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One day I left my car running while I went to pre-pay for gas.  I'd left my stereo on and forgot my car was running so I fueled up.  I then realized my car was running and that the check engine light hadn't come on because the computer didn't sense the tank going to vacuum.  I've since left my car running while re-fueling and done a little research to see what the reasons are to turn your vehicle off while fueling.

Some reasons to turn your vehicle off that I've read and my take on them are:

-save gas (who cares; car is at idle and it stays nice and air conditioned
-fuel pump works harder when tank is not pressurized (not sure how much this wears the pump)
-Static electricity can cause fumes to ignite (our cars have EVAP control systems and it seems to me that there isn't any more risk of this when the car is running)
---See video in link of a girl having trouble pumping gas and having her pump ignite because of static discharge.
http://www.pei.org/PublicationsResources/SafetyResources/StopStaticCampaign.aspx
-----I doubt  this would happen on our cars because of the advances with gasoline fillers and the evap control systems on the cars and gas pumps, but if that's the worst that'll happen I'd prefer to keep my car at a comfortable tempurature, and possibly deal with an unexpected flame thrower - I doubt I'd be wearing a cute fuzzy sweater though.


What do you guys think?

i think im gonna continue to play it safe and cut the car off cuz i dont trust speculations and you never know when shits gonna happen.

yeah im gonna continue to let random strangers fuel my car while i sit in it. :flip:

i ALWAYS shut my car completely off.

ive never left the car on while fueling up.  just seems id rather be safe than sorry.  keeping the A/C blasting seems like a bit of a stretch for a reason to waste even a small amount of gas.

For me that small amount of fuel is a convienience or luxury charge just like when you pay more for something at a convienience store.  Plus it's one less time you have to start your engine and for the sake of argument lets say that my V6 gets 60 minutes per gallon at idle; with a gallon cost of $3.00 I only spent  $0.25 on my 5 min fill up.  In the heat of summer or the cold of winter it's a no brainer convienience charge for me; I've got a ton of quarters.  If you're that worried about gas/money you can forget about hitting v-tec.

You're not wrong for doing what you do; I just wanted to explain myself.

i would say that with the static electricity not only are ypu endangering yourself but others at the station if it sparks.

Ummmm slick??? If theres no vacuum in the tank the evap system can't work. If you can smell fumes while you fueling than the can ignite. I'm pretty sure the EVAP system runs off a VSV (vacuum switching) valve by the tank. Just seems dangerous to me.

dont leave car running. You might get jacked. Simple as that.

I think this thread didn't belong in the General Discussion forum. 

is this a serious thread? ...I hope for your sake that you were joking...

I don't think they are. 

If the cars evap system doesn't work while not at vacuum then there is still the gas pumps vapor recovery system.  Most of the inccidents when there were ignitions were in years past and fuel pump manufactures have advanced their vapor recovery systems since these incidents.  Now if you're overfilling after the pump clicks there might be more fuel in the air, and not releasing built up static or wearing garments that produce extra static can still ignite fuel and air, but if ignitions were a more common occurence don'you think we'd be hearing about it more; I'm sure people leave their cars running accidentally all the time.  

-And since static charges are the predominant cause of ignitions, why does leaving your car running increase the risk of one?

Why are you guys so scared?

Sounds like a bad idea to me.  Why tempt fate for a little cool air.

I don't believe in fate, and I'm not scared of ghost stories.  This shit doesn't happen anymore.

then leave your car running, as you can tell we dont think its wise and to each his own. i hope we dont have to say we told you so, but in that event we wouldnt get to anyways.

Scared? It's just not smart! Hold on let me change my shirt to something non static to pump my gas! This thread is a waste of space, and when people give you facts(EVAP system operation) you bring up more crap. How about the fact that you risk damaging the EVAP system becase the ECU is trying to operate, and cannot do so. Have you ever replaced any parts of an EVAP system? I have and can tell you that it sucks, and it's expensive!

Mike, we do have a magic little button at our disposal to remedy that.

It's a valid question to ask at the end of the day. But, to put it simply if you check engine light comes on because of it it's probably not a good thing to do. It's like unplugging a sensor becase you don't like the color of the wire (Pointless).

So, let's get this straight.  You posted a thread asking for opinions.  Then you criticized and ignored those opinions and said you were going to do what you wanted anyway.  Why are you looking for validation to do what you want and masking it as asking for an opinion?  What was the point of posting this?  Did you just want to argue with people?

Ok, let me elaborate on the intentions of my post.

