I have a 2002 Honda Accord EX. The fuel gauge has been flawless and I have never had a problem filling the tank.

Then the incident in April - I filled up at a gas station in Tomball, TX and their pump did not properly shut off. Fuel flowed out all over the place.

Since that over-topping incident I now have two problems:

1) I can no longer fill the tank completely. The gas pump will stop and when you turn on the ignition the fuel gauge will show only 3/4 full. Sometimes the gas pump shuts off after filling only a few gallons into the tank even though the gas gauge was indicating 1/4 full when I started to re-fill the tank. I have to repeatedly start the pump to get a few tenths of a gallon into the tank each time before it stops again. Then I finally give up and drive with the fuel that I could get into the tank. Oddly, when I listen closely at the gas filler tube while placing fuel into the tank, it sounds like the gasoline is climbing up the tube and you hear the normal pressure sounds that occur as the pump reaches the automatic shut-off point.

2) Either the gas tank is actually not getting full, or it is indeed filling up and the gas gauge is no longer calibrated correctly. But the troublesome part of the situation is that the gas gauge also no longer functions normally at the bottom end of the scale. In addition to not indicating "full" after I fill up, the low fuel warning light now begins to glow when I still have about 3/8 of a tank left. It begins to illuminate far sooner than it previously did before the over-topping incident in April.

Causes???

- Does the gauge need to be recalibrated?
- Did the over-topping of the tank stir up debris and cause the sending unit to be dirty or unable to show both extremes of the voltages - when full and when nearing empty?
- Is the vent tube on the filler neck a possible problem?
- Are one or more solenoids in the tank now damaged?
- Is the charcoal canister (or the line leading to it) now full of fuel and will not let the tank properly fill up?

 

I don't know of a process of recalibrating the fuel gauge. I've had a similar overflow in our 1989 Accord and never had to recalibrate the gauge.

But if the EVAP canister has gotten soaked with fuel that should dry out over time. Get any check-engine lights? If you know your CEL is OK (no burned-out bulb) and it's not throwing any EVAP codes, then that stuff should be OK.

 

Thank you for the reply.
There were no engine codes for the canister or other items.

 

On top of the gas tank is the "Fuel Tank Vapor Control Valve", it lets air pressure vent during fueling

 

Thank you.
I will look for the valve.

 

I replaced the fuel level sending unit and it is behaving the same. I then removed the new unit and bent the metal wire to which the float is attached. I thought the angle of the wire was such that it might be hitting a semi-white cylinder attached to the top of the tank when the fuel level was full. I also thought that perhaps the wire was causing the float to contact and rest upon the small bulkhead at the bottom of the tank when the fuel level dropped to about 3/8.

Bending it a small amount has not worked. So I plan to take it out again and bend it further away from those two possible obstructions (bending it toward the left or the driver side of the car).