Fuel cap is stuck

[Solarstorm]

Mine is about 5.5 years old and having trouble with this - considering a replacement

[BoxerBoy]

When I met the stuck flap problem, I rushed to my nearest dealer at 4.55pm on a Friday afternoon with minimum fuel.

A knowledgeable technician who'd seen the same problem a few times forced open the flap with a screwdriver, allowing me to fill up and get home ok.

Next day I eliminated the problem by converting the flap to non-locking by simply breaking off a small piece of plastic where the dodgy solenoid pin rotates and engages with the flap.

I've slept happily ever since.

When did you last have your fuel tank siphoned??

[SamsterXX]

I got sick and tired of this issue years ago so simply cut the wire sending power to it. Now it shuts perfectly flush and to open it I push it in and it pops open, do the same to close. Simple

[Mitchoadventuretours]

First time poster - a few years watching.

Firstly kudos to those ahead of me in the discussion for fixing the intermittent fuel filler release and special thanks to the person posting the detailed photos. My story is one of intermittent operation and on reading this posting and being on a highway trip one greater than the tank range one Sunday recently, read the postings and wasted a fair portion of a can of WD40 whilst cycling the central locking and got in -short term crisis averted.

 

With a bit more testing I concluded that it was more likely something either intermittent in the electric motor, sending signal or perhaps the resistance in the internal mechanical moving parts and the WD40 wasn't really the cure, but spreading enough around made me feel better. Either way I couldn't rely on the part and had to remove it.

 

Longer term though, I pulled it all apart and didn't see any signs of corrosion as is the experience of some others. The motor and mechanism though is an engineering work of art and in my humble experience, just too complex for its own good and surely prone to something going wrong. I read the post about just cutting the lead in wire and probably should of done this (was nervous about the Canbus computer getting excited about something missing and creating larger problems), but in the end, removed the motor and all the moving parts from the actuator chasis and re-inserted. To ensure that the motor didn't flog around, wrapped in cotton cloth and taped and merely left it hidden in place behind the filler skirting. This means that the plastic outer door now closes perfectly, but the panel gaps are so perfect that I can't get my fingernails in to open the lid and have found an approx 2mm thick (needs to be thick enough for the strength required) flat plastic "finger" that I now keep in the car. In essence this means that the filler caps looks shot and indeed a punter on the street can't push it open (I removed all the moving parts in side including the spring) and won't fly open by itself but at a servo, the little plastic "finger" is needed to pry it open.

 

Having said all of this I then got an attack of the self concsious (silly me) and went and bought the genuine replacement part for A$120ish and looking at it thought this shouldn't be too hard to fit as its a light weight push on plastic electrical connector to the flex. Trouble is you can't get to this through the filler cap (even with everything removed) and can't get to it through the wheel arch (yes tried this) and only way is likely  through a half dismantalling of the trim from the boot. Perhaps a job for another day...

 

Dealer wasn't too suprised at me asking for one, but when I asked was it common - "no not really - but we've sold a few".

 

Now if only I can work out how to pull the boot lining apart....

[spk]

I've also had this problem last night on my 2011 Superb when trying to fill up to get home from work.

 

Luckily a quick bit of searching on my phone and the idea of gently pressing on the filler hatch door whilst unlocking the car released it. Pressing firmly didn't appear to help. In all cases when pressing on the filler door I could feel the mechanism trying to do something each time. It seemed only the gentle pressure helped. After that it seemed to work normally.

 

Rubber seal around the locking pin looks fine to me so I'm not sure if there's been much water ingress without dismantling stuff which I don't really want to do right now.

 

On 11/01/2017 at 21:25, silver1011 said:

I had the same issue. Once the flap was open I squirted lots of WD40 on and around the little spring loaded push button and then clicked it in and out manually with my finger several times to work the WD40 into the mechanism. Been fine ever since.

 

I think I'll try this approach, possibly with some silicone spray lube if such a thing exists!

 

Cheers,

Steve

[chimaera]

On 26/8/2017 at 04:47, Mitchoadventuretours said:

Having said all of this I then got an attack of the self concsious (silly me) and went and bought the genuine replacement part for A$120ish and looking at it thought this shouldn't be too hard to fit as its a light weight push on plastic electrical connector to the flex. Trouble is you can't get to this through the filler cap (even with everything removed) and can't get to it through the wheel arch (yes tried this) and only way is likely  through a half dismantalling of the trim from the boot. Perhaps a job for another day...

 

Now if only I can work out how to pull the boot lining apart....

When I was fitting the wiring for a towbar on my first Superb, I had a look at the wiring to the fuel filler release as on that car it was failing to lock. There's actually no access to the fuel filler neck from the inside of the boot - it's all in the space between the inner and outer panels.

 

The surround on the filler neck inside the flap is removable though (you may have found this out already).

