I recently got a CEL with the dreaded 440 error code. I started looking around to see what may be wrong, and to my surprise, there was a lot of rust around the fuel cap inlet. I removed the plastic cover over the fuel filler hose in the wheel well and tons of dirt came out. The whole pipe is rusted out to the point where a hole has formed in the pipe! What a POS design to trap moisture and dirt right next to the gas fill line made of steel !! Has anyone else had this problem and if so, were you able to replace just he pipe or were there other parts required? I found the filler pipe online for $90, but I can't find the other parts surrounding the pipe. IMHO this should be a recall issue since raw gas can leak out the holes and cause a fire, or at best, poor fuel economy and a CEL. Bob
On Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:25:32 -0500, rd wrote (in article ):
That very problem came up on a recent broadcast of Car Talk, having to do with a Toyota. In that case, Toyota no longer makes the parts. Click & Clack suggested the caller either find the parts in a junkyard but warned that if his filler is rusted out probably the junkyard ones are rusted, too.
I just did this repair on my wifes 99 forester 3 weeks ago. I do not know if Outback is same or not. I'd suggest at minimum getting all new hardware, as every screw will likely all break off when you try to remove it. There were 3 screws to hold the pipe to the body on top, 3 screws to hold tthe plastic cover to the new fillerneck and 2 or 3 th attach a clip and the pipe to the car midstream. Her's also has some sort of vacum valve at the top of the fillerneck on the Forester and 2 nuts to mount that. I also got that valve and new nuts, since that was where her's was leaking. I needed to provide the car vin since they changed design midyear. . Additionally I bought a new sheetmetal ring and rubber seal that went in the gas cap side. The pipe was $90 and the valve was $40 something. Add the other items and it totaled 150 something in parts including shipping. I bought parts from
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They were great, but this was a curse your subaru repair on the Forester because the hose from the gas tank only came out less than 1 inch from the crossmember. The pipe is pushed in it about 2" into that hose. When you unscrew everything there was not enough clearance to slide the pipe out from the body to twist it and not enough hose to grab to pull it out. I ended up prying the hose a bit loose with a screwdriver and spraying soap between the hose and pipe to finally free it after struggling a lot. If you have the same situation on the Outback (too short a hose to grab) suggest you ask someone where you buy parts or perhaps here or just remove the back seat to see if the rubber fill hose can be disconnected from top of the gas tank via a cover plate. If it can it becomes an easy job. Good news is that the light has stayed off.. Yea - I agree with you that gas pipes shouldn't have to fail. In fact in many years of car ownership I never seen one fail. I think 3 lbs. of dirt/mud must have come out when i pulled off the cover. I'd personally skip the junkyard on this as unless you happen to hit on one that has been replaced, I doubt they could get it in usable condition.
Thank you for the information on the Forrester and for the link. I did end up ordering the parts from them as they were the cheapest stealer I could find in Ct. I'll do the job once the parts are in and let you know how it goes. In speaking with one of the parts guys, he told me they have sold literally hundreds of these filler tubes just in the Hartford CT area this year! To me that sounds like it should be a recall or TSB. It's a really poor design and the problem is obviously not limited to my vehicle based on what the parts guys have told me and the fact that ALL of the dealers I called STOCK this part. To me it's pretty unusual to have a gas fill pipe go bad unless it's a chronic problem. I have never had a problem with any of my vehicles gas fill pipes and I usually keep my vehicles for 200,000+ miles. I am going to enter a complaint with the NHTSA
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on the auto problems website. Iencourage anyone else with this problem to do the same. If they don'tknow about it, they can't force the recall. Regards, Bob
I did file the complaint on the NHTSA website, but I can't wait for them to take action. I need to fix my car NOW. I can't even fill with gas since the air leak in the fill tube causes the gas nozzle to keep shutting off at the pump. I'm also worried that if the gas comes up too far in the fill tube, it will spill out the hole and leak down onto my feet or the exhaust and start a fire.
PLEASE take the time to file a complaint if you have had this problem. It only takes about 5-10 minutes. You will need your VIN number to fill out the on-line form.
I installed the new fuel filler pipe and the CEL has not come back on yet. Installation of the pipe was not too bad. Removing the old pipe was difficult as the other reply stated. I ended up having to drill out the screws at the gas cap end since they were rusted in so badly. Once I got those out, I worked on the gas tank end where the fill tube connects to a length of rubber hose. The old pipe was stuck into the rubber connecting hose pretty well. I was able to get a flat screwdriver between the fill tube and rubber hose and squirt some WD40 all around. After letting it sit for a while, working from the wheel well, I used a long screwdriver to push the rubber hose back while pulling on the fill tube. There was about 1/4 cup of gas still in the fill tube which I caught with my oil drain pan (wide opening on top). To install the new tube, I lubed up the hose end and got the end started from under the car, then working from the wheel well, I was able to push on the fill pipe to get it to go into the rubber hose. After that the rest was easy :)
I hope this helps someone else with the same problem.
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