Can leaving the engine running while you refill gas cause any problems? I know its recommended to shut the car off but just wanted to know if it can cause any problems?
THanks

 

you could trip an ses light or cause canister/valve problems in the emissions "junk". our fuel systems are designed to be closed systems. there are other guys here much more technical than me. they could explain the system in better detail. as far as major problems...not really, but it could cause minor issues with the fuel delivery system from what the dealer explained.

 

i remember there was a thread a while ago... since it was really cold some midwest and north east guys were doing. Being form socal i never heard of such a thing... new to me

 

I leave my car on when I pump gas

 

i have seen cars left on when its really cold.. but yeah i wouldnt see the need in a warm climate..

 

I've never left my car running when I fill up.

 

In NJ it's against the law.

 

thought this thread was a joke, but obviously i was wrong. now i have another thing to worry about? So with 80k miles, is it too late to change habits? I ALWAYS leave my car on.

 

I've never left my engine on once when filling up, nor have I ever seen it done. What would possess anyone to do that? Doesn't it state clearly on the pumps not to have the engine running?

With all the threads about poor gas mileage on this Board, this takes the cake, lol!

 

well considering that the big sign as the gas pump says to turn the car off, i figure they must know something, i turn it off

 

i dont think it takes too much man power to turn the ignition off and fill up the car, i always did it because the gas station says to...oh well never failed me so i keep i that way, and most of the time i pay with cash so i have to walk to the window and pay anyhow haha

 

they also say to tun all cell phones off. I believe the sign to turn the car off is to protect them from ANY possibility of blowing the gas station up. Cell phones (mythbuster) can set off a pump and i believe (mythbuster) an operating car can too.

 

more chance of blowing up gas station from talking on the cell phone than leaving your car on while pumping gas

 

the gas stations around here also say to not talk on cell phones.....

the reason being, both talking on the phone, having your engine running, etc. cause a static charge to build up. You ever gotten static shock? I've literally seen sparks when I touch something electrical when it's really dry in my house (winter especially). Well, your car creates electricity too, and if it's dry (primairly winter) you could theoretically get a static spark. If there happens to be some gas vapors drifting your way by some freak of bad luck...BOOM!

Better safe than sorry...it's not that freakin hard to turn off the car. Yeah, I know in the winter it's nice to have heat, but don't be such babies, and put on a jacket

 

Im going to have to agree with irish 100 percent. If you pump your own gas, turn off the car its not like its going to make THAT big of a difference keeping it on while pumping it or turning it off. Or all you babies could try to go to a full service station ... I think though, PTP, that you should turn it off, just seems like the right thing to do.

 

i have never left mine running. Dont see a purpose to deliberately ignore the signs saying to shut off the engine in huge letters. Or dont smoke. Just dont do it!

 

I have only done it one time. It was cold and windy so I left the car running with the heat on. I couldn't pump my gas fast enough. I was expecting the CEL but it did not come on.

 

always off as well

 

Humm, interesting comments, well just for the record I always turn my car off but not cause I thought it was detrimentrial(sp) to the maxima but cause of the signs for saftey and all. I had a debate with someone who was arguing it was bad for the car and was like no way but guess I am wrong.
thanks.

 

Have you ever run your car without closing the gas cap (or closing it, but not tightly enough)?

I have. I ended up with a Service Engine Soon light for about two weeks. I'm not going to comment on the possible dangers of filling your car while the engine is running, but I can say from firsthand experience that running the car with the gas cap open or loose can result in an SES light. For those of you who do it all the time, I don't know how you avoid the SES light.

 

Always turned it off.... like already mentioned... the signs and the threat of static electricity are a big hint...

 

Are you guys just slow gas pumpers? Do you hang out inside the gas station reading **** mags? Lol. How long do you really take to pump a full tank? If your car is heated, sure it's going to cool down while you're out there filling her up, but if you CLOSE THE DOORS while you're outside of the car, it shouldn't become an arctic wasteland inside during the few minutes while the engine isn't running.

On a different (but still related) note:

I don't know if any of you watch Myth Busters, but they had a show last season where they tested all of the "fire at a gas station" stories. It turns out that it's damn near impossible to ignite gasoline using a cell phone. It's VERY possible to start a fire with static discharge, though. Lots of synthetic fibers build up static charges very easily, especially in the winter when the air is dry. The problem gets even worse if you enter and exit your vehicle while fueling (your clothes can pick up static from rubbing across the car seats). If you get out, start pumping, get in to enjoy the warmth, and then get out again to remove the nozzle from your gas tank, you increase the risk of static discharge considerably.

