Gas Cap Question

[EddieC]

My (yellow E85) gas cap clicks when I assume it is tightened but I just noticed that even after that point of tightening there is some play (rocking) in the yellow part of the cap. Am I wrong to expect that it should feel snugged down and not be able to be wiggled?
I see that there is a significant O ring around the the top on the threaded snout on the cap assembly so perhaps it's sealed even though the ratchetting part wiggles after tightening. Or no?
It is the original cap from the fall of 2007, so coming up on 17 years old.

 

[OR VietVet]

My (yellow E85) gas cap clicks when I assume it is tightened but I just noticed that even after that point of tightening there is some play (rocking) in the yellow part of the cap. Am I wrong to expect that it should feel snugged down and not be able to be wiggled?
I see that there is a significant O ring around the the top on the threaded snout on the cap assembly so perhaps it's sealed even though the ratchetting part wiggles after tightening. Or no?
It is the original cap from the fall of 2007, so coming up on 17 years old.

Get a new cap soon or you will get an evap code. Not a GM product, but that happened to one of my customers and had an evap code on her 4Runner and changed the cap and the code stayed away. It would click and then still rock back and forth.

 

[mikez71]

My 2012 e85 cap seems super loose, it clicks with what seems like 1/4-1/2 turn.
First click right?

Feels like the weight of the cap is about as much pressure will be exerted on the seal...

no codes yet!

 

[OR VietVet]

You can click it as much as you want but 1 click is ok.

 

[Fless]

The number of clicks may be printed on the cap, and may vary by manufacturer.

But just because the ratchet mechanism has a little slop in the handle (after it's cinched down) it doesn't mean that it's not sealing. My cap has a bit of slop in it even though the seal is tight. If you're concerned about it, get a new cap and clean the filler tube where the o-ring meets it, and dab a bit of sil-glyde on the mating surfaces once in a while.

 

[OR VietVet]

For the love of all things Holy! It's a $15 fuel cap!

 

[Fless]

For the love of all things Holy! It's a $15 fuel cap!

And I thought you would buy only the $23 GM OE part.

 

[EddieC]

For the love of all things Holy! It's a $15 fuel cap!

Not by a long shot.
OEM GM cap is around $38+ now a days. For a gas cap!

 

[petethepug]

The yellow gas cap is a theft deterrent for those looking to steal your gas. Last thing a thief wants is e85 or a mix of e85

 

[Tahoe14]

Remember he gets his military discount at Autozone which brings the cost down, and as many parts that he buys he probably gets a corporate discount.

 

[houstontaylor]

This is kind of a side issue, but I believe gas caps have to let vent air into the tank when there is suction but prevent fumes from exiting through the cap. I was able to test the aftermarket cap I was using and it took about 2 psi of vacuum for it to allow suction on it to relieve. 2 psi of suction pressure on a plastic gas tank the size of a Tahoe's amounts to a lot of force compressing it. Information on allowable suction to open the air vent on a gas cap is hard to find but I did find some info about Ford caps and the maximum suction allowable by spec to open their cap vent was something like less than 1/2 psi. So I ordered an OEM expensive cap. When tested, the amount of suction to open that cap vent was so low it was not measurable on my hand suction pump, and certainly less than 1/2 psi, so buying a cheap cap could cause potentially problems.

 

[2591tdj]

You can click it as much as you want but 1 click is ok.

 

[mikez71]