Has anyone had this problem with a 2002 Sportage????? When I put gas in the tank even at a very low flow rate the fuel backs up and spews out at the filler. It acts like the tank is not venting. Any ideas??????

First I would like to thank Logan and Mudrunner for their ideas. I am going to look into the charcoal filter this afternoon the filler pipe was OK.

I sure wish that I had found this forum and had a look at the Axe Mans post about vacuum hubs. This is where my problem started and after paying $92.00 for $2.00 worth of vacuum hose at the local Kia dealership the gas problem started. I hate to think that the mechanic that worked on the Wife's Sportage would have some how blocked the venting of the gas tank, but it sure seems fishy to me.

While they had the Sportage on the rack they looked into the gear boxes and told me that all four needed the oil changed and for only $49.95 each they could take care of it for me. I asked them why it was going to cost $200.00 for $25.00 worth of oil and told them that I would do it myself. I know it pissed them off and that is why I have the filling that they sabotaged the vent line by maybe pulling off the line and putting something in it. I sure hope that I am wrong.

I wonder how much they would charged me to fix the venting on the gas tank??? Maybe some where around $200.00. Guess I should of let them change the gear oil.

Mine's a "fussy filler" too.

We have a filler restrictor (AU models) that prevents diesel and leaded petrol from being put in the tank. That seems to make things worse than any other car I've owned. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />

Check to see if the vent or filler tube have a crease in them from being contacted by the passenger side rear wheel. They are tucked up in the wheel well pretty well, but under full articulation they could be contacted and if the full articulation happened fast enough you could get enough force to crease either one. The bump stops are there to keep this from happening, but if they have fallen off or been crushed then the potential is there.

Also if you have a body lift the rubber hose going from the filler neck to the fuel tank can become bent enough to restrict fuel flow. Check this, and if you have time, you may want to pull it off and use a flash light to see if there is anything blocking the filler tube or the rubber hose.

Logansportage <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />

Logan, thanks for the come back. The 2002 Sportage is stock with no lift. I will have a look in the area that you pointed me in and hope for a quick fix.

Checked out the filler tube and it is OK. It looks to me that the vent tube comes off somewhere near the frount of the tank and goes into a shoe box size plastic box just ahead of the rear bumper. I had planned on looking into this box this morning but for now there is a snow storm going on outside. Does anyone have any idea what I am going to find inside this box??????

It is a charcoal cannister for the smog emmisions, a freind of mine had his fill up with water during a deep water xing & threw the CEL on. He had to blow air threw it to dry it out. I don't think it kept him from filling normally.

Mudrunner,

Thanks for the come back on the charcoal filter. I am going to edit my post and add more info. about a possible sabotage to my vent hose.

I haven't had that problem <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" />

Well you asked... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

I have a similar problem but only when it's cold. I checked everything I could find, nothing seems wrong but on a cold (below freezing) morning when I fill up I can't get much in without it blowing fuel back out. I've found that if I fill on my way home, after having driven it the whole commute (about 40 miles), it fills just fine. I've taken it to the local dealership and there was no problem so they said 'bring it back when it happens again.' Since the dealership is about 45 miles away it's always warm enough to not be a problem. It has to be some kind of vent somewhere but I can't find it.

Another thing, I get the faint smell of gasoline sometimes in the morning also - only those cold mornings though.

I know what you mean about the fees for changing fluids, I took mine in to have the vacuum hubs fixed and they said I needed to have the fluid changed in all the gear boxes - for $150 - that didn't include the charges for changing the engine oil. I told them I'd do it myself instead. It must have pissed them off because while it was in they changed out both front C/V shafts, something I never asked for or even asked them to check. I think someone screwed up and they were trying to recover some expenses. The repairs were all under warranty so I can't complain too much.

The dealer may have sone the front end warranty repair that includes both complete front knuckles and half-shafts. I had that warranty repair done on my 2001 a few months ago. Then I immediately replaced the vaccuum hubs with manuals and dissabled the vaccuum system on the front axles.

bensdad,
I guess I was just paranoid about the mechanic that worked on the Wife's Sportage. As it turns out after taking the charcoal filter out that Mudrunner told me about and taking one of the felt filters on the end of the charcoal canister the the Sprotage take gas like it did when it came off the show room floor.
The charcoal filter is located just in front of the rear bumper and is held in place in a shoe box size plastic box. This box is held up by four 10mm bolts and once you have removed them it will drop down. The canister is held in by a strap that is bolted to the plastic box by two 10mm bolts. Once you have the canister out of the box there is a small plastic box on the end of the charcoal canister that contains the felt filters. I am not sure how many are in there but I reached in with a pair of needle nose pliers and pulled one out. They are about 1 1/2" by 4" and about 1/16" thick. The outside one that I pulled was full of fine dust and can now see how it was stopping the venting of the tank.
If your felt filter has dust on it on a cold damp morning and even more so if the temp is below 32 I can see how your Kia may not be venting.

The fix was simple and only took about 1/2 hour.