Fuel fountain.. what crap !!

[FlyBy]

This happened to me around 1 month back don't remember exact date but it happened like this.

me and my brother started on our bikes from office and i was already in "reserve" so i told him i need to refuel it. He said lets do it at Costco which is around 1 mile from my house and i agreed.
When i reached Costo it was around 8.45pm and there were very few cars at the gas station so i picked a pump and decided to fuel. I had rode my bike for aorund 32 miles on reserve so the tank was near empty and i was wondering how much gas it will take ..and so i put the pump nozzle in the tank start fueling and put the pump nozzle lock on.

Everytime i do this and when the tank is full, the nozzle unlocks automatically and the pump stops, than i manually top it off. This time the nozzle stayed in lock position and i was looking at the pump meter to check how much fuel is going in. the meter read 3.75 gallons and i saw a fountain of gas comming out of the tank. I quickly pulled out the nozzle and it stopped. It might have easily spilled around half gallon of fuel on my bike. I was **** scared by this time coz i had already rode around 24 miles and the pipes and engine were hot. I did saw some fumes coming out from the hot surface but luckily nothing happened and i called the gas station attendant who said he needs to spray something on the spilled gas on the ground and that would be ok. I manually pulled my bike away from the pump and allowed it to dry for sometime, got lots of napkins and wiped it off and carefully turned the ignition key on and started the bike... nothing happened and i rode home.

man .. from that day .. i never trust the nozzle locks and i always refuel it manually .. checking the level in the periodically :)

[Goliath616]

I never use the lock when fueling my bike, it only takes minute or two to fill

[FlyBy]

I never use the lock when fueling my bike, it only takes minute or two to fill

i don't know.. lesson learnt the hard way i guess :)

[Goliath616]

hey at least you came out of it ok, glad nothing happened to ya :D

[Archangel]

Glad your bike did not catch on fire.

I hope the paint was not discolored from the gas.

[iamgumby]

Glad you weren't smokin!

[LethalThreat]

I try not to even squeeze the handle fully when filling my bike. The last thing I want is gas all over me and the bike.

Glad everything worked out okay for you.

[Top Gear Motorcycle]

Any damage to the paint job?

[FlyBy]

i think the paint is ok, but havn't checked it though. i will check it when i wash my bike this weekend.

[happymiles4me]

Glad nothin g serious happened as result of the spill. Right after you wash your bike I would recommend waxing it. Any wax that was on it where the gas ran is almost certainly gone.

I never use the nozzle lock when gassing the bike. Like GOL said it only takes a couple of minutes to fill the tank and mine holds 6.6 gal.

[Dodsfall]

Sometimes the auto shut off just doesn't work. There is a little hole near the end of the nozzle that should shut the flow off when fluid reaches it. Sometimes these get plugged or the nozzle is placed in the tank in a manner that will let it over flow before the gas can reach the shut off. Like anything else mechanical, it can fail or be made to fail depending on the circumstance.

[internationalballer]

Gas will splash out all over my bike if I even tried to set the lock on the slowest position, so I have never even tried to use the lock. Atleast you didn't panic and pull the nozzle out in rapid confusion and continue spraying gas all over everyone around, LOL. That stuff is to expensive to waste.

[HarveyCreek]

Sometimes the auto shut off just doesn't work.

And on top of that, here in Oregon you can't pump your own gas if you are in a car. For some reason I got one that when refueling, the gas pump auto shutoff frequently fails, and usually this is when the filling station attendant is back behind the store getting a smoke! It annoys the attendants, but I stand back by the fuel filler, as I'm normally the one who has to perform the shut off, as they sure don't hang around.

At least state laws allow me to fill my bike.

[rexmitchell]

I had this happen to me on my car one time. A guy ran inside the station I was in to say that gas was spewing everywhere. Just my bad luck I had put about 10-15 gallons of gas on the ground before someone noticed it was overflowing. I walked right out to my car and left, didn't ask questions I was so pissed!

[bth5001]

Thanks for posting this story before it could happen to me. Hope your paint is ok.

[Langostinoanus]

Hey. I'm from Argentina. Here, drivers are not allowed to pump up gas. You have to wait for the person in charge to pump up it for you.
Bye.

[FlyBy]

I had this happen to me on my car one time. A guy ran inside the station I was in to say that gas was spewing everywhere. Just my bad luck I had put about 10-15 gallons of gas on the ground before someone noticed it was overflowing. I walked right out to my car and left, didn't ask questions I was so ****ed!

ohh ****, 10 15 gallons spilled .. your car might be in a pond of gas ? glad nothing happened.

