I have recently purchased a 1991 e250 camper van. On my first trip, I stopped to fill the gas tanks. When I filled the front one, the gas pumped never clicked off and gas was pouring from underneath the van. Any ideas what would cause this?

 

You have to crawl under and look

 

The gas pump nozzle detects a "full condition" by use of a venturi tube in the dispensing pipe. Gasoline backup blocks the venturi and trips the handle linkage if it's working correctly. I don't see the problem being on your end unless you've smelled raw gasoline or caused a puddle while driving.

 

I once had a gas pump do this with my E150 and freaked out--thought it was a blown fuel hose between my filler neck and tank--but it never happened again. I can only attribute it to a bad gas nozzle. It was at Costco, where the pumps are maintained very well.

Did you have the nozzle in with the bend facing downward? If you put it in upside down or sideways the sensor may not work properly.

Let's assume it's OK...

George

 

I tried it right side up and upside down. No change. It did it at every gas pump that I stopped at, from michigan to South Carolina.

 

Am I understanding this correctly---gasoline leaks from under the van during filling, not splashing back out through the filler neck opening in the body side?

If that's the case then Vettex2 offers the best advice---has to be a problem with the filler neck tubing leading into the fuel tank.

This is something I'd want to look into ASAP---could be a very dangerous situation.

PLEASE let us know what you eventually find with this---could possibly be of huge help to another at some point.

 

Did the previous owner have the tanks worked on? It the pump/sender unit wasn't securely fastened, that would leave a 3 inch hole open at the top of the tank. If the fill pipe was leaking, it should have started dumping fuel as soon as the gas nozzle was turned on. There is also a fuel vapor vent hose in a grommet on top the tank, about 1 inch diameter.

I think if I were dumping fuel, I would have stopped filling that tank.
jim

 

I'm not sure if the previous owner did any work to it. I'm going to get under there this weekend and see if I can see what's going on.

 

I'm guessing that your fuel filler hose is cracked, allowing gas to pour out once the tank is full. Had the same problem a few years ago....replaced the hose with NAPA part NBH 1030, $17.49/foot per website a few minutes ago. I got 1 ft., slightly longer than necessary. I replaced the hose without dropping the tank, and I've got fat fingers...goes with the rest of my body.

 

Lol, I'm hoping it's something simply like that and don't worry my fat fingers also match the rest of my body.