What to do when you overfill your gas tank

Have you ever overfilled your gas tank? It happens to the best of us. You’re pumping gas, watching the numbers roll by (and maybe zoning out while you do it) and suddenly, gas is overflowing out of the tank and onto your feet. But what happens if you overfill your gas tank? Can it damage your car? What should you do if it happens? Toyota of Orlando is here with tips.

What happens if you overfill your gas tank?

You may think that an overfilled gas tank is no big deal. Sure, you have to go home and change your shoes (and ride with the windows open for a while to get the gasoline stench out of your car), but that’s as far as your worries go, right? It’s actually a little more complicated than that. An overfilled gas tank can cause serious problems with your Orlando Toyota, including:

• Damaged solenoids, which can prevent your car from starting
• A saturated charcoal canister, which can lead to issues when filling your car with gas as well as a smell of gasoline in your Orlando Toyota’s cabin
• Purge valve failure, which can lead to poor fuel efficiency, emissions issues, and rough idling

Overall, if you have an overfilled gas tank it can lead to issues with starting and accelerating your car, poor fuel efficiency, and problems with your emissions system. Further, when you spill gas on the ground you’re polluting soil and water sources, as well as contributing to air pollution. And let’s not forget that gas is flammable – even fumes from gasoline can ignite when exposed to a spark.

So what should you do if you face this situation?

What to do when you overfill your gas tank

Here’s the good news – if you overfill the gas tank once, you’re unlikely to have issues with your vehicle. A one-time accident probably won’t cause any problems. You should clean up the mess on the side of your car and the ground (and yourself), keeping in mind that gas is highly flammable.

How to avoid an overfilled gas tank

However, if you continue to overfill the gas tank, you can face expensive issues down the road. Here’s how our Orlando Toyota service techs recommend avoiding this situation.

• If you choose to lock the pump handle in and let the gas pump by itself, don’t wander off. Stay next to the pump and listen for the click that indicates the tank is full and you should stop fueling.
• Be mindful and present when pumping, listening for that click. When you hear it, that’s your notification that you should STOP pumping to avoid an overfilled gas tank.
• Don’t try to “top off” your gas. Some drivers will continue to pump even after the click to top off the tank, but this is unnecessary and can lead to gas spillage as the tank overflows.

Topping off your tank won’t save you money on fuel (despite the common misconception). You can actually cost yourself money by damaging your car.

Toyota of Orlando has answers to all of your fuel questions

Have more questions about how to care for your car when it comes to fueling? We have answers. Contact Toyota of Orlando’s service techs today at (407) 298-0001 or stop by and see us at 3575 Vineland Road. We’re just off I-4 across from the Mall at Millenia!

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