[FlyBy]

Glad nothin g serious happened as result of the spill. Right after you wash your bike I would recommend waxing it. Any wax that was on it where the gas ran is almost certainly gone.

I never use the nozzle lock when gassing the bike. Like GOL said it only takes a couple of minutes to fill the tank and mine holds 6.6 gal.

i recently washed my biked and checked the paint, it looks ok but yeah as you said will wax it. i am just waiting for this friggin rain to go away.

[FlyBy]

Hey. I'm from Argentina. Here, drivers are not allowed to pump up gas. You have to wait for the person in charge to pump up it for you.
Bye.

Here in the US we have to pump the gas on our own, i guess Oregon is the only state with exception, not sure its the only state though.

[roflol]

And on top of that, here in Oregon you can't pump your own gas if you are in a car. For some reason I got one that when refueling, the gas pump auto shutoff frequently fails, and usually this is when the filling station attendant is back behind the store getting a smoke! It annoys the attendants, but I stand back by the fuel filler, as I'm normally the one who has to perform the shut off, as they sure don't hang around.

At least state laws allow me to fill my bike.

I'm glad to hear bikes can be self-serve, but why not cars? I'd like to move to Oregon and this is news to me. My husband will appreciate full-service, but I'm not that into it.

Thanks for the heads up, BTW. :]

[Stever525]

New Jersey is another state where you cannot pump your own gas.

[SOG]

I am glad you are fine, I have always wonder how those nozzle lock work... um.....

[FlyBy]

I am glad you are fine, I have always wonder how those nozzle lock work... um.....

its purely mechanical and works on air suction principle.. here read this

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question25.htm

so now i know the reason for my fountain, the side hole of the pump nozzle might have not been in enough and was still sucking air :(

[SOG]

nice, thanks flyby, I will check it out

[MICopper11]

The same thing has happened to me as well, only it was with my Blazer. I had just left the car wash and needed gas. So I locked the pump handle and leaned against the truck watching cars go by. Next thing I know, there is gas pouring out of the filler neck and all over my clean truck. I just about went nuts. After wiping some of the gas off the side of the truck, I went inside and told the attendant that the pump wouldn't kick off when it the tank was full. She said, "I know, its been doing that a lot lately." So why in the #### don't you put a sign on the damn pump??

I threw my money at her and never went back there again. So then I had to go wash the truck again...

[BJMartin]

Man, thats insane...
BTW, I hate having to post 3 b4 starting a thread and 15(!!!) before showing off my bike!

[FlyBy]

Man, thats insane...
BTW, I hate having to post 3 b4 starting a thread and 15(!!!) before showing off my bike!

well thats how you "earn" the features :) i would say get over with your 15 posts and post your bike pic to show us or send me the link and i can do it for you.

Start a thread (which i think now you can do it) and pm me the link, i will put the picture on your thread.

Ride safe.

[drupason]

man that sucks

[MagikMan74]

Luckily this has never happened to me for 2 or 4 wheels... however... my wife........ she sits in the car everytime she pumps gas, and she's regretted it too.

[Skikamukazi]

You guys are passive. I was filling up my car about a year ago. I had 8.0 gallons in my tank when I rolled up to the gas pump (Digital readout), and my tank held an even 16, so I wa going to put in 8 to get on with my road trip. I went inside to but a pack of smokes, and when I came out there was a random guy sprinting to my car to pull out the hose. The pump said there had been 33 gallons pumped "into my car". I went inside and reported the spill. He said okay, and I said "Give me a refund for the gas that I didn't use" and he told me I was responsible for it, even though it was a broken pump. I said there had been over 25 gallons pumped onto the gas station floor and without hesitation he called me a liar and told me "your model car holds over 30 gallons of gas, please leave". I pulled out my manual, took him outside, showed him my car holds 16, and that I already had 8 gallons in it... He said "I can give you $5" and I told him to go **** himself.

Not only did me lie to me, call me a liar, and then mock me with 5 dollars, but he tried to cover up the massive spill my throwing kitty litter on it! That doesn't make it go away, it just makes flamable kitty litter! I went inside and told him if he didn't give me a full refund and clean it properly I was going to report him. He didn't so I did. I watched as he was fined $5,000 for not properly reporting/cleaning the spill, and his station was shut down completely for the rest of the day!!! :)

If only he had just given me my refund... he wouldn't have had to deal with the fine and the (probably) thousands of dollars he lost from customers that day. *middle finger*

[MagikMan74]

Well, in response to your actions, I'd have to agree that I am extremely passive. I would never force someone else to pay for something I should have been aware of in the first place. I'd never leave my vehicle just in case something like that would happen. Then again, I don't think I'd be able to sue for spilling coffee on myself either.

