# Overfilling fuel tank (Diesel)



## ajb62787 (Feb 13, 2018)

I just purchased a Fully Loaded 2018 Cruze Diesel Hatchback yesterday and it runs absolutely amazing! When I went to fill up for the first time, I noticed that the diesel nozzle fit shallowly in the tank, concerning me. I flipped down the latch to allow auto-flow from the nozzle not knowing that the nozzle did not “click” and stop the flow when it’s a full tank, just like gas models and I lost about a quarter gallon of diesel fuel as it flowed out of the tank onto the ground.
Is this common of the Cruze that there’s no clear indication of a full tank or is it a defect with the tank?


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

It sounds like a defective fuel nozzle at that pump.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Also, don’t use the high-flow diesel pumps designed for semi trucks. The nozzles are larger than those found on standard diesel pumps where cars/pickups/SUVs fill up.


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

TDCruze said:


> It sounds like a defective fuel nozzle at that pump.


Yes. 

I haven't pumped much diesel, but in my experience, failing to shut off is a problem with the pump, not the car.

Typical filler neck problems cause the the pump to shut off early resulting in having to pump very slowly.

Doug

.


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## BodhiBenz1987 (Jan 13, 2018)

I have had this happen occasionally on various diesel cars (I have driven them for 20+ years), and on every occasion it was the pump/nozzle that was the culprit. I always try to be right by the nozzle when it's getting close to full just in case it doesn't shut off, to minimize the spill. Only takes one time having this happen to not want it to happen again! As Rivergoer said make sure you are using the car pump and not the truck pumps. I'm not sure the truck nozzle would even fit but if it did it might not shut off right. But it does happen even at the right pump. Infrequently but enough that it would be reasonable to assume that is your culprit unless it does it again next time at a totally different pump.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

ajb62787 said:


> I just purchased a Fully Loaded 2018 Cruze Diesel Hatchback yesterday and it runs absolutely amazing! When I went to fill up for the first time, I noticed that the diesel nozzle fit shallowly in the tank, concerning me. I flipped down the latch to allow auto-flow from the nozzle not knowing that the nozzle did not “click” and stop the flow when it’s a full tank, just like gas models and I lost about a quarter gallon of diesel fuel as it flowed out of the tank onto the ground.
> Is this common of the Cruze that there’s no clear indication of a full tank or is it a defect with the tank?


If the nozzle did not fit, it must have been a high volume semi-truck type nozzle. You should not use those unless it's an emergency, and then you should not use auto-flow and go as slow as you can, because the diameter of the fill neck, and distance to tank will not keep up with a high volume nozzle. The diesel nozzles at the auto section of the fuel station should fit fine, but even with those, I recommend if you use the auto-fill, use the lowest flow setting. Diesel fuel foams, and if you fill fast you might end up with a partial fill because it will be full of foam. 

I go until the nozzle clicks off on the slowest setting, then manually and slowly add another 1 to 1.5 gallons as the foam is dissipating. With a diesel there is no harm in filling the tank all the way up to the neck, since there is no vapor emissions system like a gasoline car. Do not top off a gasoline car, it needs some vapor on the top of the tank for the emissions system to work correctly.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

MRO1791 said:


> Diesel fuel foams, and if you fill fast you might end up with a partial fill because it will be full of foam.


Every time I have filled my car on the lowest flow setting, the nozzle clicks off. Then, I can trickle another 1.5 gallons into the tank as the foam subsides until it is full up to the filler neck.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

Barry Allen said:


> Every time I have filled my car on the lowest flow setting, the nozzle clicks off. Then, I can trickle another 1.5 gallons into the tank as the foam subsides until it is full up to the filler neck.


I've seen the same on the Gen 2, with the Gen 1 you can squeeze in another 2 gallons, slowly, after it clicks off on the low setting.


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## ajb62787 (Feb 13, 2018)

I figured out the reason. Many gas stations that are convenience chains here in the Mid-Atlantic uses the same nozzles as for gasoline cars, which explains why it is too small and never _clicks_.


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## dundonrl (Jul 11, 2017)

Rivergoer said:


> Also, don’t use the high-flow diesel pumps designed for semi trucks. The nozzles are larger than those found on standard diesel pumps where cars/pickups/SUVs fill up.


I've used those before, the truck lanes because why not.. (when they aren't busy) and I definitely got some strange looks pulling up with a little 4 door sedan! 



