scooby2010

ok here it is.......I took the car into town yesterday and realized the fuel cap warning was blinking, so when i got home i took it off and put back on, talk to my DH he said it had been like that for a few days almost a week, this morning i went to take him to work back in town ( town is 9 miles one way) and i realized it had a 1/2 tank the day before when i went to town i now had about a little less then 1/4 tank when i got home, and it should not take 1/4 tank to go 30/40 miles at least it never has before. then i realized the emissions light was on, so i checked the book and it said it could be because of the fuel cap warning.....continue on... i go into town again and while idling at a light i noticed it felt really rough, i do what i have to do and on the way out of town fill the tank up all the way. and before i even get home, 9 miles, i'm one bar short on my gas tank ..... Anyone have any suggestions or thoughts on what is going on with my car, can you give me some ideas or should i reset the light and see if it comes on again but then whats going on with the gas issue....something just doesn't feel right here.....

Background......2006 civic ex owned since 2005, around 150,000 miles, was in a small accident about 2 months ago, lady reversed her truck up onto my hood, minimal physical damage, and they said no engine damage....never had any problems with the car ever, never any work done to it except the cam arm replacements from honda about 1 1/2 years ago, stock everything.has been the best car in the world and oil changes every 3000 miles.......

ezone

Make sure the gas cap is tight and the strap isn't caught in the threads.


If your fuel cap is loose or missing, a
‘‘CHECK FUEL CAP’’ message
appears in the information display
after you start the engine. Turn the
engine off and confirm the fuel cap is
installed. If it is, loosen the cap, then
retighten it until it clicks at least
once. When you restart the engine,
the message appears again. To scroll
to another message, press the
SEL/RESET button.

The message will be displayed each
time the engine is started. It will take
several days of normal driving for
the vehicle to turn the warning off.

If the system still detects a loose or
missing fuel fill cap, the malfunction
indicator lamp (MIL) comes on.
Turn the engine off, and check or
retighten the fuel fill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL goes
out after several days of normal
driving once the cap is tightened or
replaced. If it does not go out, have
your dealer inspect the vehicle.
For more information, see page 230.
(Copied from a sedan manual.)


So if the cap is tight and the light doesn't go out by itself after several days, then see the dealer or a competent mechanic.
Could be anything. I see rodent damage a lot here, they love wires and hoses under the car.
Do you SMELL raw gasoline?

scooby2010

i tighten the fuel cap making sure it clicks and the "fuel cap" message went off but the malfunction indicator lamp came on, now 2 days later it is still on, i took it to auto zone and had them run the codes and all it coded on was the fuel cap/vent pressure code and the guy checked the cap and said it looked fine and sealed......So i filled up today and plan on checking my mileage, i also bought a new air filter...... but other then that i'm still clueless..... No i don't smell any gas and i have checked and see no fluids/wet spots on the ground.

ezone

2 days is nothing.
It uses trip cycles, and it has to pass like 3 self tests before it will turn the light off by itself.
A very specific set of criteria must be met before a test can run, and it could take a looooooong time for that to happen. Or it could happen right away, you don't know.

It's a lot like "2 minutes" in a football game.

What was the code number? (The actual code number, starts with a P and has 4 digits. Their description is absolutely meaningless to me.)


Did they erase the codes? Have them erase the code if they didn't.
Now you can tell in a short time if the problem isn't fixed, instead of hoping the light will go away.



If you park in a closed garage and you don't smell gas, that's a good thing. It probably isn't a real leak.

Could be a stuck solenoid, could be many things.


If it wasn't the gas cap....the Zone probably isn't going to fix it unless it is totally accidental.

scooby2010

they did not give me the actual code number, and i asked them to reset it and he told me that he couldn't and that i would have to have a dealer do it....LOL...I know i won't find my answers to the solution with them.....I don't park in a closed garage, but i haven't smelled gas, even the faintest smell.

ezone

Ok, in some areas the store employees are forbidden to do that......but you, the vehicle owner can do it.

Ask to use their code reader and erase the codes yourself then.

D Murphy

The code would be very helpful. I have seen cases where the fuel lines can get small holes in them. I have only seen that two or three times. The rough idle could be a lean condition caused by low fuel pressure.