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Jul 21st, 2025 | | | | Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 43 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 43 | Since the temperatures have risen to 90(+) degrees here in beautiful southeastern KY, when I have a full tank of gas, it will heat up, expand, and flow back out the filler neck, down the side of the truck and on to the ground.
I do like to keep the tank close to full due to my gas gauge not functioning properly (that's a headache to rant about another day). But I usually only fill it until the pump kicks off the first time and do not top it off. Has anyone else experienced this? I guess I should mention its a 1953 3100. Thanks in advance.
P|CkLe | | | | | Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: May 2006 Posts: 8,351 | Common problem. The only real cure is to not fill the tank up all the way.
Bill Burmeister
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 43 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 43 | Well that sucks. I'd probably pay good money for somebody to get my gas gauge working. Its new, so is the sending unit. It won the war and I gave up. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 | even with a working gauge you will have that issue.
I fill up on the way out, not on the way in.
check electric forum for issues with new gauges.
maybe post a specific question. | | | | | Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,596 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,596 | I guess you'll just have to drive for longer after you fill up. Oh darn  | | | | | Joined: Nov 2009 Posts: 639 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Nov 2009 Posts: 639 | When I was a kid my dad used a coat hanger wire to check the fuel level. He also never topped off the tank unless he was leaving on a 20+ mile trip. I've learned to do the same. Even after a 15 mile drive you can have enough fuel expansion to leak out or stink up the cab if the fill hose isn't tight.
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2002 Posts: 12,029 Cruising in the Passing Lane | | Cruising in the Passing Lane Joined: Feb 2002 Posts: 12,029 | if the gas gauge doesn't work, pay attention to your odometer, gas up after 150 miles, watch the pump, never put more than 15 gallons in your 17 gallon tank .... and carry a small can of gas all the time  Bill | | | | | Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,262 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,262 | Back at the family farm when I was a kid, circa early 1970's, we had our own hand pump 200 gallon gas tank. One of my tasks was to fill up Dad's '72 C20 when he got home from work.
I got pretty good at listening to the escaping gas fumes as I pumped in the gas. As soon as the tone changed I would stop.
This would leave a couple inches empty at the top of the tank, which was enough to prevent overflow due to expansion.
| | | | | Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,262 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,262 | This past summer I had an incident where the gas leaked from the filler neck area and I only had 1/2 a tank of gas in the truck.
I replaced the cap and problem stopped.
You do have to be careful with gas expanding when you fill the tank, but it still can leak at any level from a faulty vented cap.
I fill my truck on the way out Half full and gas comes up and out of the filler cap? There has to be more to this story. Was the truck parked on a hill? I can see it building pressure and the pressure pushing gas out at or below the fuel level but there is no way the gas would expand enough to double its volume based on the tank design being discussed. Gasoline expansion rate is about 2% with a 30 degree F temp. increase. Gasoline vaporizes at 140 F. Therefore there is simply no way it can double in volume. | | | | | Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 374 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 374 | See if your sender has a good ground. It must be grounded and it needs to be a a good, solid, paint free ground. Ya might just find the fuel gauge will work. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 | This past summer I had an incident where the gas leaked from the filler neck area and I only had 1/2 a tank of gas in the truck.
I replaced the cap and problem stopped.
You do have to be careful with gas expanding when you fill the tank, but it still can leak at any level from a faulty vented cap.
I fill my truck on the way out Half full and gas comes up and out of the filler cap? There has to be more to this story. Was the truck parked on a hill? I can see it building pressure and the pressure pushing gas out at or below the fuel level but there is no way the gas would expand enough to double its volume based on the tank design being discussed. Gasoline expansion rate is about 2% with a 30 degree F temp. increase. Gasoline vaporizes at 140 F. Therefore there is simply no way it can double in volume. 2012 thread https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=879594It happens,...could be siphon action, vapors condensing, don't know. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 43 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Sep 2010 Posts: 43 | I will check the ground on the sending unit, but it'll be a cold day down south before I take those gauges out again. Talk about a pain!!! | | | | | Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 | Along with the sender ground check The back of the new gauge has some clean metal ...pic... That also serves as a ground. It has to touch clean metal in the Housing Also check your Needle | | | | | Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,596 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,596 | This past summer I had an incident where the gas leaked from the filler neck area and I only had 1/2 a tank of gas in the truck.