Also, as far as kitty litter being a poor fuel cleaner, on this point I'd have to disagree. In the absence of a proper spill kit, kitty litter makes a great cleaner. It absorbs the gasoline, thereby cutting off the fumes. As we all know it's the fumes that are flammable, not the gas itself.
Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&=&q=kitty+litter+to+clean+gas+spills&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=)

To each their own though and I'm glad you got it resolved to your liking.

[FlyBy]

when i called up the attendant, he too said its ok and he sprayed something on the gas and wiped it with a mop. I don't know if thats legal and safe?

MagikMan, what you did was good.. generally these(gas station) guys don't care much .. as its not their gas station .. and they are just working there.. if fired.. probably will take a job a next gas station.

[Skikamukazi]

In Fairfax City 10+ Gallons is reportable with penalty for not reporting. IMO gas stations are supposed to run properly, and when a pump malfunctions it isn't my fault. They call them Auto-shut-offs for a reason, I think. Although, I haven't left my vehicle while pumping gas since then. :)

Well, even if it was my fault, he was a jerk to me, and that isn't how you should treat customers. He tried to lie to me about what I claimed, how much gas my car held, and blah blah... When the fire chief and truck got to the station (I stayed and watched it all go down) the chief told me that although kitty litter can absorb most of it, it isn't the proper cleaning substance for gas spills. That particular pump malfunctioned twice that day before me, apparently, and he still had not put a sign on it that said "out of order". Not my fault.

Then again, I'm very young, and still have testosterone running through me like crazy. So when somebody acts like a dick to me, I act like a bigger one. :/

[Hawkeye]

lol skik... Luckily I have not had that issue cause on my car I would be irate. I would definitely have the exact same reaction you did!

I manually do my bike cause I can see the gas level as it is nearing the top and I can fluctuate the flow of gas to compensate.

[daw840]

This happened to me when I was a little kid. My dad let me pump gas for the first time and for some reason I squeezed the trigger on the pump handle as I was removing the nozzle from the tank. I basically showered myself in gasoline and let me tell you, that **** burns like hell itself.

[FlyBy]

now i always fill gas without that lock and take utmost care.

[MichaelW]

How are you guys even getting the nozzle in far enough to set the lock? We have those vapor catchers on our pumps and if you try to put it into your tank and set the lock it will stop after you have about 1 gallon in the tank. For me to fill up, I have to pull the vapor barrier back by hand to get the pump to begin dispensing the fuel. So I am standing over the tank for the whole 2 minutes it takes to put up to 3 gallons into my tank.

And yes, I still have dribbled a couple of times. But without any damage to the paint as most clear coats now-a-days have an additive specifically designed to combat gas and more importantly WD-40 that eats paint far more than any gas will.

After dribbling I usually spray on a coat of Lemon Pledge to polish up and re-wax the tank. ;)

[treecutter]

my wife works at an irvings gas station/restaurant and she came home one day anand told me this story. this lady pulls up to the pump inserts her credit card puts on the autolock goes into the store comes back out gets into her car and drives away..... rips the the hose right off the gas pump fuel is now pumping out onto the ground stright from the pump ninety gallons later irvings was able to shut the pump down and it all went on that ladys credit card. this was when fuel was way over three dollars a gallon.

[FlyBy]

my wife works at an irvings gas station/restaurant and she came home one day anand told me this story. this lady pulls up to the pump inserts her credit card puts on the autolock goes into the store comes back out gets into her car and drives away..... rips the the hose right off the gas pump fuel is now pumping out onto the ground stright from the pump ninety gallons later irvings was able to shut the pump down and it all went on that ladys credit card. this was when fuel was way over three dollars a gallon.

Holy cow.. 90 gallons on the ground :eek:... man that would have hurt the lady.

[EatSomeIron]

Ever since reading this I've been extra careful filling my bike with gas...
Thanks for the info.

[FlyBy]

Ever since reading this I've been extra careful filling my bike with gas...
Thanks for the info.

Yup, don't ever trust the gas nozzle lock.

[LWRider]

Hmmm That explains why many of the stations around here have the lock taken off. So many did that I thought it might have been the law in Florida, but lately more and more do have locks. Maybe the law changed lately.

Mike

[eaglerider94]

I agree with Goliath, NEVER use the auto setting. Not only do you risk the problem you ran into increasing the possibility of a fire, the nozzle could have popped off and scratched or even dented your tank.
Lesson learned.