Edited 15 September, 2017 by chimaera

[spk]

The WD40 'fix' seems to have lasted a bit less than 10 days.

 

Sounds like the only real fixes are disable the locking or replacing the mechanism...?

 

Cheers,

Steve

[Plutoidefix]

Have / Had the same issue. Press the lid while pressing the open door switch on your key. It then releases ok. Else need to removesome interior in boot and reach a wire in there..

[S00perb]

Took a friends car to the dump a few weeks back. She almost had a full tank of petrol. We decided to empty it out for the mower. The guys at the dump said "all the best with that" - I have a sealey oil vacuum pump, so stuck that down the fuel filler. It didn't work - couldn't work, the car was designed way back in the '80s to prevent syphoning. Can't remember when I last heard of a car syphoned - who the hell is going to try it?

You are safe to disable the lock I reckon

[Jack_Lewis]

On 24/12/2012 at 02:44, GreenLinerToo said:

Just keep trying the lock/unlock whilst holding in slightly, eventually it will open, I've spent 5 frustrating minutes doing this before now, it's a pain that my dealer will be sorting in the New Year. I leave mine open now until it's fixed.

 

Hello All,

 

just wanted to express my gratitude to this thread and especially GreenLinerToo’s advice. I went to refuel today and found I couldn’t open the flap after pulling up to the petrol bowser. Bloody hell! Of course it has to happen on Christmas Eve and it’s a Sunday to boot meaning I can’t even ring up a dealer/service Centre for advice.

 

Spent five minutes pushing on the flap and trying all combinations of locking/unlocking and push on flap. No good. Finally turned to Dr Google and up came this thread amongst others.

 

The first thread I read suggested getting to the catch and solenoid from the boot by ripping out the sidewall’s carpet. I had a look and realised that I could probably rip it out but if I did I probably wouldn’t be able to put it back, at least not as nicely as the factory finish.

 

Then I found this thread and GreenLinerToo’s advice. Sure enough by pressing slightly on the fuel flap whilst pressing the unlock button on the key did the trick. It now opens and closes fine.

 

just want to express m gratitude for the advice. Cheers, Merry Christmas and good will to all.

 

By the way, mine’s is a 2012 Superb. Everything is sealed, I can’t see any obvious lubrication points for me to spray with WD40. The locking pin seems to have a rubber sleeve fitted to it, so spraying that won’t do any good.

 

 

Edited 24 December, 2017 by Jack_Lewis

[silver1011]

Spraying the sprung loaded pin does help.

 

Despite the seal WD40 is viscous enough to get past it.

[Val_Marin]

Just had this trouble on my 2012 superb today. Fortunately i managed to open it after a lot of trying... almost all day long. Took the lock away and disassembled it. It actually looked pretty good inside... no corrosion, rust etc.  The issue perhaps was related to the fact that the moving part which is plastic slides in the plastic box and runs a bit loose... and there wasn't any lube at that slide. So a little bit of wear and tear on that slide and the plastic part is easy to get stuck. This can be helped if the fast thread is not very well adjusted regarding the position of the moving lock in open position. Anyway i put some silicon oil on the sliding plastics and all works Ok now. Also fyi there is no way for emergency release as long as i can see. There was no release cable etc.  The relese pin which is behind a rubber protrusion works fine if it is pushed upwards. But the pin is unreachable because it is behind the metal in the recess. I cut a small channel behind the release pin with the drill and filed it smooth.  Now i can reach the pin from below the weel and open the lock in emergency.

[jafo]

@Val_Marin

 

Can you post some photos ?

[Val_Marin]

Unfortunately I didn't take any and now it's too late. But there are plenty online. If you need some specific details I can annotate an existing picture for you.

[Arcadash]

Superb L&K 2012

Thanks for the images of the Actuator Mechanism, and the suggested fix.

However.

I fix clocks and classic motorcycles. The Bikes need lots of grease and oil. The clocks need almost none, reason being that the bearings do not actually get a lot friction wear.

Problem with grease is that the volatiles evaporate and the residue starts to set into a hard lump.

When I opened the mechanism, I found no water ingress or rust, but the white lubricant was starting to set.

I cleaned it all out of the screw and motion train, and put a light grease smear on the push in/out button as that is a manual function, but not the screw.

In the screw and motion train, I used a PTFE spray on the parts such as the screw thread and the bottom of the plastic slider which moves when the actuator is activated. There is an interference fit between the casing and the bottom of the slider which needs to be as frictionless as possible. 

In some of the images there appears to be a lot of LM grease, which IMHO is far too heavy for such a light mechanism, even though it actuates probably over 1000 times a year when the vehicle is opened and closed.

 

Options.

If you are lucky enough to have the flap click mechanism working so that the flap doesn't lock, but does click open and closed, for £20 including postage, you can get a locking fuel cap, lifetime guarantee, and 2 keys.

