Corolla LE 2004 - shuts down by itself

[claudiajo]

Hello everyone,

I bought a Corolla LE 2004, new from the dealer. When I filled up the tank with gas I kept filling it for 2 more gallons. The day after filling it, the car would shut down by itself. Took it to the dealer to see what was the problem and the mechanic said that I was putting TOO MUCH gas in the tank, that I SHOULD NOT fill up the tank that much.

Therefore now I fill up the tank I just add 1.5 gallons more of gasoline, it has worked fine till...less than a week ago, the car suddenly stopped - the engine was off and the check engine plus the oil light went on. Because of the car being shut off, decided to take it to a mechanic (not the dealer) and they hooked it up to a computer to check what was wrong with it. Everything indicated everything is OK!!

Has anyone had this same problem or heard of this ?

[falnfenix]

when was the last time you changed your plugs?

how about the coils?

did it stutter before shutting off?

[claudiajo]

plugs?? what plugs, and coil ??

and yes, the car did stutter before it shut off.

[claudiajo]

if it helps, the car has 40,000 miles

[ghost_ryder35]

spark plugs. wouldnt hurt to replace them. however, i am curious as to how you overfill your tank by two gallons?

[claudiajo]

After the tank fills up automatically by the pump and STOPS I just keep filling it.... have you heard something as "do not fill up your tank with TOO much gas"?

[falnfenix]

yes, i meant spark plugs...i believe your car has the ignition coil-on-plug setup. fouled plugs would cause the car to die.

based on the behavior you described, i'd change the spark plugs first and foremost...then, i would completely avoid overfilling. when the pump stops, you stop pumping...it stops for a reason, you know.

IF your car is the coil-on-plug variety(i'm honestly not sure, as i haven't taken a look at an 03+ Corolla motor), then i'd recommend changing the coil packs as well. they may be bad. it's definitely a spark issue, however.

[Dragonmaster]

2 extra gallons all you are doing is filling up the evap canister once you get beyond an extra .25 of a gallon after the click. This causes your fuel pump to vapour lock itself and WILL cause damage if you continue to do so.

Most fuel systems, once the evap canister is filled with fuel and there is any change in temperature to the plus side of when you filled (ie. weather getting warmer through the day) the fuel vapours created in the tank by the extra heat have nowhere to go and end up closing the check valve on the gas tank vent due to pressure. This in turn causes the fuel pump to try sucking fuel out of the tank with no relieve causing a vacuum in the tank that the pump cannot overcome and it shuts your car down to try and stop any further damage. If anything your car is running lean for 30-40 minutes before this happens and you run the risk of burning holes in your pistons, burning up valves and a number of other bad bad things.

Just because you can put another 2 gallons in doesn't mean you should.