Alright, so this is probably the dumbest problem I have run into with any vehicle, ever. I pulled into the gas station with my 97 4Runner and I pulled the lever to release the latch on the gas door -- nothing. The cable looks to be OK and I traced it back as much as I could in the parking lot -- looks good.

I tried reaching up on the neck coming off of the tank to release it from behind and it's blocked by the hard inner fender liner. Does anyone know if I can get to the release by pulling the panels in the cargo area? This is just stupid!

Thanks!

 

did you make sure it was still connected to the lever under the dash? I have a honda that got messed up there. It should be holding the oustide of the cable and pulling on the inner part of the cable.

 

interesting... that would suck, of course if your really in need of gas, a flat head screw driver used gently will pop it out for now until you can get it someplace to fix it (dont ask me how i know that...)

 

Theres a thin metal spring type thing on the gas tank door. If you loose that you won't be able to open the door. It happened on my camry and I had to take it to the stealership to get it fixed.

That's just my 2 cents.

 

Yeah, the cable is still connected to the lever. I got a good hold on the cable itself and I gave it a tug and it still won't pop open. Thanks for the suggestion though...

 

Isn't it crazy how something so small can be such a pain in the a$$??!! Hopefully I can get the thing open without a sawzall or torch. I'm not taking it to the dealership

 

I have the same exact problem. It would pop open, then one day, nothing. I gently pried it open and it's been half closed ever since. The latch inside the truck is fine; the door is not.

Any ideas?

 

Every time I use one of the remote release devices (hood and fuel) I think about... what do I do if this thing fails. I mentally keep track of whether the pull force needed has changed (I worry about too many things).

Once broke, if you've got a good dealer, I'd take it there. It is probably a trivial fix for them. Its too easy to make the problem worse.. scratches etc.

They are just cables... not easy to lubricate. Except the latches. Keep them greased.

Not much help after the fact. Let us know what you do to fix it, or get it fixed.

 

SAWZALL!

 

And I thought my OCD was bad. Now that u mentioned it I will probb start to do this as well. You Bastard.

 

Mine did the same thing. The little spring that pushes the door open broke. Hold the release in the release position and see if someone can push the fuel door open.When that spring breaks, the latch is locking and releasing but there is nothing to move the door out of the way of the latch.

 

DID HE SAY TORCH OH MY THAT WOULD GET THAT DOOR OPEN IN A HEARTBEAT CAN YOU SAY BOOM

 

Great suggestion - I was alone when I was trying to get it open so I could either pry on the door or pull the lever, but not both. I'll drag my wife outside to help tomorrow. If that doesn't work I'll just torch it off... I won't tell you how that went though because my fingers and face will most likely be lost to the cause

 

That's exactly what you have to do! Mine did the same thing a few months back and I had to get a random guy at the gas station to pull the release lever while I yanked open the door. It was terrible because I was making a long trip and literally had to leave the gas door cracked so I could fill up when I needed to until I could get to the stealership and get a new spring.

 

mine does the same thing, but for some reason only when it starts getting cold in the winter...but i just take my key and give it a little pry and go back and it opens up...

 

if this ever happens to my baby i'll be the first to have the "velcro mod", i'll post pics

 

With the price of gas, you don't want the door to open.

 

For one person operation you could pull the lever and clamp the cable in place with some vice grips.

 

Well until i could fix mine I bent the little arm in so the latch didn't catch it. I forgot about it until my friend was driving behind me and was like "dude everytime you turn right, your gas door swings open." I was oh thats what that sound is.

 

If it is the spring that pushes the door open, you could temporarily probably put something spunchy (sp?) between the gas cap and the door for now. That'll push it open when you pull the lever.