Barry Allen said:


> Every time I have filled my car on the lowest flow setting, the nozzle clicks off. Then, I can trickle another 1.5 gallons into the tank as the foam subsides until it is full up to the filler neck.


Never really tried to see how much extra diesel I can get in my Cruze, but in my Ram 2500 with the 6.7 Cummins I can get almost 3 extra gallons in it, and I can fill it within an inch of the top of the filler neck. 

17 Cruze sedan with the LH7 and 6 speed manual 
12 Ram 2500 4x4 Crew cab with 6.7 Cummins and 6 speed manual


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

dundonrl said:


> I definitely got some strange looks pulling up with a little 4 door sedan!


I've had more than one fuel station turn the pump off midway through refueling, with the clerk yelling at me over the intercom or across the parking lot.

Clerk: "That's diesel fuel!"
Me: "Yes."
Clerk: "You're filling your car with diesel fuel!"
Me: "Yes, I can read."
Clerk: "You're putting diesel fuel in your car!"
Me: "Yeah, funny thing about this car: if you don't fill the tank with diesel fuel about every 400-500 miles, it just doesn't run right."


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

dundonrl said:


> Never really tried to see how much extra diesel I can get in my Cruze, but in my Ram 2500 with the 6.7 Cummins I can get almost 3 extra gallons in it, and I can fill it within an inch of the top of the filler neck.


Oh, for sure. I usually let the tank fill and the pump click off while I'm washing the windscreen and checking the oil. Then, when the foam has settled a bit, I trickle it right up to the top of the filler neck to get consistent fuel economy calculations.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

Rivergoer said:


> Also, don’t use the high-flow diesel pumps designed for semi trucks. The nozzles are larger than those found on standard diesel pumps where cars/pickups/SUVs fill up.


Sucks to be gen 2 lol. We gen 1 can fit the high flow. Makes the stop so quick. Fast fill diesel, then top off DEF if needed and on your way you go. I know how many gallons to fill at 1/2 and 1/4 tank so I don’t speed past full and spill.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

dundonrl said:


> I've used those before, the truck lanes because why not.. (when they aren't busy) and I definitely got some strange looks pulling up with a little 4 door sedan!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I get a few looks but as soon as they see the green cap they get it. A few times they have asked about my diesel and talked about our mutual hate of DEF.


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## phil1734 (Aug 30, 2019)

dundonrl said:


> I've used those before, the truck lanes because why not.. (when they aren't busy) and I definitely got some strange looks pulling up with a little 4 door sedan!


There is a truck stop I've been to a few times that has DEF at the pump, but only at the one-way pull-through truck lanes. So not only do I get to be the crazy guy in his tiny sedan trying to not get crushed in the truck lanes, but I get to do it _in reverse_ so that the fuel filler door is on the correct side for the DEF pump. I do enjoy it.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

pandrad61 said:


> Sucks to be gen 2 lol. We gen 1 can fit the high flow. Makes the stop so quick. Fast fill diesel, then top off DEF if needed and on your way you go. I know how many gallons to fill at 1/2 and 1/4 tank so I don’t speed past full and spill.


I don't know what problem the OP had, but my three Gen 2s all have the same diameter fuel neck as my Gen 1 and can fit a high volume nozzle if needed.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

MRO1791 said:


> I don't know what problem the OP had, but my three Gen 2s all have the same diameter fuel neck as my Gen 1 and can fit a high volume nozzle if needed.


Good so GM didn’t restrict the neck then. Sounds like it was a bad pump then. For long hauls I love high flow fill ups.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

pandrad61 said:


> Good so GM didn’t restrict the neck then. Sounds like it was a bad pump then. For long hauls I love high flow fill ups.


Yes, but VW put that riduculous device in their cars that was supposed to prevent the smaller gas nozzles from entry, that would prevent the big nozzles as well. It was done because they wanted to blame the cheap crappy HPFP they used for its high failure rate and subsequent catastrophic damage on the customer for putting gasoline in the tank. The NHTSA investigation proved that it wasn't that at all, and this is before the information on the emmissions cheat hit the news cycle. 

That was when I got rid of the VW, who knows what else they did on that car that was a ticking time bomb.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

MRO1791 said:


> Gen 2s all have the same diameter fuel neck as my Gen 1 and can fit a high volume nozzle if needed.


