SLOWEST automatic fill position.
The first time the tank burps, it will shut the pump off and you're screwed.
(For more economy, try to fill up in the early morning anyway. Cold fuel packs more in than warmer fuel anyway. Also, NEVER, EVER, fuel up when the station is getting a load of fuel off a tanker. The delivery is stirring up all the crap at the bottom of the underground tank and your car will soon be drinking it.)

Yeah, I heard that about the tankers mixing up the sediment. The private place with full service knows this, and they always get deliveries late at night after they close. Their lot is so small, I don't think you'd be able to pull up to the pumps with the tanker there anyway.

That's a nice little station, really, they have an attached garage where they do services and all that, I get my inspection stickers there. I think the owner likes me (or my car) cause he's usually pretty lenient.

I have a 1968 DeVille with the filler behind the license plate and have had the problem many times in the past with the automatic shut-off being too sensitive.
I found that filling up on a cool morning seems to make it not happen as often, since gasoline expands in hot weather.

I'm still looking for a place that washes your windows, and checks your tire pressure and your oil while you wait.

We have a couple of these around my town... run by old school Italians, i love it!

I have had the same problem with my '95 ever since I got it in the summer of 2006. It wasn't until January of 25007 that I found that it took:
> Go to the last pump where you can get your front wheels "downhill"
> Set the pump nozzle to the SLOWEST automatic fill position.
The first time the tank burps, it will shut the pump off and you're screwed.
(For more economy, try to fill up in the early morning anyway. Cold fuel packs more in than warmer fuel anyway. Also, NEVER, EVER, fuel up when the station is getting a load of fuel off a tanker. The delivery is stirring up all the crap at the bottom of the underground tank and your car will soon be drinking it.)

Is that thing about filling up when its cooler really true? Because the tanks are down in the ground which is always 55 degrees, and when you pump gas on a warm day, you'll notice the pump handle get cold.

If it did make a difference when it was warm, then our air conditioning in our house wouldnt work because we have geothermal. It basically just sends liquid out into the ground by our house in pipes and when it comes back into our house, a fan blows across it and cools the house down.

You might want to check to see if the gas tank is ventilating properly. I don't think the issue is the filler being behind the license plate and pumps did have auto shut off during the "heyday" of the filler behind the plate. Of course alot of these pumps have a thing over the nozzle that looks like a shop vac hose which is supposed to recapture and vapors that come out of the tank during filling.

It's not that it's behind the plate, but that it's at a different angle than most others. I find that most side fillers are more vertical, and plus i tend to have to tilt the handle sideways when i fill due to the bumper being in the way and the hose from the pump being too short.

I don't really know what else could be causing the issues. There's no blockages or anything, the tank is brand new. It's just a bitch is all.

Is the filler neck one solid piece from the tank or is there a rubber hose between the tank and the neck? You might be able to tilt it down some.

Rock solid.

I have had the same problem with my '95 ever since I got it in the summer of 2006. It wasn't until January of 25007 that I found that it took:
> Go to the last pump where you can get your front wheels "downhill"
> Set the pump nozzle to the SLOWEST automatic fill position.


I have a very similar issue with my 85 Fleetwood Brougham & 89 Brougham. As far as I can tell both have the original GM gas tanks. The issue I usually have is that when I pull up to the pump, no matter how close I am, the gas nossile will reach but with trouble. I also noticed that when I try to fill the gas with the fastest postion on the pump, that will cause it to keep stopping.

I've done fast and slow, it always backs up.

I can always reach the filler. Depending on how daring I am when I pull up, I'll come close to the pumps and make it somewhat easier. Sometimes I can't pull all the way up because of another car, and that can make it difficult, and I notice some stations have shorter hoses than others, as well as also doing the auto shut off less than others. I's a mixed bag, but now that i've got a new tank, I fill it to the top so I can prolong my next trip to the station.

My '84 Brougham does it every $0.50. My Grandma's '86 Monte Carlo NEVER did it.

Heh, well, I'm glad I know that I'm not the only one then.

Also, NEVER, EVER, fuel up when the station is getting a load of fuel off a tanker. The delivery is stirring up all the crap at the bottom of the underground tank and your car will soon be drinking it.)

Depends on the station, at high volume stations there should be no sediment since it is constantly being sucked up.

