Check fuel cap Honda: what should you do?
Sometimes you see a “Check fuel cap” Honda warning. What caused that? How to check it? If there is a problem with a gas cap leaking, how to notice that? And if there is serious damage to the fuel cap on your Honda Accord, when should I replace it?
If this happened, and you have no idea what to do about the “Check fuel cap” Honda, this article is for you.
What does it mean when your Honda says, “Check fuel cap”?
When you see this “Check fuel cap” Honda warning, it is not very serious. You should check it out soon.
But better know what to expect, when the fuel cap warning light appears.
“Check fuel cap” Honda message appears when loose gas cap and other problems happen:
Your gas cap is broken or damaged
“Check fuel cap” light may be caused by damage to a gas cap on a Honda Accord. It is a rubber seal which may be broken, and therefore the fuel vapor is at risk of getting outside and disappearing as a result. Check fuel caps then; make sure if gas caps should be replaced.
A loose cap
A loose fuel cap means that the fuel cap of a Honda Accord is not tightened properly on the fuel inlet, and it is unsafe due to the possibility of a fuel cap cracking and fuel getting outside.
You better extra check fuel cap to avoid it being damaged: if there is no click while you are making the cap tighter; it is a symptom of breaking, that this loose fuel cap doesn’t work properly.
A fuel cap is attached unsafely
The gas cap light also signals this problem. Most of the time it happens when the tank is full, and you didn’t close it correctly. You need to stop and fix it; the “Check fuel cap” light will disappear.
A leak of the fuel due to problem with pressure
The EVAP system
“Check fuel cap” Honda indicator appears when there is not enough pressure which triggers the fuel leak. It is displayed due to the EVAP – Evaporative Emission Control system in a Honda Accord.
And sometimes the EVAP leak happens.
The fuel tank is a part of it, as well as a purge valve. The EVAP system with a purge valve keeps the needed amount of pressure, and when the pressure is changed, the pressure leak occurs, due to bad gas cap or gas cap problems.
The EVAP system will let you know about the EVAP leak by displaying a P0456 code with “Check fuel cap” message.
The “Check fuel cap” indicator also appears thanks to another system – On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II scanner) of a Honda Accord – advanced systems with modern technology.
The OBD-II scanner helps you to check the problems quickly.
Most drivers prefer to buy the system to prevent more damage.
What are the symptoms of a leaking fuel cap?
The signal of a problem is a warning light with a “Check Engine Light” message on a Honda Accord. It shows that the trouble is with the leaking gas cap. Sometimes the engine light is about other issues with vehicles.
And often “Check fuel cap” light or that message light appears later, when the leak of a fuel cap has already begun.
Extra symptoms which help you to understand what happened
Smell of fuel
A smell, getting through the vent holes of a vehicle, is distinct and indicates a bad gas cap. The problem happened because the gas cap was old. This cap caused the leaking of fuel vapor, which smells.
Check fuel cap of your Honda Accord.
A gas cap isn’t tight enough
You may either quickly fix it by tightening the cap, or the cap itself is not fit enough anymore. You better buy a gas cap then.
A color around a gas tank is abnormal
You may notice this while tanking up a Honda Accord. When the fuel cap is badly attached, it causes fuel fumes to get outside and make a deposit on a gas cap, and then discolor it.
A fuel is getting wasting faster
A leaking fuel cap means that the fuel wastes improperly because it is a loose gas cap or a broken one. You may notice this because you will tank up your car more often than usual.
You may either check the fuel cap and quickly fix it by tightening it, or the cap itself is worn out. Sometimes the bad fuel cap can’t protect the fuel of your vehicle anymore.
Try to prevent such poor fuel economy. Drivers replace gas caps in such situations, when the “Check fuel cap” warning doesn’t stop to disappear. You better buy a new gas cap, too.
How to check your fuel cap on a Honda Accord: step-by-step instruction
- Stop driving. Don’t forget to let the engine of the car cool down. Press the special button to unlock the vehicle’s fuel cap door, which is under the steering column. Open a fuel tank door.
- Then you should twist the gas cap on the left until it is apart from the fuel fill nozzle.
- Check the fuel cap from all sides, but don’t try to repair it by yourself. Make sure it’s broken and needs to be replaced.
- Get the fuel cap back in the fuel inlet, tighten it, if the cap is not damaged way too much. Close the fuel door. Now you can get back in your car and resume driving.
FAQ
How to check the fuel cap on a Toyota Corolla?
If your car is a Toyota Corolla, and you’ve got a “Check fuel cap” warning, follow the instructions below.
- You should move the fuel door lever, which is under the driver’s seat near the door.
- Open the door of the fuel tank.
- Move fuel cap counterclockwise.
- Check fuel cap without replacing it by yourself to prevent another damage; it may be just a loose cap.
- Put it back and close the fuel door.
When to replace the gas cap on a Honda CR-V?
If nothing, what you’ve done to fix any problem with your fuel cap, helps, and the “Check fuel cap” Honda warning does not disappear, you should expect that the problem is in the fuel cap itself. The fuel cap may be damaged or broken, or missing.
So stop driving your car and check your fuel cap and a gas tank.
If your car is a Honda CR-V and there is a “Check fuel cap” light, and you think that it is time to replace your vehicle fuel cap.
But if you want to check it – follow the instructions below.
How to repair a gas cap?
Auto Body Shop will help you repair your car and replace details of your car, like engine, charcoal canister, EVAP system and new fuel caps instead of a loose gas cap. It’s cheaper than in the dealership, by the way.
So if you want to check up on your vehicle, this is the way.
To find an Auto Body Shop, which services may be suitable for you, you should visit a site with a list of shops, and then check them out for service quality on the Better Business Bureau website. Then they will help you with a car.
What if my car is too old to repair?
It depends on auto what to do with it. If your vehicle is an old car, and a repair will cost more than a new vehicle, then sell it.
Or you may donate your old car to a charity.
Or present them to the teens: they love old cars.
What is a trade-in?
Trade-in is an exchange in part payment of a used car to another.
The dealership will give you a fine trade-in price for a vehicle. But you better read the final offer of a new car carefully.
The dealership may increase the price of a new car, after all, at the expense of the money they gave you.
Firstly, when you take the services of a dealership, make sure to inform them about a car to trade-in, listen to their final price, and report to them of a trade-in.
It would be more profitable: you buy a new car, in exchange for an older car.
Should I repair or sell a car online?
If you don’t like the tips above, try using public space and selling your car online. You will find plenty of websites that are ready to help you sell a car.
The websites will give a place for your car on the websites, but it is not for free. You have to pay some amount of money to advertise your car there.
And it will certainly take much more time until you find a person who would like to buy your car.
Remember: you will spend extra time presenting your car to a buyer, and it is not for sure that they will buy your car.
Besides, security guarantees that the websites you give you don’t work all the time. By the way, the owners of the websites may be scammers and will charge a lot of money from you.
Selling your car on websites may be dangerous; if you choose to use websites, you should be ready for difficulties.
Conclusion about the “Check fuel cap” message
“Check fuel cap” warning on a Honda Accord is not a serious problem, but in the long run it will cause more trouble.
It’s not even critically unsafe to drive a car when the fuel cap is gone, but it allows debris to come into the tank of your car and may eventually damage an engine and even more.
So if you don’t want to pay more to fix more details of your car, you should check fuel cap and timely replace your gas cap when it’s broken.
And when the “Check fuel cap” warning disappeared, then the problem was solved.
