Filling the gas tank

Haha 'preciate the compliment .

 

True for all modern vehicles not just Gen3 Tacomas. Maybe Tacoma owners like to top off because of the puny tanks and lower miles/tank or maybe the sales dude was just trying to impress you.

 

Toyota (and most manufacturers) say to not overfill the tank as the fuel could end up in the vent tube and the cahrcoal canister, thus ruining a very expensive part. It is fairly well documented as happening and looking at the design of the system (with the canister attached to the fill tube) indicates that an overfill could send fuel to the wrong place.
I personally know of one person who has had the issue Why risk it to get a few extra ounces of fuel in the truck?

 

I had to replace the charcoal canister in my 1st gen because of overfilling. In order to replace the canister, the bed had to be removed. Since the rusted frame had to be replaced, I was only charged for the canister since the truck was disassembled for the frame replacement.

 

I filled up this morning and the pump was kind of iffy and I am pretty sure I ended up putting more in than I should have. it started fine and I made it to work, then four hours later it kind of sputtered when I started it up, but then ran fine for a good 45 minutes.

Waiting to see what happens after work when I go to start it. Hopefully I didn't flood this charcoal canister. I guess if I get a CEL i will have a decent idea where to start.

 

I've been topping off my wife's FJ for the past three years, and no problems. I started this when I went wheeling and wanted every drop of gas I could get for the long trail ahead. I can consistently get 2.2 gallons in after the click. I tried this on my Tacoma and lo and behold I got 2 gallons into her too. I don't click, click, click the nozzle, you just go real slow and it'll fill just fine. This sounds like an urban legend to me.

 

I fill till it clicks and shuts off. My dad usually "tops it off" and sometimes squeezes a good bit more in and so far he hasn't experienced any issues. So my question is, how long before you'll notice any problems or any issues will surface? He does this religiously and I would expect the problems to of already arrived in his vehicles with 30,000 & 50,000 miles (both late model toyotas).

 

My father in law worked as an auto mechanic/tech for 20+ years here in the Seattle area. He has fixed a bunch of cars charcoal/evap systems because of people topping off. I don't know if one make is more susceptible versus another but it does happen from time to time. So I just don't top off to be safe.

 

I don't think there is any definitive answer to this. It depends on the vehicle and how the fuel vapor filter system is designed. In my case, Kia used an open charcoal system (that they probably purchased cheap from some other car builders), and this led to chucks of charcoal in the gas tank and up into the filters and injectors. Basically a crappy design flaw which was recalled in many of their vehicles. I didn't get the lucky recall.
Early Toyotas may have this flaw, but I don't know if or when that system was redesigned. I don't know if the charcoal will slowly purge out the wet gas or if it continues to get stuck in there. This system is designed to filter fuels vapor, but there should be some consideration for accidental overfills. How many overflows? Good question. Most people just err on the side of caution and stop after the first click. As always, your mileage may vary.

 

The entire Kia? New meaning to the word gape, you may want to start looking for an agent.

 

I've been on this site for years and I'm still surprised by the types of threads that get lots of comments. Who would'a thought that not only there'd be thread about putting gas in your tank, but it would go for pages.

 

LOL! Good one!
Taking an entire Kia Optima in the keister would have been easier than what I went through. The dealership kept the car an entire week, and when we got it back the thing still ran like crap. So, another $500 and back to the dealership. Finally they get it right, but now the car has been left outside a few nights and is filthy. I clean it up and find that someone has slammed the front end into a yellow metal pillar (They had these at the dealership to keep mechanics from running into the repair shop doors). So, big dent and yellow paint mixed with rust on the front end. I stop by the dealership and the red headed bastard service manager tells me there is no way I can prove it was their fault.
... Anyway, I still get pissed about it. The POS Kia is gone, wife has a REAL car now. I tell everyone to stay away from Wesley Chapel Kia.

 

Sort of, I work in refineries and actually am one of the guys making gasoline people use daily. In winters the fuel blend tends to be lighter due to the lower temps. This helps make starting easier. You can't have as many light ends in summer blends due to the risk of vapor lock.

You'll have roughly the same amount of vapor traffic in your tank between the seasons.

Edit: On another note, a lot of pumps push with enough force to cause foaming in your gas tank causing the auto shut off to kick in pretty early. If you wait 15-20 seconds for the foaming to be reduced and let it go again until the auto shut off, you'll be fine.