After overfilling my gas tank on my '00 E320, my gas gauge & computer readout is no longer accurate AND I have the distinct smell of gas in my garage after two weeks. No sign of leaking anywhere? Any suggestions?
It's probably worth a call to the service advisor at your stealership to ask for their input. My guess is you'll have to actually replace the canister, typically once they are hit with liquid they're usually ruined, but the SA should confirm/deny that based on a simple phone call.
Canisters are a pretty easy changeout (but not so easily paid for, particularly since it's a dealer item), so it's a DIY job if you're a DIY guy.
Take care and enjoy the ride,
Greg
__________________ If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice. Meister Eckhart
When you learn from your own mistakes, that's experience.
When you learn from the mistakes of others, that's wisdom.
When you fail to learn from any mistakes, that's government.
so i understand this... you should never top off your tank with a few more clicks?
In a word, no.
Pretty much everything US certified since around 1980 has a charcoal canister and a sealed system. How the vapor lines are run, etc. affects how easily liquid fuel can get into the canister, but if you overfill enough you'll ultimately splash the canister with liquid fuel, and that destroys it. How much you can safely put in after the nozzle clicks off is an open question, at current gas prices you'd probably be safe with 50 cents, but why take the chance?
If you live in a state that requires vapor recovery fuel nozzles, they actually do a much better job of filling your tank to a safe limit before "clicking off" than do the non-VR type.
I've been doing that my whole life. Usually we put close to a gallon after first click out. Never had a problem.
I know exactly what you mean, Kaj, I've done it on most cars I've owned, too; maybe I've just been lucky never to trash a canister. But I'd hate to suggest to someone that they go ahead and do it and then they end up flooding the canister, particularly on a pricey Benz product. Generally speaking I tend to be rather conservative with the suggestions I toss out on the forums, following that old rule of better safe than sorry. Or whatever it is.
What are the symptoms/effects of a trashed canister?
A few months ago, I filled my car up at a defective pump. The pump didn't shut off when the gas tank was full.
The tank expanded from the pressure and when I pulled the nozzle out, the recoil shot the gas back out of the car several feet for about 10-20 seconds. I know I got fuel in the vapor return line, since the engine stumbled a great deal afterwards as the ECU tried to cope with the raw fuel.
Vehicle: 2001 E320 - Brilliant Silver/Ash: MBCA member
Location: The Mountain State
Posts: 6,363
There is a warning label visable when I open the door to access the fuel filler cap on mine that clearly states: Do not top off. Thanks to the contributors here for explaining the reason.
__________________
Ich liebe meinen Mercedes-Benz!
Linear Mode
