Can’t get fuel in my Tank

I’m wondering if anyone else has had this problem and there is a fix available. I have a 2008 NCV3. Last summer while on a road trip down to the states from Alaska I was unable to get fuel in my tank without barely dribbling it in. Quite a difficult job to do given that the most gas pumps shoot fuel and your tank. The tank fill tube would quickly fill up and then the gas pump hose would shut off to prevent a spill.... repeat ad infinitum.... It took about a 1/2 hour to fill up. The problem persisted while we were down in the states and then went away on the way back up through Canada. It returned again a few weeks later and is still a problem with no obvious cause or solution other than sticking about 2 feet of stiff wire in the fill spout. I assume there is a flapper to prevent fuel spills if if the van gets turned on its side in a wreck, or there may be a blockage of some sort that is being pushed out of the way by the wire. My most recent innovation Is to add a plastic tube on the lower end of the wire which seems much more effective at keeping the path open for fuel to flow into the tank. I’ve tried looking down the fill tube with a cheap endoscope, but haven’t been able to see much. Although I can detach part of the fill spout assembly near where the fill cap attaches, I don’t see any way of disassembling the tank and fill tube assembly to inspect it. It looks like they are a single unit.


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Here in Oz, my 08 does not accept high-flow diesel nozzles. I've wondered if this is intentional design to stop people using the truck diesel as opposed to premium low sulfur diesel?

In the outback, on very very hot days we couldn't fill the landcruiser with 95 octane unleaded because it would bubble and evaporate right out again, making filling impossible. Lower octane fuels didn't have this problem.... But I don't think this applies to diesel.

Too much foam could also be an issue? Many "premium" diesels have antifoam added...

The only time I've had a problem like that was when trying to fill from the big rig diesel pumps which have a larger diameter fill nozzle. The nozzle fits but the flow rate overwhelms the fill tube and trips the shut-off valve..

In your case.. assuming you're fueling at normal pumps and having this issue, the parts catalog shows a breather line from the tank. Perhaps that is plugged, kinked or blocked off somehow? If so it might prevent air from escaping quickly enough, causing fuel to back up in the fill tube and shut off the pump repeatedly.

Just an idea.

Thanks. I’ll check the tank vent and post the results here.

I also have a 2008 2500 with the same problem. I have not tried poking a wire down, but have instead tried disconnecting the breather tube to test it. If I disconnect the breather tube fuel flows in as normal (I tested 3 gallons quickly). If the tube is connected, it'll take about 1/4 - 1/2 gallon before clicking off each time. (This is with a standard diesel fuel pump with the small nozzle.) I assume this means there is a partial blockage further along that tube. The question is: where does it go? Is the other end of it near the fuel cap? I don't want to dismount the tank just to follow the hose.

In the pictures below, I believe the left (lower) hose is #1 in the diagram above and connects to the top of the tank, while the right one runs up somewhere to at least the height of the fuel cap. Since there is no restriction if it's disconnected, there is no problem with the #1 hose but the right (upper) hose in the picture must have a restriction.

Some Sprinter have a flow (well, nozzle-size) restrictor inside the filler pipe.
It's designed to prevent the (slightly) wider gasoline nozzles being used to fill the Sprinter
(automotive diesel nozzles are narrower) Inserting the narrow nozzle opens a gate valve in the pipe.
If you're in an area that does use the narrow nozzles, then you'll encounter these dribble-it-in issues.

You can buy an adapter funnel ... it accepts a big nozzle, and necks down to a narrow pipe for inserting into the Sprinter's filler pipe.

Here's the VS30 Option Guide description:


--dick

autostaretx said:

Some Sprinter have a flow (well, nozzle-size) restrictor inside the filler pipe.
It's designed to prevent the (slightly) wider gasoline nozzles being used to fill the Sprinter
(automotive diesel nozzles are narrower) Inserting the narrow nozzle opens a gate valve in the pipe.
If you're in an area that does use the narrow nozzles, then you'll encounter these dribble-it-in issues.

You can buy an adapter funnel ... it accepts a big nozzle, and necks down to a narrow pipe for inserting into the Sprinter's filler pipe.

Here's the VS30 Option Guide description:
View attachment 235497

--dick

Click to expand...

I don't think so, I can see the fuel going down. It puts 1/2 gallon in initially which sounds like the capacity of the filler tube. That illustration doesn't look like it would hold that much.

I have experienced this problem at every fill-up since I got it (6000 miles). I've had the problem in WA, ID, MO, WY, SD, MN, WI, IL, IN, OH, PA, NJ, NY, MA, VT, WV, TN, NC, VA and DE. I've used nozzles that are extremely thin, ones that are normal, ones that have a spring wrapped around them, and the big truck nozzles.