What does all this mean? Not much to most of you. It turns out that women cause more gas station fires than men, because they are much more likely to sit in their cars while fueling (sometimes they get bored, sometimes they're cold, sometimes they just MUST listen to the radio, etc.).

 

I turn my car off at the pump, but it kills me sometimes. Since having my maxima, I can recall two occassions when I left the car running at the pump; sorry, it was cold!

Also, I hate gas stations without the auto pump lever. They are the worst.

 

I've seen a couple of videos on the net where your clearly see people getting blasted by ***** of fire at gas stations (one I recall is a woman that goes back in her car while fueling - example of spiromax).

For safety of you and others, and for the environnement, just turn you car off. There's no good reason not to. even when its -40 outside.

actually, there may be one good reason... if you just got boosted. but otherwise, be responsible and turn it off.

 

The main safety reason IMO is they don't want a running car accidently put into gear and running into a gas pump or something. The car running does not really pose a threat by itself. Don't they refill race car with the engine running?

 

i really dont see a reason to leave it on, what its really goin to get that cold in the cabin?
and then as said above - there are so many of us that complain about high fuel use.
This thread just made me laugh

 

Same here in Mass. All the pumps say "turn off engine before fueling" or something to that effect. I'd turn it off if I were you, 'cause you never know...

 

I just checked and like other states, it's illegal to leave your car running. Also the law atatesw that you must be 'attending' the fueling, meaning that you can't go back into your car. Probably for the static electricity reasons listed.

 

I always leave my car running while i pump. I simply touch the car before I do so to break any static charge I might have. I've never had a problem.

 

in the 103K miles I owned my car since new I never shut the engine off while refueling. Alot of times I let the engine warm up a little bit while I pump gas into the engine, gas station on the corner of my house never said anything to me, and i been going there for years. I never got a check engine light for a P1457, P1456- EVAP leaks. These days gas stations are required by the EPA to have vapor recovery systems- the big rubber boot over the filler nozzle. Basically the reason they tell ya to not top off your gas tank is cause the vapor recovery system will suck up the gas that you topped off too much, and it causes harm to the gas pump and your basically throwing money away. Unless you live in the boonies with old gas pumps then maybe I would worry bout static and fires, but todays gas stations almost all have the new style vapor recovery pumps. EPA is big bout the vapors inside the gas tanks, this is why 96 and up cars ALL have EVAP systems in their cars, and for the same reason the gas statopms have recovery pumps.

 

Did anyone ever think that in every form of motorsports they leave their car on when refueling?

On the same note though, a friends dad had his car catch on fire because he leaves it on. Most people don't leave their car on because it says not to, but there isn't a huge chance of catching fire.

 

I leave the engine running, and I smoke a cigarette too so my interior doesn't wreak................hahaha

 

recently in CT a law was brought up that would require you to turn OFF your cell phone before pumping gas. i think the fine would be around 75$ for a first offense. not sure how they would enforce it.

 

A good read about using cell phones at gas stations:

http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp

 

u serious? i always leave mine on, no one says anything about it, and ive seen a few people leave their cars on also, while filling up. i never knew there was such law..i know that its illegal to pump your own gas. since im in the car, why should i turn it off, just park, fillup, and go. yea its cold as hell too. im so used to not turnig it off.

 

i turn mine off, but i can sympatise or understand at least with the ppl that do it...it gets flippin freezin up here...and wisconsin, and chicago. if you live down south, and say we're wimps about the cold...you stand outside and pump gas at -7*F with a wind chill of -32* i bet your azz would leave the car runnin. you guys think 50*F is cold! we wear shorts when it gets above 36*F. as for the vapor recovery...none in upstate use it. maybe in the city, but syracuse, rochester, buffalo...non that i have ever seen, and most don't have the latch that locks the fuel on either as one mentioned. its nice with the latch cause you can go grab some coffee or look at **** in the station while its filling but it aparently against the law in some states. the latch is common in wisconsin, but i hardly ever see it here. i am sure it has something to do with it not releasing when the tank is full.

 

you jersey guys gotta pay for full service...aren't you the only state with that law? it kinda pissed me off the first time i experienced goin to the johnson park meet near rutgers university last yr cause the attendant was rude about me stayin in the car, and i wanted clean my windows and get some stuff out of the trunk...then he told me it was the law...maybe to cut down on gas station jackings? lol

 

i always leave the car on, unless i'm going in to pay or pick up something else.

 

Yup. It's one of those "soft" laws. Along with pumping my own gas, I personally never obey it. BTW, if the attendant doesnt like me pumping my own gas, then come to my car sooner.

 

wow, i also thought this was a joke thread. i nearly lost a good friend 3 years ago on spring break because he wanted to leave the car on while pumping and i insisted it be turned off.