That is if you don't wish to remove the mechanism which is easy but as mentioned, do not loose the small spring bent a bit like a hairclip or you will be in serious trouble. Take it to bits with the unit inside a "see through" plastic bag. Pretend you are a brain surgeon.

 

Lubrication hole. Yep, possible, but it may mean removing the flap first, but you won't need to open the unit casing. I will experiment and see if it is possible to get a small hole to line up from the inside of the flap with a rubber plug

to seal it.

[skywalker070369]

On 12/08/2014 at 23:02, Pics4Yew said:

These are the photos that were supposed to be in the post from CombatWombat. that he couldn't upload.

In the first photo the lock has only just been opened. The white grease is clean, but not very 'wet'. The rusty metal is the ratchet spring.

I was hoping to drill a hole to get some lube in next time without dismantling this, but there wasn't an obvious place where an access hole would lube everything (Silver1011). The motor isn't sealed, so any oil added may bu99er it.

In the third picture, the long, pointy bit with a half sphere on its end is there to allow you to operate the lock manually via a rubber bulb that is sealed onto the upper cover. This is of no use when your fuel flap is stuck shut, except perhaps by removing the road wheel and arch liner and only then if you have long arms. The slender, pointy bit highest in that photo is the locking pin. Inside this assembly is the 'quick thread' (coarse thread) that slides the locking pin into place.

The fourth photo is the re-greased assembly without the motor in.

And the fifth is just as the covers are due to go back together.

HTH.

 

[skywalker070369]

Good evening, does anyone have any pictures of how the spring goes please

[2006edr]

Having a problem where the fuel flap won't lock. It just remains unlocked, (2012 Superb.) It did lock intermittently but now it appears to have failed completely. I looked at the part on the left that can be depressed by hand behind the fuel flap and it's completely dead when the fob is pressed to lock. I'm probably just going to get a locking fuel cap for now. Is it possible a faulty fuel flap mechanism could cause the battery to discharge more quickly than normal?

Edited 12 October, 2021 by 2006edr

[ethel]

On 12/10/2021 at 11:44, 2006edr said:

Having a problem where the fuel flap won't lock. It just remains unlocked, (2012 Superb.) It did lock intermittently but now it appears to have failed completely. I looked at the part on the left that can be depressed by hand behind the fuel flap and it's completely dead when the fob is pressed to lock. I'm probably just going to get a locking fuel cap for now. Is it possible a faulty fuel flap mechanism could cause the battery to discharge more quickly than normal?

This sounds like the infamous dead/stuck solenoid problem. I'm not sure whether it would cause a drain - I suspect that if the car senses that it's locked the doors and boot then it won't bother continuing to send power to energise the fuel filler, although if it does, maybe repeated unsuccessful attempts to pull the lock into place might cause battery problems?

 

If I recall correctly it was around £120 to get mine replaced but they are a weak point so I expect it'll likely do it again..

 

If you're going down the route of getting a locking filler cap it might be worth having the solenoid disconnected at the same time to negate the possibility of the battery drain you mention.

 

Hope you manage to sort it one way or another anyway.

D

Edited 18 October, 2021 by ethel
spulleng

[2006edr]

Thanks for the response.

 

I bought a locking fuel cap.

 

Is it fairly easy to disconnect the fuel flap solenoid?

[ethel]

Ah - sounds like a nice simple solution.

 

As for disconnecting the solenoid, I'm afraid I honestly couldn't tell you but I am certain  that there are others here who can.

 

Hopefully it' pretty simple anyway.

 

Cheers,

D.

[AndyLake23]

Also happened to my Superb 2014, I managed to get it open using a plastic paint scraper without damaging it with little force.

I removed the T20 Torque screw and pulled the full Petrol component out (was really easy, with some wriggling) and have temporarily removed the actuator as in pushed to the void on the left so its not locking now,  but I know I can at least open the fuel cap with my finger until I get the part from Ebay or Aliexpress. Believe the  part for this a Actuator 3T0810773.

Andy

 

[CzechPassat]

OK, Just having this problem with my 2010 Superb estate, luckily it has nearly a full tank of fuel, only discovered the issue because I was looking for the tyre pressures!

 

2 days of wiggling and I still cant open it, I've ordered a new catch from the dealer and it should be here in 2 days (just under £40).

 

Does anyone know how I can open this without causing any damage as the wiggle and fidget method doesn't work?

[CzechPassat]

OK, as nobody had an answer.... I applied masking tape around the flap and used some gentle persuasion with a nylon trim removal tool, took about 20 mins of locking, unlocking, gentle levering and thumping, eventually it came free. 

 

Changing the lock itself was the easy bit, took about 10 minutes. I cheated slightly, didn't remove all the trim in the boot, just cut and joined the wire with solder and heat shrink.

[chimaera]

As I pointed out several posts back, there's no access to this from inside the boot even with the trim removed. I think you can get to it from the wheel arch if you remove the liner.