Check inside the fuel fill hole after a rain storm!

[Emig5m]

Before I even put the first tank of gas in my car the chamber behind the fuel entry flap was full of water!

This could be a coupe only problem because I went to a Honda dealer right after a rain storm and walked around the lot with a salesmen and we checked a bunch of brand new Civics and it was only the coupes that had water in the chamber (I think it's because the seam of the top of the gas door lines up directly above the cap-less fuel hole but doesn't on the Sedans). Has anyone else noticed this? Sad I have to use plastic and a rubber band to seal the fuel entry to keep water out! Looks good pulling up to a gas station in a brand new car and have to play with rubber bands and plastic to fuel up. Water (and possible other contaminants such as dirt) in your fuel can't be a good thing! I would totally buy an aftermarket regular gas cap if they made one!

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[Rickmeister 48]

Before I even put the first tank of gas in my car the chamber behind the fuel entry flap was full of water!

This could be a coupe only problem because I went to a Honda dealer right after a rain storm and walked around the lot with a salesmen and we checked a bunch of brand new Civics and it was only the coupes that had water in the chamber (I think it's because the seam of the top of the gas door lines up directly above the cap-less fuel hole but doesn't on the Sedans). Has anyone else noticed this? Sad I have to use plastic and a rubber band to seal the fuel entry to keep water out! Looks good pulling up to a gas station in a brand new car and have to play with rubber bands and plastic to fuel up. Water (and possible other contaminants such as dirt) in your fuel can't be a good thing! I would totally buy an aftermarket regular gas cap if they made one!

I'll be checking mine next time it rains or I wash it.

 

[inv4zn]

I wouldn't worry about this, especially not after a rainstorm.
I would be concerned if during a car wash my gasdoor opened and high-pressure nozzles were spraying directly at the filler-flap.

I realized water is non-compressible and you don't want it in your cylinders, but think of how many Civic coupes Honda has sold, and there are no reports of engines hydrolocking.

 

[Emig5m]

I wouldn't worry about this, especially not after a rainstorm.
I would be concerned if during a car wash my gasdoor opened and high-pressure nozzles were spraying directly at the filler-flap.

I realized water is non-compressible and you don't want it in your cylinders, but think of how many Civic coupes Honda has sold, and there are no reports of engines hydrolocking.

Fill your car up with water instead of gas then and see how it runs, lol.

 

[Rizzo]

You could find a proper diameter sized plastic cup, trim it down so it fits inside the fueling compartment. The ideal sized cup would allow you to slip it over the fueling port with a friction fit. Might be better than the rubber band method. Or... a rubber plug to friction fit slightly (not enough to open the spring loaded tab) into the fill hole.

 

[Joshv06]

Before I even put the first tank of gas in my car the chamber behind the fuel entry flap was full of water!

This could be a coupe only problem because I went to a Honda dealer right after a rain storm and walked around the lot with a salesmen and we checked a bunch of brand new Civics and it was only the coupes that had water in the chamber (I think it's because the seam of the top of the gas door lines up directly above the cap-less fuel hole but doesn't on the Sedans). Has anyone else noticed this? Sad I have to use plastic and a rubber band to seal the fuel entry to keep water out! Looks good pulling up to a gas station in a brand new car and have to play with rubber bands and plastic to fuel up. Water (and possible other contaminants such as dirt) in your fuel can't be a good thing! I would totally buy an aftermarket regular gas cap if they made one!

Hey... If you have some time check out a thread I made a while back. I have a coupe and mine always fills. The problem I have is in winter it freezes so i can't even gas my car up so ignore the guy who said "who cares"...

 

[David Harper]

good OP. I'll be checking mine as soon as possible. Easy fix; go to the home center and get the correct size of rubber weather stripping. The kind with the peel-off sticky backing. Just stick it on around the perimiter of the gas door, on the inside. I did this all around the outermost door frames of my coupe (the car body, not the doors) and it keeps the water out perfectly. You don't get any at the bottom of the door frames. I also put the stuff on the sides of the hood, on the underside, where it's not sealed from the factory. No dirt or water in the engine compartment.

 

[inv4zn]

Fill your car up with water instead of gas then and see how it runs, lol.

Riight, because a couple ml's of water in a 52L tank is equivalent to "filling the car up with water." Gotcha.

All I'm saying is, given the circumstances, it's nothing to lose sleep over if you're concerned over a few drops of water. Capless systems have been around for decades and is nothing new, and as mentioned, there are no viable reports of hydrolocking. Water collecting in the spout does not necessarily mean water is entering the fuel tank. Most modern systems have two flaps and are designed to avoid this.

I'm just throwing out anecdotal evidence that it's probably not a big deal; but you do you with your car and fiddle with rubber bands if you so see fit.

Now, for that water freezing and blocking the first flap from opening, I agree that would be both annoying and concerning.

 

[Emig5m]

Riight, because a couple ml's of water in a 52L tank is equivalent to "filling the car up with water." Gotcha.

All I'm saying is, given the circumstances, it's nothing to lose sleep over if you're concerned over a few drops of water. Capless systems have been around for decades and is nothing new, and as mentioned, there are no viable reports of hydrolocking. Water collecting in the spout does not necessarily mean water is entering the fuel tank. Most modern systems have two flaps and are designed to avoid this.

I'm not worried about hydrolocking, never once mentioned it. But diluting your fuel with water can't be a good thing. Yes there's a second flap, but what do you think happens when you put the gas pump in there and open up the second flap? The water defies gravity and lifts out of the hole or falls down into the tank? Over time, continuously adding water to your tank can't be good! Keep believing that adding water (along with whatever other contaminants gets through such as dirt) to your fuel tank is a good thing!

 

[inv4zn]

I'm not worried about hydrolocking, never once mentioned it. But diluting your fuel with water can't be a good thing. Yes there's a second flap, but what do you think happens when you put the gas pump in there and open up the second flap? The water defies gravity and lifts out of the hole or falls down into the tank? Over time, continuously adding water to your tank can't be good! Keep believing that adding water (along with whatever other contaminants gets through such as dirt) to your fuel tank is a good thing!

Using the term hydrolock to mean water in combustion chamber. If you're being pedantic about it meaning water entering in the intake cycle...well, you're right. I stand by the point that it's not a big deal.

Anyway, it's not happening to my car, so there's no real reason for me to keep believing anything

I just wanted to convince you that it's really not that big a deal, as it stands. If you come back and post actual damage to your fuel system/engine with this, I will apologize profusely to you.

 

[Rickmeister 48]

Ok, it poured here last night ,so I checked. First thing i noticed is that the piece the nozzle goes in sticks out a little past where the top of the fuel door meets the body, if water dropped down in there, it would roll down the sides rather than in the hole, and secondly, I have a square hole at the bottom right in front of the flap , the flap is spring loaded with enough tension that a few drops of water couldn't open it and the hole would drain it all off any did sit there, so I'm good. Whew. lol

 

[brienp]

I live in Portland, Oregon, where, it rains 13 months out of the year, and when its not raining, its drizzling sideways and occasionally all those showers are separated by bouts of annoying mist. Anyway, Ive had my touring coupe for over a year now and have had zero issues with water in fuel system. Of course, i guess it's possible someone lives somewhere that gets more rain than here and they could have issues.

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