Pressure behind fuel cap.....

Madmo

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Hi guys can anyone (veeeight) tell me why when I remove my fuel cap to refill i get a sudden burst of pressure releasing past the cap when i loosen it off. Is this normal?
 
i get this too so im guessing so
 
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Cheers mate just wasnt sure if its normal as ive had diesel Audi's for the last 7 years and never noticed this
 
Think it's due to changes in temperature of the fuel.......
 
Yeah it's completly normal. I have had it on several petrol cars in the past. I assume it is because the fuel system is pressured. Most petrols have a release button that is pressed when you fit the cap, that releases air. It's a safety system to prevent overfilling the tank. On some cars you can manually press the button to brim the tank. Not at all advisable though as the tank could potentially explode! Eg if you brim it in the morning, park up and the sun comes out, warms the tank and pressure builds.
 
Normal.

Modern fuel systems are predominantly sealed systems, fumes aren't supposed to be released to the atmosphere, so in most cases the vapours get channeled to the EVAP charcoal canister. Then these get used when the car is in motion.

Most of the time the system will run at less than atmospheric (as the fuel gets used up, plus the EVAP vacuum checks) so the hissing noise will indicate a vacuum in the tank when you open the cap on empty, but on occasion (depending on external ambient temperature, pressure etc) it can be under positive pressure, but this is rarer.

(Not all parts of the fuel system is under pressure, just the fuel rail and injector system is under high pressure. The rest of the system is "pumped" as opposed to "high pressure")
 
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Very informative.
 
yes this is normal and you will find it does it more when empty...
 
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yes this is normal and you will find it does it more when empty...
Yeah did it on me the other day, went from a 100% full tank right down to a red light on the dash and a 35 mile range. When I opened the cap I got the whoosh sound.
 
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