[Ramazith]

How are you guys even getting the nozzle in far enough to set the lock? We have those vapor catchers on our pumps and if you try to put it into your tank and set the lock it will stop after you have about 1 gallon in the tank. For me to fill up, I have to pull the vapor barrier back by hand to get the pump to begin dispensing the fuel. So I am standing over the tank for the whole 2 minutes it takes to put up to 3 gallons into my tank.

And yes, I still have dribbled a couple of times. But without any damage to the paint as most clear coats now-a-days have an additive specifically designed to combat gas and more importantly WD-40 that eats paint far more than any gas will.

After dribbling I usually spray on a coat of Lemon Pledge to polish up and re-wax the tank. ;)

I'm wondering this too. Same deal. Have to hold the boot up. With my C50, even if I could pump gas without holding up the boot, there is no way I could get a full tank before the auto shut off with how far the nozzle would be shoved in. And the way I'd have to hang the nozzle in the filler hole? Not safe.

[Dodger]

That has happened to me one time filling my bike. I caught it pretty quickly though so I didn't get a lot of gas on my tank. I used the window washer squeegie to rinse it off and dried it with paper towels then washed and waxed it when I got home.

[Tdubb]

This has nothing to do with motorcycles, or a faulty pump, but its a funny gas story.

I worked at Macaroni Grill a long time ago, and on my way to work I had to stop and get some gas. Of corse I was running late too, so I was in a hurry. I thought, oh I'll just put in enough to get me to work. So I pump about $2 and pull out the hose. Well I forgot to let go of the **** lever, and sprayed gas all over my pants. Well there was a Ross right next door so I ran in grabbed a new pair of pants, and was off to work.

So I changed my pants in the parking lot and headed on in. Well I still reaked of gas, not to mention my thighs and my junk was starting to burn. To make a long story short, they sent me home and I showered, took a bath, and showered again. DO NOT LEAVE GAS ON YOUR SKIN!!

And from then on my nickname was Gas. In fact at the NINJA concert, I was walking along, and someone recognized me and was yelling out Gas hey Gas....man that was crazy, I haven't been called that it almost 12 years

[FlyBy]

hehe boy now that is a funny story :D

[nogoa]

I was in some station one day filling up whatever car/truck I had at the time when an older womans tank starts overflowing(nothing like remembering all the details). I just grabed my reciept of the pump when I look over and see this. She decides to pull the nozzle out. Well she looked like a fireman puting out a 4 alarmer and there must have been 3-5 gallons all over the place by the time I hit the emergency stop button. By the time the attendant came out I was pulling out onto the road. Didn't feel like BBQ since I had just eaten.

Don't know if the lock didn't pop or the valve stuck, but that woman had no clue how to remedy the situation. She would have flooded the whole parking-lot waiting for help.

[m1garand]

This happened to me around 1 month back don't remember exact date but it happened like this.

me and my brother started on our bikes from office and i was already in "reserve" so i told him i need to refuel it. He said lets do it at Costco which is around 1 mile from my house and i agreed.
When i reached Costo it was around 8.45pm and there were very few cars at the gas station so i picked a pump and decided to fuel. I had rode my bike for aorund 32 miles on reserve so the tank was near empty and i was wondering how much gas it will take ..and so i put the pump nozzle in the tank start fueling and put the pump nozzle lock on.

Everytime i do this and when the tank is full, the nozzle unlocks automatically and the pump stops, than i manually top it off. This time the nozzle stayed in lock position and i was looking at the pump meter to check how much fuel is going in. the meter read 3.75 gallons and i saw a fountain of gas comming out of the tank. I quickly pulled out the nozzle and it stopped. It might have easily spilled around half gallon of fuel on my bike. I was **** scared by this time coz i had already rode around 24 miles and the pipes and engine were hot. I did saw some fumes coming out from the hot surface but luckily nothing happened and i called the gas station attendant who said he needs to spray something on the spilled gas on the ground and that would be ok. I manually pulled my bike away from the pump and allowed it to dry for sometime, got lots of napkins and wiped it off and carefully turned the ignition key on and started the bike... nothing happened and i rode home.

man .. from that day .. i never trust the nozzle locks and i always refuel it manually .. checking the level in the periodically :)



lol, i had a similar story happen to me. i was taking my bike with my dad and little brother and sister when we decided to fill the gas tank on my bike. well im really new to this kinda stuff, but this is how it went. well i stuck the nozzel in the tank and turned it on. well i wanted to see the level of the gas in the tank so i pulled up the nozzel to the tank just a little and the back pressure (or maybe my stupidity:biggrin:) i held on to the trigger and sprayed about a half gallon of gas all over my truck bed and all over my bike. nothin happened but my little sister got pretty badly sprayed.:thumbsdown: