Fuel Tank Issue -- Difficult to fill; High Pressure; Strong fuel smell

vifferfun · 04-10-2017, 08:16 PM

Hi Everyone!

I have an issue with the fuel tank on my 2012 335i sedan. Here are the symptoms:

It's extremely difficult to fill (i.e. I can fill less than 4L (1 gallon) at a time before the pump clicks off)
If I fill the tank above 50L or so, fuel will leak off the top of the tank. I think it's coming out of one of the plugged holes (since I think BMW used the same fuel tank from the E90 and just plugged one of the holes). Fuel doesn't hit my garage floor, but my garage fills with a VERY strong fuel vapour smell
I have already had the fuel pump replaced under recall a month ago, and I have this problem both before/after the fuel pump replacement

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :-)

BMWZ4 · 04-10-2017, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vifferfun

Hi Everyone!

I have an issue with the fuel tank on my 2012 335i sedan. Here are the symptoms:

It's extremely difficult to fill (i.e. I can fill less than 4L (1 gallon) at a time before the pump clicks off)
If I fill the tank above 50L or so, fuel will leak off the top of the tank. I think it's coming out of one of the plugged holes (since I think BMW used the same fuel tank from the E90 and just plugged one of the holes). Fuel doesn't hit my garage floor, but my garage fills with a VERY strong fuel vapour smell
I have already had the fuel pump replaced under recall a month ago, and I have this problem both before/after the fuel pump replacement

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :-)

I don't have an answer for you, but interested to read what others might suggest. This happened to me for the first time on Saturday on my 235. Couldn't manage to get more than a few litres at a time and the tank was 3/4 empty. Took me ages to fill the tank.

Afterward...smell of fuel. Bizarre because it's the first time for me.

chuckles01 · 04-11-2017, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

Quote:

Originally Posted by vifferfun

Hi Everyone!

I have an issue with the fuel tank on my 2012 335i sedan. Here are the symptoms:

It's extremely difficult to fill (i.e. I can fill less than 4L (1 gallon) at a time before the pump clicks off)
If I fill the tank above 50L or so, fuel will leak off the top of the tank. I think it's coming out of one of the plugged holes (since I think BMW used the same fuel tank from the E90 and just plugged one of the holes). Fuel doesn't hit my garage floor, but my garage fills with a VERY strong fuel vapour smell
I have already had the fuel pump replaced under recall a month ago, and I have this problem both before/after the fuel pump replacement

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :-)

I don't have an answer for you, but interested to read what others might suggest. This happened to me for the first time on Saturday on my 235. Couldn't manage to get more than a few litres at a time and the tank was 3/4 empty. Took me ages to fill the tank.

Afterward...smell of fuel. Bizarre because it's the first time for me.

I'm not sure if this is the same cause as yours, but we have two F30s (one 2012 328i and one 2014 328i) in our house. With both cars, we've experienced the issue where we're unable to fully fill up the tank without the pump stopping every few seconds. This happened regardless of gas station, pump, temperature, or how much we've driven the car just before fueling up. It happened so frequently and every time we fueled up it was very frustrating.

On both our cars, they replaced the charcoal filter (they said both our cars used a part that was known to be defective). This lessened the problem for the 2012 model, but not for the 2014 one. So, I brought it back for repairs and they eventually replaced the entire fuel tank. It's a lot better now, but it still happens every now and then. I've mentioned this to the service department, but now they say it's normal if it happens occasionally.... I don't quite believe that, but since it's improved, I haven't pushed them to look into it more.

RoundelM3 · 04-11-2017, 06:59 AM

I've never had this happen on my 2013 335i, and it's over 4 years old now. Seems like it has something to do with the tank ventilation feature not working properly. Not sure whether there's any difference in the gas pump nozzles in Canada vs. US, though. Even here in the US, some pumps have nozzles with an external "bellows" that seals up against the tank filler lip to prevent fuel vapors from escaping. I'd check with BMW, even though yours is out of warranty, and at the very least, take it to a good Indy shop with BMW-certified techs.

theblues · 09-05-2018, 10:35 PM

I fill at Shell with premium gas and I started experiencing this issue early this year. I have addressed this issue to BMW dealership but obviously unable to diagnose.

vifferfun · 09-05-2018, 10:48 PM

FYI, I ended up having to replace the entire fuel tank -- fuel was somehow leaking out of a gasket on top of the tank and pooling there without falling to the ground. BMW looked on two occasions and couldn't find the issue. This issue was actually diagnosed within 5 minutes by my excellent indepenent BMW mechanic, who I can't live without

My car was out of warranty and it was ~$3000 CAD repair. I argued with BMW Canada that this was a safety and environmental concern and they eventually agreed to cover $2000 of the repair, and I covered $1000. Since replacing the fuel tank I no longer have fuel vapour issues, but the fuel station pumps still click off on occasion. I find that if I hold the fuel station pump on a 45-degree angle (i.e. with the base of the fuel station pump toward the rear of the car) then I seldom have issues filling the tank.

Hope this helps someone with similar issues

This F30 has really given me a sour taste for BMW. It's my third 3-series but is by far the most unreliable. My mechanic thinks that I just got really unlucky with this one since he hasn't seen the quanitity of issues with other F30s that he services. I'm not sure if my next car will be a BMW again.

tuco44 · 09-05-2018, 11:51 PM

I have experienced the occasional problem with the pump clicking off, but usually get around it by inserting the pump differently. I have never experienced overflowing the tank,nor the strong smell.

Sounds like the first issue (pump clicking off) is normal, the second (smell and overflow) not normal.

04-10-2017, 08:16 PM	#1
vifferfun Private 10 Rep 84 Posts Drives: 2012 BMW 335i Sedan 6MT Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Toronto, ON iTrader: (0)	Fuel Tank Issue -- Difficult to fill; High Pressure; Strong fuel smell Hi Everyone! I have an issue with the fuel tank on my 2012 335i sedan. Here are the symptoms: It's extremely difficult to fill (i.e. I can fill less than 4L (1 gallon) at a time before the pump clicks off) If I fill the tank above 50L or so, fuel will leak off the top of the tank. I think it's coming out of one of the plugged holes (since I think BMW used the same fuel tank from the E90 and just plugged one of the holes). Fuel doesn't hit my garage floor, but my garage fills with a VERY strong fuel vapour smell I have already had the fuel pump replaced under recall a month ago, and I have this problem both before/after the fuel pump replacement Any help would be greatly appreciated! :-)
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04-11-2017, 06:59 AM	#4
RoundelM3 Major General 1833 Rep 6,986 Posts Drives: 15 F80 M3, 22 G01 X3 30i Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Wendell, NC iTrader: (2) Garage List 2022 BMW X3 [9.83] 2015 BMW M3 [6.50]	I've never had this happen on my 2013 335i, and it's over 4 years old now. Seems like it has something to do with the tank ventilation feature not working properly. Not sure whether there's any difference in the gas pump nozzles in Canada vs. US, though. Even here in the US, some pumps have nozzles with an external "bellows" that seals up against the tank filler lip to prevent fuel vapors from escaping. I'd check with BMW, even though yours is out of warranty, and at the very least, take it to a good Indy shop with BMW-certified techs. __________________ 2015 F80 ///M3 Sedan 7DCT Tanzanite, 2022 X3 sDrive30i 8AT Brooklyn Grey
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09-05-2018, 10:35 PM	#5
theblues Second Lieutenant 87 Rep 212 Posts Drives: MY14 328xi - Sportline Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Ontario iTrader: (0)	I fill at Shell with premium gas and I started experiencing this issue early this year. I have addressed this issue to BMW dealership but obviously unable to diagnose.
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09-05-2018, 10:48 PM	#6
vifferfun Private 10 Rep 84 Posts Drives: 2012 BMW 335i Sedan 6MT Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Toronto, ON iTrader: (0)	FYI, I ended up having to replace the entire fuel tank -- fuel was somehow leaking out of a gasket on top of the tank and pooling there without falling to the ground. BMW looked on two occasions and couldn't find the issue. This issue was actually diagnosed within 5 minutes by my excellent indepenent BMW mechanic, who I can't live without My car was out of warranty and it was ~$3000 CAD repair. I argued with BMW Canada that this was a safety and environmental concern and they eventually agreed to cover $2000 of the repair, and I covered $1000. Since replacing the fuel tank I no longer have fuel vapour issues, but the fuel station pumps still click off on occasion. I find that if I hold the fuel station pump on a 45-degree angle (i.e. with the base of the fuel station pump toward the rear of the car) then I seldom have issues filling the tank. Hope this helps someone with similar issues This F30 has really given me a sour taste for BMW. It's my third 3-series but is by far the most unreliable. My mechanic thinks that I just got really unlucky with this one since he hasn't seen the quanitity of issues with other F30s that he services. I'm not sure if my next car will be a BMW again.
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09-05-2018, 11:51 PM	#7
tuco44 Colonel 644 Rep 2,294 Posts Drives: 2018 340i xDrive M Perf Edtn Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Western Canada iTrader: (0)	I have experienced the occasional problem with the pump clicking off, but usually get around it by inserting the pump differently. I have never experienced overflowing the tank,nor the strong smell. Sounds like the first issue (pump clicking off) is normal, the second (smell and overflow) not normal. __________________ 2018 340i xDrive M Perf Edtn Sunset Orange Previous BMWs - 19 others since 1971.
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