I wanted to see what people thought, and I wanted to have a discussion about how or why people felt the way they do and establish some truths about the topic.

Like I said I have been leaving the car running while re-fueling and I was surprised that most people prefer to turn their vehicle off.  It turned into people calling me out for stupidity and I tried to defend my actions as acceptable.

What I was ardently trying to assert was that leaving your car running was not physically dangerous, not that that is the better method.  I did research and found that the evap system on a car can throw a code while the tank is not at vacuum, but nowhere did it say that leaving the car running increased the chances of an ignition.  My 2005 V6 did not throw a code (Although I assume it would if I drove without the cap on) so I assume your V6s and maybe your I4s would also not throw any codes.  The arguments for turing your vehicle off were that you saved fuel, to prevent the car from slipping out of gear, and that it prevented you from throwing a code and requiring up to a $150.00 service charge for the dealer to diagnostic your car and turn the code off.  Those of us with our own diagnostic tools or access to a nearby Advance Auto Parts would be able to clear the code ourselves if indeed a code was thrown.

With the only cases of ignition I've found being related to a static electricity discharge I failed to find any information that explained how leaving your car running would increase the chances of a static or other type of ignition.

Most of the responses I got didn't pose any real commentary on the issue other than that they would rather not risk it or that I was an idiot.  Mike did bring up that it could damage the evap system and require an expensive repair - which I had not considered before and appreciate.

I like this forum and the people in it, and didn't mean to come off as an asshole or know it all.  I value the information that it has to offer.  Please forgive me for my trespasses, and let us continue a meaningful exchange on this topic and others.

To be honest, it just doesn't seem like a good idea to leave your car running.  The possibility of it getting stolen is a concern of mine.  The fact that it could also affect your evap system is another consideration that should be made.  In all honesty, I would say that it's not a very wise practice to fill up with the car running.  That's just my opinion which is not solely based on whether or not I'll be turning my car into Accord Flambe if I don't shut it off while filling up.  To me, it just seems like a very bad idea. 

I'd have to agree with Tim.

Now I don't mean to take a left turn with this, but what about diesel? Isn't diesel harder to ignite? The only time that I remember actually filling up diesel while the vehicle was running was my stepdad's 2007 F250. That thing was having so many problems... the truck wouldn't be able to start back up if we turned it off. That truck is long gone now, haha. I always hear people saying that diesel is a lot safer than gas.

Either way I would never leave my car running while fueling up, regardless of whether or not it's safe. I'd rather not have someone jack my car while I'm fueling up his getaway.  :P

Diesel fumes are less dense which makes them less flame able chemically. I didn't mean to take a shot at you personally, and Mythbusters did a special on ignition at gas pumps which my be worth getting your hands on. You have a V6 so I will tell you that I'm had my charcoal canister replaced, and it's cost me $320. I did play some labor on that installation because Paul (NVA-AV6) told me the work was a nightmare to do, and for some reason my local dealer misquoted the labor and, only charged me a half hour for a 3 hour job. I've done VSV valves on a Camry in the past, and they are generally difficult to get a hold of(don't fail commonly), and expensive.

I'll be honest here. The only time I've left my car running is when I have to stop for gas with the wife and spawn in the car. I leave it running so they don't cook inside because as many of you know, I live in Miami. I'm not promoting it in any way. The wife also knows to shut the car off and pull the key out of the ignition if I give the signal. Like the OP, I've never gotten a MIL or the sort. As far as ignition and having an Accord flambe, as Tim so eloquently put it, you'll still have that regardless of the vehicle running because the pump is still releasing fumes while you fill. Food for thought.

In Case of Fire:  http://www.break.com/index/dumb-woman-pushes-fire-button.html#id472416 (http://www.break.com/index/dumb-woman-pushes-fire-button.html#id472416)

I love women....

There's a "fire" button at fuel pumps?

Yeah; apparently there are where this woman lives.

You can see her looking at it and reaching in to push it; what does "FIRE" on a red button mean...let's find out.

hahaha i wish we pumped our own gas here so i could do that. :laugh:

You don't pump your own gas?

Yeah, Oregon and New Jersey are like that.  It's fucking retarded.

Its the same out here. None of the haji stations out here let you pump your own gas. Just a little bit of knowledge for you guys to marinate on, it costs about $15 to fill up a 17 gallon tank out here. Tell me that ain't some fucked up shit.

Yes, that is fucked up.

Sum it up in one word TAXES

Let's not even go there. I've got some rants regarding our government that won't be posted in this thread.

Pussy!

Suck my ass!