Gas cap leaking?

[>:^|]

I just noticed that my gas tank seems to be overflowing and leaking. The area all around the gas door and gas cap is wet and there is a small puddle of gasoline under the car. The car is parked on level ground, the tank is full, and I haven't driven it in two or three days. The weather is mild here, not hot.

Why would the cap leak if the car is on level ground? Is there a problem with some kind of pressure building up in the tank? I seem to remember that some older cars had tank vents. Or can I just replace the gas cap?

This is a 91 Honda Civic.

And here's the most pressing question: Will the car turn into a huge fireball if I drive it anywhere? :unsure:

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

[537]

When you take the fuel cap off to fill up, do you hear a rush of air from the receptacle? This is one of the main things to pay attention to as a vehicle's fuel system must retain a complete vaccuum, and not hearing that could mean this is not happening. What results is fuel leaking from the receptacle (if the gas cap is faulty) or might point to something worse, like a fuel leak elsewhere. My advice to you would be to try to determine where the leak is actually stemming from.

Driving the vehicle while it is leaking fuel is dangerous. While it won't automatically turn into a fireball, the car is still leaking a very flammable/combustible substance and shouldn't be disregarded...

[>:^|]

537, thank you for your response. (I feel like a moron.)

It definitely seems to be leaking through the cap. I took the gas cap off and the gasket seems to have gotten deformed. But I guess I still wonder why it would leak if the car is parked on a flat surface? Fumes? Evaporation? I don't want to be missing something else really obvious that might not be obvious to car-impaired folks like myself.

By the way--giant fireballs are a common site on the expressway here, so I always figure I could be next. ;)

Gonna make somebody else pick up the cap for me, thanks.

[537]

It can still leak out of a faulty cap because the fuel tank system is basically one giant pump. One would think that air would just seep into the tank, but the opposite happens, and fuel siphons out.

Following your gas cap replacement, be sure to check on it once in a while to ensure another problem doesn't exist. Hope everything goes well!

[>:^|]

Thanks! :)