My 2018 does not. I can fit a standard diesel nozzle but the big nozzles ("truck' nozzles) will not fit. There are a couple stations I visit that have both nozzles on different pumps, and I have to go to specific pumps so the nozzle fits.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

Barry Allen said:


> My 2018 does not. I can fit a standard diesel nozzle but the big nozzles ("truck' nozzles) will not fit. There are a couple stations I visit that have both nozzles on different pumps, and I have to go to specific pumps so the nozzle fits.


Is yours a hatch back? Maybe that is the difference. My sedans all have the same diameter opening, both Gen 1 and Gen 2s.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

MRO1791 said:


> Is yours a hatch back? Maybe that is the difference. My sedans all have the same diameter opening, both Gen 1 and Gen 2s.


Sedan. I've definitely encountered oversize nozzles that will not fit.

My understanding is some weird EPA regulation prohibits fuel pumps from flowing greater than 40-gallons-per-minute, but I'm sure that with an oversize nozzle and a good fuel pump it could likely go higher. The fuel station I used to use had some massive fuel filters (like the size of a quart mason jar) screwed onto the side of the pumps, and I can't imagine flowing more than a few gallons per minute through those filters unless they are just a coarse filter.


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## phil1734 (Aug 30, 2019)

My '18 sedan does not fit the pumps at the aforementioned truck stop. Adding to the adventure, I have to drive back around to the regular pumps and use the slightly-larger-than-gasoline nozzle.


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## 6speedTi (May 18, 2018)

Barry Allen said:


> My 2018 does not. I can fit a standard diesel nozzle but the big nozzles ("truck' nozzles) will not fit. There are a couple stations I visit that have both nozzles on different pumps, and I have to go to specific pumps so the nozzle fits.


My 2018 sedan same as yours. Bigger nozzle won't fit in but the standard one for diesel is not an issue.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

MRO1791 said:


> Yes, but VW put that riduculous device in their cars that was supposed to prevent the smaller gas nozzles from entry, that would prevent the big nozzles as well. It was done because they wanted to blame the cheap crappy HPFP they used for its high failure rate and subsequent catastrophic damage on the customer for putting gasoline in the tank. The NHTSA investigation proved that it wasn't that at all, and this is before the information on the emmissions cheat hit the news cycle.
> 
> That was when I got rid of the VW, who knows what else they did on that car that was a ticking time bomb.


VW cutting a corner! Say it ain’t so!! /S. I’m not the least bit surprised. I will never ever own another VW product in my life. Hell any German cars for that matter. My dad loves BMW and those things age horribly vs Japanese even American cars.

our Passat wagon turbo had a plastic dip stick tube and stick. Well with age and heat it cracked and wend right down in the pan. A common problem. This is what made me sell it off.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

MRO1791 said:


> they wanted to blame the cheap crappy HPFP they used for its high failure rate and subsequent catastrophic damage on the customer for putting gasoline in the tank


Half of this problem is the terrible quality of diesel fuel we have (or used to have) in the USA when compared to Europe. If the USA would actually enforce an adequate level of lubricity after we discovered ULSD treatment removed a lot of lubricity, there wouldn't be many problems.

That, and it would be nice to have fuel pumps go back to a design like the Cummins P-pumps, where the HPFP was lubricated by engine oil.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

Barry Allen said:


> Half of this problem is the terrible quality of diesel fuel we have (or used to have) in the USA when compared to Europe. If the USA would actually enforce an adequate level of lubricity after we discovered ULSD treatment removed a lot of lubricity, there wouldn't be many problems.
> 
> That, and it would be nice to have fuel pumps go back to a design like the Cummins P-pumps, where the HPFP was lubricated by engine oil.


If the USA actually replaced all the refineries with modern ones to better standards we should get better fuels and more yield from a 55 gallon of crude. If it was oil lubed it would be a better way to keep it alive. Unfortunately on a sedan with neglectful owners it wouldn’t last Long


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

pandrad61 said:


> If the USA actually replaced all the refineries with modern ones to better standards we should get better fuels


I agree. There has been a decent push to make 89 octane the new "regular" in the USA and I wouldn't mind trying to get the new minimum cetane number of diesel fuel to be 50.

California requires 53 cetane as the minimum and lots of Texas has 48 as the minimum.


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