I hate this car some days, I really do

J

JES_LS

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Some days it just never seems to end.
I go to get gas tonight after my wife comes home tonight. When she got out of the car to hand it off to me so I can take the boys to class, she tells me the low fuel light has been on since last night.
Great... I'm running late for Class (Karate class that is) and don't have time do have to screw around with anything, but now I have to get gas just to be sure that I can get to class and then get home.

I race over to the gas station and jump out of the car to fill up. I hit the gas door button twice and hear it clack twice.
But when I get around the car the gas door is still closed. I run back around and hit the button again, no dice. I get my oldest son to run around and press the button while I try to slide my plastic key fob under the gas door.
Finally after about three seperate attempts, the door pops open and the little metal finger that acts as the opening spring falls on the ground.

does any one know if that part is available separately or do I have to buy a new fuel door and take the bits off of it.

I checked team ford's fiche and I can see there is the door.
 
No those pieces are all working correctly. I'm talking about the little spring tab that is under the latch hook on the gas door. It pushes the door slightly outward when the latch button is pressed. Otherwise the latch just cycles and re-locks the door.

Its probably about a nickle's worth of spring steel, but is corroded where it connects to the base of the hook on the inside of the door and broke off.
 
I think you could have avoided this by going in the trunk(im not sure though, just for future reference), try the local junk yard, thats your best bet, the pick n pull I go to wouldnt even charge for something that small.
 
nickandersonLS01 said:
I think you could have avoided this by going in the trunk(im not sure though, just for future reference), try the local junk yard, thats your best bet, the pick n pull I go to wouldnt even charge for something that small.
Click to expand...
Actually I did try to pop the door by using the override pullhandle, but the door wasn't popping out and I could not get both the handle and reach the door.
I could have just had my son try to grab the door, or pull the handle, but he's thirteen and acting stupid lately. It took me three tries to get him to get out of the back seat and press the button under the dash.

I will probably have to check around at the pick-n-pull near me, but last time I was there they did not have any LS's. The other conventional yards are too proud of their stuff to let something like that go (the last time I bought a bumper cover at the one "recycler" he charged me for the bumper cover and the clips that were still on it.)
 
Ive always hated those stupid metal tabs. They just seem like bad news to me. I haven't had one on any of the cars Ive owned break, but it happened on my mothers Camry, and I've known several other people who've had this problem. Buying a whole new gas door just for it to happen again seemed like a waste to me, so on the Camry there was a nice flat spot right where the old "spring" was. So I went to a hobby store, and dug around some, and found a small coil spring about 1/4" tall and 1/4" wide. I sanded the paint off the gas door in a small area near the mounting spot for the old spring, then roughed up the metal with some really course sand paper. Mixed up a spot of JB weld and stuck the spring in place then closed the door. When it dried I hit the back of the door with a little gold paint to cover the remaining exposed metal and never had any trouble with it after that. I figure ill do the same to the LS if it ever breaks. :p
 
You may want to send a quick email to Team Ford Parts and see if they can help.

You know, none of this would have happened if you had swapped in the manual trans like you said you were gonna do..... (j/k) :D
 
I know they have them for the Mark VIIIs, because the one on my old '95 rotted and broke in two. If there is a bolt or screw running through it to the gas door, you should be able to replace it. Or you could always Macgyver it. :D
 
ToddG said:
You may want to send a quick email to Team Ford Parts and see if they can help.

You know, none of this would have happened if you had swapped in the manual trans like you said you were gonna do..... (j/k) :D
Click to expand...

I thought you wanted the HD coils first????
 
NYC LSC said:
I know they have them for the Mark VIIIs, because the one on my old '95 rotted and broke in two. If there is a bolt or screw running through it to the gas door, you should be able to replace it. Or you could always Macgyver it. :D
Click to expand...

Yeah I saw that it had a screw through it so I know that I could replace it. My question is does anybody know how or where to get one?

If I have to make it myself it will end up so overengineered it won't be funny.
 
thanks I contacted Team Ford and they are sending me a better drawing of the assembly so I can order exactly the part I need instead of the entire gas door assembly

If I don't get the image soon, I'll try MRZee
 
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