With the weather in the Dakotas turning a bit chilly (Windchill Factors at -40f / -40c, actual temps maybe -15f / -26c ), getting out and filling the car with gasoline can be quite a "bracing" experience.

During our recent storm I left our yet-warmed-up X-Type running when I filled the tank.

BIG MISTAKE.

We then started a 120 mile trip through the blizzard, warming the car up as we drove. It seemed like I was catching a whiff of exhaust coming through the heating vents, but about 20 miles out into the middle of nowhere I realized I was smelling RAW GAS.

It was entering the passenger conpartment through the heating vents, so I cracked the drivers-side window slightly to draw the fumes out and just drove a little faster.

Stopping is NOT an option in this weather, not for any reason. Not even the fear of exploding into a fireball can get me to pull over in the middle of nowhere in the deadly cold in a blizzard!

The gasoline vapors were strong enough to make my arm nearest the heater vent reek of raw gas.

After making our destination, I finally turned the vehicle off. Next stop was the (non-Jag) dealership where we purchased the car, and the mechanic and I went over every inch of the car looking for signs of a gasoline leak, of which none was found.

Our best guess was that I screwed up, removing the gas cap while the car was running. Restarting the car seemed to re-set all the fuel system functions back to normal, and no more gas fumes were noticed.

(We drove home without further incident other than seeing 16 cars having slid off the road because they were NOT driving an AWD Jag with studded tires! Even today, New years Day, about 800 miles of roads are closed to travel in this state. Considering that our terrain is that of a golf course, that's impressive)

Lesson learned: TURN OFF THE CAR TO FILL THE TANK!!!

Ok: How's about a short treatise on what happened from some of the knowledgable TechTypes here? I didn't even get a OBD-II code from this one to work with, just a stinky shirt-sleeve.

Thank you in advance!

 

Bruce, is there any way you inadvertently actually got gas on your sleeve when you were refilling? I'm sorry if that seems too obvious. Can't think of any other reason you would smell the fumes.

Don't most stations NOT allow you to refill with your engine running?

 

No - these were raw gas fumes coming in from the vent, they seemed to be pushed into the passenger compartment from under the hood. When I could finally stop, you could tell it was coming from under the hood.

Switching to outside air made it worse. Setting the vents to recirculating and turning the fan way up seemed to pressurize the cab and keep most of it out. What did come into the car went out my slightly opened window.

But with the engine not running and the hood open, the fumes very quickly dissipated. There was no evidence of "wet" under the car, either.

When I restarted the car, the condition no longer existed.

(my shirt even aired out. THANK GAWD the interior leather smell wasn't damaged!!!)

The mechanic sez he think's it's a valve on the tank pressurization system that dumps into the charcoal canister, and that was somehow dumping loads of vapor into the air because the fuel system lost it's pressurization when I took off the cap.

Just his guess. But I, too, suspect something similar.

It's VERY nice a re-start fixed everything!

I am just curious what sequence of events might have caused this to happened.

 

I have never been to a place where leaving the car running was legal...

 

Oh, it ain't legal - and I know it ain't smart to fuel while the engine is running.

It's just that some of us here in the Canadian Tropics can't stand the cold as well as you Northerners, and gotta warm the car up NOW!

(I rather blame you folk for some of the local, windier weather anyway.

It's my understanding that since the advent of indoor plumbing in your Plains Provinces, the elimination of all those outhouses permits the Arctic winds to blow to here more or less unabated now)

Oh, also:

(1) No liquid on top of the gas tank, and
(2) We had no idea where the charcoal canister was or any of it's valving is.

If I could get this damned Ebay pirated DVD Jag Manual to run, I might know a bit more.

 

just FYI, the evaporative emissions use vacuum, not pressure to capture and burn vapours.

There is no pressure in the tank.

I think that filling with the car running has nothing to do with the problem.

 

I don't get it, Bruce. Since when is North Dakota in the Canadian Tropics?

 

Bruce, indoor plumbing is almost to everyone here on the Prairies...then look out.

By the way, it was 30F here today. Expecting almost an INCH of snow overnight! I may actually have to shovel the drive. Poor snow thrower is patiently waiting to get fired up. Every day we watch the news about the weather in the Midwest and out East and even on the West Coast, Europe and Australia , too and think "Poor Buggers!"

 

It's good to read a happy end rather than something that might be tragic . I always turn off the engine too . Also, kind off topic but I thought I have to add , check out Off Topic Forums about static electric ( Thread Title :Correct Filling Up Procedure )
Happy driving

 

Bruce, as for your Jag DVD, I bet you are running Windows 7 or Vista in a 64 bit configuration. If this is the case, what you need to do is to put in the DVD, open up Windows Explorer and access the DVD. Now, find the file labeled "Setup.exe" (may be "Install.exe"). Right click on it, this will cause a window to pop up. Look down at the bottom, there will be an option labeled "Properties". Click that then find the "Compatibilities" tab on the window that next popped up. In the middle of this new box, you will see where it will allow you to select other operating systems. Try selecting "Windows XP SP 2". Click OK, close out most of the windows so you get back to the Windows Explorer screen and then try installing it. If it is going to work, that is how you will do it.