Stealth Operator

Something to note, if your car is still under warranty, your parts should be replaced free of charge.

slalom44

I believe S2K Mayhem is right. If you fo a search, you'll find that this topic has been discussed in the past several times. The fuel filler tube on some cars likely has some deformed threads. A new cap seems to work because the surfaces are smooth but over time, the mismatch causes them to chaffe.

I had my gas cap replaced under warranty last year as well (the only time my car has seen the dealer since I bought it). The problem with my gas cap backing out went away. But I've noticed that over time, it's getting harder to screw the cap in, suggesting that I'm probably going to need to replace the cap again some time in the future. This second gas cap is starting to act like the first one did.

mikegarrison

Oh great. 37K miles on the odo.

-Mike

S2K Mayhem

Slalom44, you're absolutely correct. A new cap solves the problem for a while, but the only permanent fix is to replace the filler tube. For those who go to have this done by your dealer, be advised that the gas tank needs to be no more than 1/4 full. The actual replacement takes about a half hour by your average Honda Tech, no big deal.

johns

Does anyone have a copy of the service bulletin they can post?

That probably won't do me any good since I am out of warranty but I can try.

I'll just add this problem to the long list of poor quality items on this car.

Thanks to everyone who has replied.

Ludedude

Actually, the gas cap is considered part of the emissions system on these cars. If that's the case then the system must be warrantied by Federal law for a specified period that normally exceeds the manufacturers warranty. The issue is that the gas cap, while part of the system, isn't considered a "major component" like the cat and ecu.

If the filler neck is poorly designed or manufactured and your car is leaking gasoline fumes to the atmosphere then you probably have a good argument for getting this crap fixed for free.

S2K Mayhem

Ludedude is correct. If those of you who have an issue as described in this post, check the Warranty Information booklet which came with your S. Under "Emission Parts List", Parts Covered for 3 years/50,000 Miles (or 7 years/70,000 miles) by Emissions Warranties, you'll see under Evaporative Emissions Control System, "fuel fill pipe and cap" listed. These parts unfortunately don't get any additional coverage for time, but they do for mileage. If you need a new fill tube, your coverage for this part is 3 years 50,000 miles for US sold vehicles, instead of the usual 3 years 36,000 miles.

mikegarrison

Hey, thanks for the tip! I'm still under the 3 years (just barely). Great incentive to take care of this ASAP. I called the dealer and they looked up the TSB (04-002) and the emissions warranty and said that it should be covered. Appt. on Fri.

mikegarrison

Update: I made an appt with the dealer, telling them exactly what TSB I was referencing. When I got there, they hadn't looked it up, nor had they ordered the parts. They eventually had a tech look at the fuel filler tube, and he said something like "that ain't right". So they ordered the parts.

So two weeks later (when the parts had come in) I took the car back to the dealer. Once again I had to tell them about the TSB. But this time since the parts were in, they agreed to do the job. They just called me and told me the car is ready to go (but I haven't seen it yet).

Oh, and they did it under "goodwill" warranty. None of the techs even bothered to listen to me when I told them that as an emissions part it is actually covered under a 50K mile warranty.

Hopefully it will all be fine when I pick the car up tonight.

swtazn97

I had that gas cap seal problem too. Tri doing this: Instead of tighning the gas cap from the middle grippy thing....Firmly hold the gas cap from the outside ends and tri doing the 3 click thing. it seals alot better that way.