OK, this is an odd problem that I've just experienced this morning. Tank was only about 1/4 full, and when I tried to fill it up at the petrol station, the pump kept cutting out (as if the tank were full). By squeezing the trigger very gently I could just about dribble a few litres in, but it was too frustrating to try and completely refill.

I tried two different petrol stations, including one I'd filled up at a few days ago (with no problems then), and both gave me the same trouble.

Very puzzled - and not a little annoyed at not being able to refill properly. Any ideas about obvious things that I could check myself before having to send it off to the garage?

Hi, this is strange, maybe the fuel pipe is kinked or something giving the impression of a full tank? A friend had a hire car like that so can sympathise with you on how frustrating it was, it took about 5 minutes to put 2 litres in!

OK, this is an odd problem that I've just experienced this morning. Tank was only about 1/4 full, and when I tried to fill it up at the petrol station, the pump kept cutting out (as if the tank were full). By squeezing the trigger very gently I could just about dribble a few litres in, but it was too frustrating to try and completely refill.

I tried two different petrol stations, including one I'd filled up at a few days ago (with no problems then), and both gave me the same trouble.

Very puzzled - and not a little annoyed at not being able to refill properly. Any ideas about obvious things that I could check myself before having to send it off to the garage?

Do you push the nozzle in fully ? If so try it with the nozzle not all the way in - some pumps seem more temperamental than others. Has worked for me on numerous occasions.

Or try turning the nozzle handle 5-10 degrees one way or the other, so the fuel runs down the side of the filler tube.

Sometimes the fuel splashes back and triggers the cut out.

OK, this is an odd problem that I've just experienced this morning. Tank was only about 1/4 full, and when I tried to fill it up at the petrol station, the pump kept cutting out (as if the tank were full). By squeezing the trigger very gently I could just about dribble a few litres in, but it was too frustrating to try and completely refill.

I tried two different petrol stations, including one I'd filled up at a few days ago (with no problems then), and both gave me the same trouble.

Very puzzled - and not a little annoyed at not being able to refill properly. Any ideas about obvious things that I could check myself before having to send it off to the garage?

I get this from time to time, with ANY vehicle, it's the pumps not the vehicle. You may get this when the pumps are low on fuel themselves. Try not to push the filler nozzle in too far and lift the handle and filler pipe - alternatively keep trying a different pump!

Edited 16 January, 201115 yr by Chubbs

Do you push the nozzle in fully ? If so try it with the nozzle not all the way in - some pumps seem more temperamental than others. Has worked for me on numerous occasions.

Or try turning the nozzle handle 5-10 degrees one way or the other, so the fuel runs down the side of the filler tube.

Sometimes the fuel splashes back and triggers the cut out.

+1 to either of the above.

Usually I find if you put the filler nozzle fully into the neck and then withdraw it an inch or two, you'll be OK.

The Round "blob" on the nozzle is a back pressure valve that is there to detect a full tank. Each time the pumps are serviced, the engineer is supposed to do a pressure test on it and they don't always get it right. The valve can also go out of adjustment if someone drops the nozzle (yes it does happen).

As others have said, try another pump, try twisting the nozzle, try withdrawing the nozzle slightly from the filler neck, but be aware that as you get near to full, the pump might not cut off as readily.

I doub't it's the car, unless you have an air lock, which is unlikely. You may just have been unlucky & have followed the engineer on his rounds!

(My RS2000 is a pig to fill, as it has a saddle tank over the propshaft. The filler goes into one side and the fuel is then supposed to flow by gravity into the other side too. Some modern pumps deliver the fuel so quickly that it does indeed create an air lock and driving round the block is the only way to clear it so you can complete your refueling and get a full tank!).

I find this problem all the time on my Yeti. The answer, on mine, is to only have the nozzle in about an inch. Much further and it takes 10 minutes to fill the car. Leave it at that and it fills okay and cuts out when full.

Its splash back when filling the car causing the fuel dispenser to cut off.

All above suggestions around either nozzle not in all the way, or rotating the nozzle 5 or 10 degrees from straight down, or as i found with my previous fabia a combination will stop this happening.

I made the mistake of pulling into my local Shell's truck pump the other day. Was never a problem on the A2 filling there but on the Yeti it was a nightmare! The nozzle can't get in far enough (as it is of a far larger diameter for trucks) and it kept clicking out. Grrr. I stood there for ages drip feeding the car!

I made the mistake of pulling into my local Shell's truck pump the other day. Was never a problem on the A2 filling there but on the Yeti it was a nightmare! The nozzle can't get in far enough (as it is of a far larger diameter for trucks) and it kept clicking out. Grrr. I stood there for ages drip feeding the car!

Don't the 'truck pumps' have a faster flow rate than the regular ones? This will likely compound the problem.

Don't the 'truck pumps' have a faster flow rate than the regular ones? This will likely compound the problem.

Oh yes they do. Filled the 34 litre tank on my A2 in two ticks without cutting out! Lovely. But you have to listen when it gets to the top because the cut out did not work and if you kept it going you ended with about 4 litres of diesel squirted back out and over your leg! Not nice.

But the Yeti will now just go to the car pump - and thus normally have to join a queue, when the truck pump sits there with not a soul using it. Oh well...

Filled up with no problems today... without having to resort to jiggling the pump around :-)

Off topic:

Had a filling problem on a borrowed Vauxhall Cavalier which turned out to be a collapsed petrol tank due, apparently, to driving the car for a long distance with the breather pipe blocked, so the Vauxhall dealer's mechanic claimed.

Not cheap to fix officially - new tank plus fitting, but they did it, out of site, very quickly - sounded like a blast of compressed air was involved.

Was warned to check for leaks when filling up.

Couldn't happen to a Yeti (could it?).

Glad your problems solved.

Off topic:

Had a filling problem on a borrowed Vauxhall Cavalier which turned out to be a collapsed petrol tank due, apparently, to driving the car for a long distance with the breather pipe blocked, so the Vauxhall dealer's mechanic claimed.

Not cheap to fix officially - new tank plus fitting, but they did it, out of site, very quickly - sounded like a blast of compressed air was involved.

Was warned to check for leaks when filling up.

Couldn't happen to a Yeti (could it?).

Glad your problems solved.

Probably not. The breather pipe on my diesel is inside the filler pipe and protected by the fuel cap.