Ideas for sealing aftermarket locking gas cap to avoid engine light

I bought the recommended locking cap that has worked for a number of folks (forget the model number off the top of my head), and then added a thick diameter oring to try and seal it better when it gave me a CEL. This worked for awhile, but then the light came back on. Wondering if anyone has any other ideas for how to seal it to avoid the CEL? I manage a sober living house and have many people I have kicked out for one reason or another over the years, and aside from all the dopefiends in Santa Cruz that might be inclined to steal my gas, am really just trying to avoid something being added to my tank out of spite and resentment.

 

I’ve tried several aftermarket gas cap. None worked for me. Always some issues. I gave up a while ago on that.

 

Try an o-ring in Viton material. Buna-N is not very resistant to fuels.

Or try a different brand locking gas cap.

 

I have been using a CarQuest 10504 locking gas cap for 6 years with no CEL light. I make sure it clicks 3 times when putting it on. Tried a Duralast cap first and it always threw a CEL light. I am using the CarQuest cap right out of the box with no extra O ring.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/carquest-premium-plastic-locking-gas-cap-10504/18481453-P

 

I've been using the Stant #10504 for 2 years an never a issue, I've always made sure to click it 3 times as well.

 

I believe mine is the 10504, I definitely bought it from a Carquest distributor. Maybe I'm just not clicking it enough... I mean I guess even having the light come on isn't that big a deal, I can always reset it with Techstream, just a bit of a hassle.

 

Looks like a knockoff of the Stant. Could try the Stant if you're that adamant of using a locking gas cap, may yield better results.

 

Here is a picture of my cap and box. All I can say is this has been working for me for 6 years.

 

Oh wow, yeah that's very interesting that these both look identical but mine has the raised lettering. I'll order one from Amazon and see if it makes a difference. And while I likely don't need it, it just provides a little peace of mind esp considering my particular situation and the types of people I deal with every day. Try to only bring in the more stable folks but even they can go off the deep end from time to time, and become unpredictable.

 

They are the same, they are both Stants. On both pictures you can also see the molded "S" on the right side of the handle indicating Stant. Car quest just being the distributor in his instance.

 

I have an actual Stant brand 10504 (“Stant” printed on the box too) and it works fine on my truck, unlike the Duralast I had previously. I noticed there are a ton of re-branded Chinese “Stant 10504s” out there… look like yours is one of those OP. My Stant looks exactly like @TA2016 ‘s Carquest one, so I’d say Carquest must re-brand actual Stant made ones. My Stant also has vent holes on the underside middle. The Duralast one I had didn’t.

 

Well, I hunted down the box mine had come in and while it has the correct part number, I am skeptical it is actually manufactured by Stant. I see that O'Reilly's carries Stant products and has the model in stock nearby, so I'll go see what theirs looks like

 

I'd say that's your best bet, I picked mine up at O-Reillys as well. You can verify it on the spot an it should come in Stant branded packaging.

 

Dropped my factory cap on a trip to Nashville in Mississippi, broke it, so I bought the CarQuest 10504. Instant code. Drove it there and back, about 700 miles, then took it back locally here. Young guy said because I used it they couldn't return it. No refund. Whut? Also said I could try taking it back to the store in Mississippi. What an absolute loser. So I put it back on, ordered a Stant 10504, installed it, cleared codes, and the Stant threw no codes.

Put the CarQuest gas cap back in its box, went to the same CarQuest store and told a different guy I never use it...while staring the other counter guy in the face as I said I never used it, making sure I said it loud enough that he could hear me. Gave him a head-cocked sideways "Whut up bitch?" look while I stared him down. This time I was dealing with the manager, who understood the untold future profit dollars CarQuest could make off me if they only took back this $16 cap. Unlike the first dick who did not understand that by not taking the gas cap back the corporation wouldn't make a single profit dollar off me in the future. You know the type: they act like they have 10,000 shares of preferred stock in the company, but in reality they are working there to fix up that ailing truck out in the parking lot while living with their parents. This job is their first one that they have been given the authority to say no and it has gone to their head, corporate profit motive be damned.

Been 8 months now. No codes.

 

Maybe explore the possibility of leasing a garage at an apartment complex near your sober house. You would have to weigh the cost vs. peace of mind. Hopefully, your clientele don’t know what you drive.

 

Stant 10504 off of Amazon has been working great for the last 4 years

 

Picked mine at Walmart Stant 10504. No issues at 6 years.

 

Stealing gas isn't an issue that you need a locking gas cap to solve, as you can't push a hose down the filler neck far enough to siphon fuel from the tank. As far as the spite and resentment thing, if they open up the fuel door and see a locking gas cap they will just do something else to the truck if they are hell bent on doing something to it. IMHO locking gas caps don't give you much benefit for the hassles they cause, but that's just me.

 

I initially got a light, I reset the code then everything was fine. No light in more than a year.

 

If you have a child in high school put a locking gas cap on their vehicle. Why? Hell hath no fury as a jilted little high school bitch. If, God forbid, your son or daughter pisses off one of these unstable, nose-ringed emotionally-driven bundles of drama (seemingly, aren't they all?) (but not yours, of course) there is a chance that she could sugar their gas tank. Their desire for revenge knows no limits, and that's on a good day.

My youngest daughter was once at a gas pump unlocking her gas cap when a Texas Highway Patrol officer pulled up to check her beyond too dark window tint. Before he started, to develop report he asked her why she locked her gas tank. Seeing her opportunity to be a smart-ass, an opportunity she never squanders, in her normal defiance of authority she replied, "My dad said that Hell hath no fury as a crazy little high school bitch". She said he replied, unfazed, "Your dad is a very wise man". Then he checked her tint, then her license. As our name is unique he remembered me and asked her if I was her father. She confirmed I was. She asked how he knew me. He told her he had pulled me over a couple of weeks earlier doing 93 in a 75. He was a normally-aspirated motorhead like me, he had wanted a G8 like mine and that's why he remembered me. We hit it off. He wrote me a warning! Probably why she got off too. That, and being young and showing responsibility by being proactive in preventing crime. Because locking gas cap.