"Check Fuel Cap"

cbae · Nov 19, 2004

Hi All,

Did anyone experience a "Check Fuel Cap" message in the odometer - not the engine check light ?

My van is one week old EXL+N+R(vin:B0233xx) and last Moday,
the error message showed up suddenly when I start engine for lunch. It was the second tank of the van. I've followed the manual to solve the problem but I couldn't.
I never had this kind of problem with Hondas.

Any comments before heads to the dealer?
Thanks,

cbae

2002EXODY · Nov 19, 2004

You may want to check if you closed the cap well enough. Keep turning until at least 3 clicks.

EricD · Nov 20, 2004

Fuel Cap Warning Message (with Multi-information display)
The PCM detects whether the fuel fill cap is loose or missing under certain conditions and alerts the driver by showing the information in the Multi-Information Display. If the PCM detects a small volume leak, the MIL may come on during the second drive cycle and store a DTC.

First drive cycle
During the first drive cycle after a cold start, the PCM alerts the driver to check the fuel fill cap by showing a ''CHECK FUEL CAP'' message in the Multi-Information Display (A), and it stores Temporary DTC P0457 ''Evaporative Emission (EVAP) System Leak Detected/Fuel Cap Loose or Missing''. Tightening the fuel cap does not make the message go off immediately

To make the message go off
Tighten the fuel fill cap three clicks, and do this procedure several times.
Turn the ignition switch OFF.
Start the engine, and drive at a steady speed over 28 mph (45 km/h), without moving the accelerator pedal, for about 1 minute
Second drive cycle

During the second drive cycle after a cold start, if the fuel fill cap is still loose or missing, the PCM alerts the driver to check the fuel fill cap by showing a ''CHECK FUEL CAP'' message in the Multi-Information Display as same as the first drive cycle. Tightening the fuel cap does not make the message go off immediately.

Third drive cycle
During the third drive cycle after a cold start, if the fuel fill cap is still loose or missing, the PCM stores DTC P0457 ''Evaporative Emission (EVAP) System Leak Detected/Fuel Cap Loose or Missing''. The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) (A) comes on, and the ''CHECK FUEL CAP'' message goes off.

Hope this helps
Eric

egads · Nov 20, 2004

And making sure the fuel cap is tight is not new for 05, just the MIL. Before you would get a check engine light and have to go to the dealer to find out you didn't read or follow the refueling instructions. The EPA wants that cap on tight!

kapish · Nov 20, 2004

I thought '05s only did one click...

Thanks EricD and egads. I thought the fuel caps on the '05s only clicked once? ... and didn't do the 3-clicks? May be I am mistaken...

vertrkr · Nov 20, 2004

Re: I thought '05s only did one click...

kapish said:
Thanks EricD and egads. I thought the fuel caps on the '05s only clicked once? ... and didn't do the 3-clicks? May be I am mistaken...

I've noticed a slight inconsistency in that info from Honda. The manual says 3 clicks while the fuel cap says 'turn to click'. To be safe I always give it 3 or 4 clicks. And many thanks to EricD for providing very helpful info most of us don't have easy or any access to.

jono · Nov 20, 2004

On my 04, I always click more than 3 on when I put the gas cap back.

Also, do not top off when you fill up the gas, to prevent overflow to the gas evap canister.

txaggie · Nov 20, 2004

My '05 is doing this today as well. I the MIL light has not come on but I can't get the message to clear out of the system. Any other ideas?

Thanks.

cbae · Nov 22, 2004

Reset "Check Fuel Cap" at AutoZone

Just stopped by AutoZone and borrowed OBDII to check the error code.
It says, "P0456. EVAP emission control system leak very small."
I had reset the code and the "Check Fuel Cap" message is gone now.
If the error message showed again, I would need to see the dealer to fix the route causes.
Thanks for the all replies so far!

cbae

dylan@o'hare · Nov 22, 2004

I had this happen on a Touring I sold. They reset the computer. This will be done under warranty.

txaggie · Nov 22, 2004

I called my dealer this morning and talked to a service advisor. Since it hadn't thrown the MIL yet, he said that it would take care of itself in the next couple of days. However, I'm not that patient, so I took it to Autozone as well. The guy was trying to give me a hard time about reading it and even told me that his reader couldn't erase the codes.....just plug the dang thing in I wanted to say. He finally relented and now no error message. I guess if it comes on again, I will push the Honda place a little harder for resolution, probably just need a new gas cap.

cbae · Nov 22, 2004

"I called my dealer this morning and talked to a service advisor. Since it hadn't thrown the MIL yet, he said that it would take care of itself in the next couple of days."

Actually, my van had the error message more than 3 days and never gone by itself, I even tried to erase it by pushing the select switch on the instrument but I couldn't.

Since the Honda service in my area is the most busiest in the country, I have to wait after thanksgiving day just for reset the ECU

so I decided to stop by AutoZone.

Anyways, I already made an appointment for the problem on the next Tuesday after Thanksgiving Day, I'm gonna stop by the service.

cbae

arnereil · Dec 17, 2004

Got the 'malfunction' light on my 02... read the manual.

Had gotten gas the night before, and had did the 'many click' thing.

I'm guessing because it was cold, the cap did not seat well.... I also removed the cap and wiped the inlet pipe and cap gasket to remove the debris that had accumed over 40k miles.... after an hour of driving, the light went off..

Had called the dealer as well, they didn't tell me anything new, except to wait a week unless it was running really crappy as they would charge $88.00 to diagnose the problelm.....

All ended well..

Guest · Dec 17, 2004

I'm assuming the cpu logic behind the "Check Gas Cap" is the same as the "old way" when it would just spit out a check engine light instead. After driving around for a while with the cap on correctly, the message should clear itself. (if you don't get it reset beforehand) Took almost a week in my Subaru for the CEL to clear after the bonehead at the station put the cap on wrong. (tightened it down crooked so that it *looked* right, but as soon as I started to unscrew it I could tell it was all wrong)

--> Andy

twiggy144 · Dec 19, 2004

cbae said:
Hi All,

Did anyone experience a "Check Fuel Cap" message in the odometer - not the engine check light ?

cbae

Well well at last! Check engine codes are starting to be displayed in a friendly format to the driver.

I hate to depend on the dealer or on a $200 code reader, when all the auto makers need to do is for a couple of dimes more install a few led displays!

Celos · Dec 19, 2004

This just happened to us last night after filling up. We got the Check Fuel Cap message. It cleared itself, finally, but we removed and installed the cap twice to no effect. Pushing the reset button on the odometer had no effect.

Eventually, as suggested by Eric D.'s post, it cleared itself while driving (this was, of course, after reinstalling the cap twice). We did not get the MIL light.

edit: To be explicit, on the non-touring models, the message comes up on the odometer/temperature display screen. You can toggle it back to the odo/temp display, but when you turn on the car, it displays the Check Fuel Cap message.

tcmac · Mar 21, 2005

A couple of days after getting our EXL-RES, the Check Fuel Cap message came on. We tightened it once, and the message did not go off. After reading the manual, I thought it would go off after “three days of normal driving”. Then, a few days later, the message disappeared, but the MIL came on. It stayed on until we took the van in to the dealer. They checked for a leak, but did not detect one and cleared the MIL. The next day, the Check Fuel Cap message returned. And now a few days later, the message is gone, but the MIL is on again. At this point I looked for help on Odyclub and read EricD’s post. Sounds like the solution is to tighten the cap repeatedly while the Check Fuel Cap message is on. We waited too long to do that and now have the MIL. Is there any way to clear the MIL once it appears besides going to the dealer?

sipock97 · Mar 22, 2005

Re: Re: "Check Fuel Cap"

twiggy144 said:
Well well at last! Check engine codes are starting to be displayed in a friendly format to the driver.

I hate to depend on the dealer or on a $200 code reader, when all the auto makers need to do is for a couple of dimes more install a few led displays!

Actually the code readers have dropped in price now. I just picked one up for 79 dollars at Advance auto. Not a bad price and easy as heck to use.

"Check Fuel Cap"

cbae

2002EXODY

EricD

egads

kapish

vertrkr

jono

txaggie

cbae

dylan@o'hare

txaggie

cbae

arnereil

Guest

twiggy144

Celos

tcmac

sipock97

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