Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting noise from gas filler cap

so i had the car running today while i was washing it and i heard this wierd noise coming from the fuel cap. at first i thought it was b/c the subs were pumping but then i listened closer and heard it coming from the cap itself. i cut the stereo off and put my ear to it and it sounded like a gurgling noise. almost as if the cap was off but it was on right and tight. is this normal or does this have anything to do w/the overflow tube? it seriously sounds like somethings open and maybe this could have something to do w/the excessive fuel consumption im dealing with. now on a 2000 svt w/48k miles, im not sure where im at. ive replaced the fuel filter and run fuel injector cleaner in it every fill up for a month straight to clean it up. what else could it be? im really lost on that noise from the gas cap. any help would be great! thanks in advance

Bet you sprayed water on or around the gas cap area? If you look closer there's a small opening to the right of the cap that's the air intake for the carbon canister that hangs under the spare tire well. You just happen to catch the evaporative system while it was in a test mode and/or the canister was being purged. Don't spray water in that opening it's possible to suck water into the canister and then into the tank/and/or engine.
Just recently did it myself and an engineer at Visteon told me not to be spraying water into that opening.
I wasn't into removing the tank to find out, I just poured a whole can of system cleaner (out of dry-gas) to make the water mix with the gas. No problems, no ice-up during the single digit temps.
Paul

Have the gas cap tested to insure it's sealing correctly. Around here you can get it done at most tire stores. If the gasket is worn or cracked, you can hear these noises as the gas cap is vented and the defective gasket affects the venting. Oddly enough, a bad gas cap can make the CEL come on as well. An improperly vented fuel system can also cause bad gas mileage. Just a thought and something that's easy to check.