And if I disconnect the vent tube, it fills freely.

If I fill it really slowly I can keep to the pace that the fuel is going down, but it does not stop and I usually overflow the tank.

Ogregev said:

And if I disconnect the vent tube, it fills freely.

Click to expand...

Can you run a probe up/down the vent tube? (#10 wire or any flexible-but-stiff probe) ((i use a 1/4 inch diameter nylon rod)
You might have something like a mud-dauber nest in there.
(or somebody crushed the pipe)

--dick

autostaretx said:

Can you run a probe up/down the vent tube? (#10 wire or any flexible-but-stiff probe) ((i use a 1/4 inch diameter nylon rod)
You might have something like a mud-dauber nest in there.
(or somebody crushed the pipe)

--dick

Click to expand...

I have a SeeSnake endoscope. I ran it down there until it was in the fuel. (tank was almost empty at the time) I didn't see anything.

According to the internet, the head of the probe is 17mm which would have gotten stuck on that valve if I had it.

IIRC the filler neck and breather tube are a one piece blow moulded unit so it is possible that either there is something stuck in the top of the breather pipe on it or it is a faulty moulding from the factory.

Try disconnecting the breather tube at the bottom end and poking your endoscope up the breather tube.

[/QUOTE="jed_williams, post: 734211, member: 54644"]
I’m wondering if anyone else has had this problem and there is a fix available. I have a 2008 NCV3. Last summer while on a road trip down to the states from Alaska I was unable to get fuel in my tank without barely dribbling it in. Quite a difficult job to do given that the most gas pumps shoot fuel and your tank. The tank fill tube would quickly fill up and then the gas pump hose would shut off to prevent a spill.... repeat ad infinitum.... It took about a 1/2 hour to fill up. The problem persisted while we were down in the states and then went away on the way back up through Canada. It returned again a few weeks later and is still a problem with no obvious cause or solution other than sticking about 2 feet of stiff wire in the fill spout. I assume there is a flapper to prevent fuel spills if if the van gets turned on its side in a wreck, or there may be a blockage of some sort that is being pushed out of the way by the wire. My most recent innovation Is to add a plastic tube on the lower end of the wire which seems much more effective at keeping the path open for fuel to flow into the tank. I’ve tried looking down the fill tube with a cheap endoscope, but haven’t been able to see much. Although I can detach part of the fill spout assembly near where the fill cap attaches, I don’t see any way of disassembling the tank and fill tube assembly to inspect it. It looks like they are a single unit.
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[/QUOTE]add to sprinter tools

Ogregev said:

I have a SeeSnake endoscope. I ran it down there until it was in the fuel. (tank was almost empty at the time) I didn't see anything.

According to the internet, the head of the probe is 17mm which would have gotten stuck on that valve if I had it.

Click to expand...

I meant to probe the vent hose/pipe, not the filler pipe.
(since i think you reported an easy fill with the vent hose disconnected)

--dick

Cheyenne said:

IIRC the filler neck and breather tube are a one piece blow moulded unit so it is possible that either there is something stuck in the top of the breather pipe on it or it is a faulty moulding from the factory.

Try disconnecting the breather tube at the bottom end and poking your endoscope up the breather tube.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately the breather tube is way smaller than my endoscope. If you can confirm that the breather tube upper section is definitely part of the tank/filler tube assembly, then I can simply replace the tank and filler. It’s priced at $100 here. I was assuming the hose was part of the the chassis because of that loop at the back of the tank.

In my case, there was no problem with fill rate. However I was concerned about the hose with open end that came from above the tank and simply hovered just below the floor. (See photo below) It was clearly the tank vent and tested as such when blown into with the mouth. It concerned me that it should be open-ended in that location as it could easily allow water entry to the tank if I were to drive through water and could also be an entry point for foreign material or for mud-daubing wasps which have given me a similar problem blocking an air compressor inlet. So I extended the hose to exit close to the filler point which is somewhat protected but readily vents. It is interesting how much air is vented during fill, especially with hi-flow nozzles. My vehicle readily accepts the hi-flow and the pump nozzle instantly trips off if I place my thumb over the end of the vent hose during filling.
So my point is that if you have restricted filling, it is very likely that your tank vent is partially blocked. Simply try blowing into it with your mouth to check. This action will pressurise the tank so if the fuel level is above the inlet, there should be initial free flow which then restricts as the the tank becomes pressured.
If you do identify a breather blockage and can clear it, then I would recommend my modification to the vent hose in order to prevent a recurrence.