I replaced the cap and problem stopped.
You do have to be careful with gas expanding when you fill the tank, but it still can leak at any level from a faulty vented cap.
I fill my truck on the way out Half full and gas comes up and out of the filler cap? There has to be more to this story. Was the truck parked on a hill? I can see it building pressure and the pressure pushing gas out at or below the fuel level but there is no way the gas would expand enough to double its volume based on the tank design being discussed. Gasoline expansion rate is about 2% with a 30 degree F temp. increase. Gasoline vaporizes at 140 F. Therefore there is simply no way it can double in volume. It's not only the expansion that causes it, it's the pressure building in the tank if the cap is supposed to vent and doesn't. It will force the liquid out, if there is enough pressure. | | | | | Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,262 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,262 | It's not only the expansion that causes it, it's the pressure building in the tank if the cap is supposed to vent and doesn't. It will force the liquid out, if there is enough pressure. Only if the liquid is at the level of the cap. In DADS50 post he stated the tank was only half full. The pressure can't push liquid out the filler cap when the liquid is over a foot below the filler cap. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 | Here is the post from sept 2012 Drove my 50 to work today for the first time since June. (17 miles from home)
Had less than 1/4 tank of gas this morning so I added 3 gals of fresh gas on the way in to work. Added sty-bil to tank
Temp when I left work about 102.
On the way home made a stop after about 8 miles . Noticed a dribble of gas running from the fill neck. Thought it was strange because I had less than 1/2 a tank so I knew it was not over full and expanding. Pulled cap and heard a pressure release. wiped the area clean
Continued on my way home, got on the freeway and truck started bucking a few times. I pulled over and as I was coasting I could tell the truck shut down, still coasting to the side the engine fired back up. Slowly got her back up to speed 45-50 mph.
Made it back home OK , pulled into the garage and noticed more dribble of gas from the filler neck.
Is this a symptom of the gas cap not venting? any other ideas?
If the cap is not venting will it cause the truck to buck?
thank you Don't have any fancy formulas to explain it. Just posting what happened. | | | | | Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,596 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,596 | It's not only the expansion that causes it, it's the pressure building in the tank if the cap is supposed to vent and doesn't. It will force the liquid out, if there is enough pressure. Only if the liquid is at the level of the cap. In DADS50 post he stated the tank was only half full. The pressure can't push liquid out the filler cap when the liquid is over a foot below the filler cap. It can and does. I've had a similar thing happen with a different vehicle. The cap wasn't venting, and with the tank less than half full pressure built in the tank and fuel was pouring out of the vent. Once the pressure was released and the pressure dropped, the fuel eventually stopped coming out of the vent. Changing the cap to one that vents properly solved it. I forgot what it's called, but when the pressure in a container containing both liquid and gas gets high enough, the gas will push the liquid out, which is what DADS50 and I have both experienced. | | | | | Joined: Mar 2010 Posts: 10,059 Renaissance Man | | Renaissance Man Joined: Mar 2010 Posts: 10,059 | Gasoline is weird. If you pour it in the right light, you can see a flow of fumes pouring out parallel, and outside of the fluid flow, almost like an aura. Add pressure and heat and this phenomenon is amplified.
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
| | | | | Joined: Jan 1970 Posts: 365 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jan 1970 Posts: 365 | Burned truck Today I was welding some aluminum slide-outs for a trucker-friend's double drop. I was just about to run the final bead when I looked up and saw the passenger's side of my 51 was on FIRE!!!!! It was a nice day and I was out in front of my new garage, using the pickup's bed as a work table. I normally don't fill the gas tank all the way but I was talking to a friend at the station and accidentally filled the tank all the way. My driveway slopes and the pickup was parked with the filler cap on the downhill side. It was a nice warm day and evidentally the gas in the tank was expanding and coming out of my filler cap. An errant spark must have ignited the gasoline vapors and the rest was history.
I tried fighting the fire with my two big extinguishers and a garden hose, but I could not contain the fire, so I called the fire department. They arrived in 5 minutes, which seemed like 10 hours, and had the fire put out quickly.
At least no one was injured and my garage was unaffected. Gas is dangerous stuff when it leaks in unintended circumstances.
Last edited by cletis; 06/26/2014 6:50 AM. Reason: Repaired link and edited off topic content
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