As for the topic at hand... I would actually try and track down the ventilation tubes on the tank and see if they are crimped or not. Im about 90% sure thats what the problem is... pressure not escaping the tank when your filling it. If it comes down to it, you could get away with tapping the tank and installing another tube.

IIRC the tube should run up the curve of the trunk (towards front of car) and should end right over/close to the axle.

There were three lines from my sending unit when i replaced the tank. A sending line, a return line, and a third line, that seems to fit the description of a ventilation tube, however, all lines were removed, inspected, and replaced. None were blocked or crimped.

According to my shop manual, this third line is a "canister purge line" which leads to some sort of fuel evaporation canister, which I think has something to do with emissions, and not simply relieving pressure from the tank, by exposing the tank to a vacuum at all times and storing unburned fuel vapor in a canister, but that only works while the car is running. Other than that there is no plain old ventilation line from the tank.

I also queried my shop manual and came across this:

"To help prevent refueling with leaded gasoline, the fuel filler neck has a built-in restrictor and deflector. The opening in the restrictor will only allow the smaller unleaded gas nozzle spout to be inserted. Attempting refueling with a leaded gas nozzle or failure to fully insert the unleaded gas nozzle will result in gasoline splashing back out of the filler neck."

This actually seems to be what happens to me, because often upon the pump stopping, my filler neck vomits up a nice splat of gasoline on the pavement below. I know my shoes appreciate it.

This actually seems to be what happens to me, because often upon the pump stopping, my filler neck vomits up a nice splat of gasoline on the pavement below. I know my shoes appreciate it.

The 93 GMC Full-size van I drove for a while does that too, and it seemed to only do that after putting in more than half a tank of gas, but I'm not sure. Interesting that this could be the cause. Annoying though, cause gasoline is harsh on paint I think so I always clean it up. I got in the habit of stuffing a bunch of paper towels right under the nozzle so that when it did stop it would soak it up instead of just leaking everywhere.

The deal with the leaded nozzles is that they were larger than the unleaded nozzles so there is an insert in the filler tube with a little door on it that only takes the smaller nozzle. If you look at an old Caddy or any old car, the whole filler tube is just wide open. I'm not sure about this but I think there is a way that the cannister can get clogged, I beleive it acts to filter the vapor from the tank.

^^^ Yeah, but I'm starting to think that's not the case, considering that the neck is barfing up octane. It'd take a LOT of built up pressure to do that.

Inside the neck is a anti-siphon device. Maybe something got in there and plugged it partially.

Basically it is a restriction that prevents easy insertion of a hose down the filler neck. If the hose has any curve to it at all, it is almost impossible to put into the fuel to suck it out... Not perfect, but will mess you up.....

My 94 backs up easily with the handle facing one way more than the other.

Not to keep resurrecting this topic, but...

I found a solution that works with my new tank. I've only fueled up a few times so it's been trial and error. What works for me is to pull up on the handle, so that the nozzle is angled as far down as possible in the neck of the tank. This worked like a charm. I filled up the tank without a single stop, but my arm did get a little tired. Strange thing is that never worked with my old tank. That one just backed up whenever it wanted.

Well, God dammit.

I should just start going to the full serve places and let them deal with it. They're the pros.

Unless you live in New Joisey. All gas stations are operated by Pakistanis or Indians. Must be a federal requirement.

LOL

I usually turn the nozzle upside down so that the lever is on top. That works for me.

By the way, if you are in New Jersey and order 10 or 20 or 30 $$ of gasoline, attendant will understand what you want. If you want to have some fun, tell attendant that you want 7.8 gallons or 6.2 gallons. It drives them up a tree.

I Stuck The Nozzle Between The Opening N The Frame Plate,
2 Times When I Been Drunk, Gas Droppin On The Ground Im Like Wtf, 20seconds Later Ooops, Dropin Gas On The Ground, Pull Back, N Aim 2 The Hole

Dotn Know If Its The Same
Dpgc23

^^^ Haha, no, I don't think we were having the same problem somehow...

By the way, if you are in New Jersey and order 10 or 20 or 30 $$ of gasoline, attendant will understand what you want. If you want to have some fun, tell attendant that you want 7.8 gallons or 6.2 gallons. It drives them up a tree.

HAHAHA... Yes, the infamous New Jersey restriction on pumping your own gas... perhaps the only flaw of the state. In the half a dozen times of visiting there, like you said, I have never come across a non-indian/pakistani attendant they just love to be around petroleum products I guess.