Subdivisions

I have a recurring gas cap problem that is really starting to **** me off!
NO MATTER how I put the fuel cap on it doesn’t feel tight.

The first few months I owned the car I kept getting a CEL.
Back and forth to dealer several times.
The dealer kept telling me “you’re not tightening the fuel cap”
I said, "It doesn't go on very tight"!

I tried a new gas cap (dealer provided OEM)
No difference

To tighten the cap, I have tried:
- tightening to one - several clicks
-a dozen clicks
-no clicks
-I have tried pushing “very hard”, “hard”, “soft”, “not pushing”
-Tightening to “just when it’s about to click”, which is a pain

The “just about to click” method worked for a while, but even then, it really wasn’t that tight … but the CEL stopped going off, so I dealt with it.
Now I’m getting a CEL again.
WTF!

It’s almost like the threads on the fuel pipe are stripped.
But how the hell would that happen, the pipe is metal and the cap is plastic.
I tried cleaning out the fuel pipe threads, but no difference.

With so many people complaining about the CEL, this has had to happen to someone else.
How did you resolve?

Duke15

I had something similiar happen. I finally took my car to another dealership, explained everything the last dealership told me, and they simply replaced the cap with a new one. Viola, problem solved. The mechanic speculated that Mazda got a bad batch of gas caps made.

BTW: That was almost a year ago. Last month I received a notice of a gas cap recall (for 2004 - 2006 I think) gas caps. You might want to have them look into that. Mine didn't need replaced again.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

gently line up the cap and twist until you get 3 clicks.

If you're getting CEL from doing THAT, then you need a new cap.

Subdivisions

Thanks for the info.
I'm about due for an oil change, I'll have to mention the gas cap recall.

Duke15

Mine would come on every 780 - 800 miles after they reset the CEL. But the new cap has gone a few thousand miles without any problems.

The first dealer (and original purchase dealer) made me mad telling me I didn't know how to put a gas cap on. The mechanic was an SOB smart a** about it and needed popped in the mouth, but I settled for telling him not to be a smart a**. But that dealer sucked in so many ways anyway. They were the only Costco dealer though, which saved me a lot of money when I ordered my 2006 before they were making them.

Subdivisions

I had a similar situation with my dealer.
The guy was telling me "you're not tightening the gas cap correctly"
I said, "i've been driving for 22 years, I think I know how to put on a gas cap"

When I stopped having the CEL problem with the "Just about to click" method, I didn't bring up the gas cap problem again.

Other than this gas cap issue, the dealer has been stellar.

DaveCM203

I had a cell come on a couple of months ago and they found it to be the gas cap. They replaced it under warranty. So far, so good. They said that it is a common problem as there is something in the caps of the '04s that rust inside of it and cause it to leak. So, I would try to replace the cap. If you don't have warranty, it is a cheap fix.

Subdivisions

I wonder if I'll get a "little" better gas milage.
If the cap is not sealing correctly (loose), seems like the new recall cap would help ... less evaporation and such.

I am getting about 15 mpg with city/suburb driving.
I'll let you guys know when I go in for my next oil change next week.

New Yorker

Does anyone know why even the "normal"—not defective—RX-8 gas cap doesn't seem to go on tightly?

I'll click it half a dozen times or more, but when I remove it at the next fill-up, it loosens with no force whatsover—like it wasn't fully tightened. And this is normal, I think—the CEL has never come on (except during start up when all the lights come on, of course).

Does this seem odd? Every other car I've owned had a tight-fitting gas cap.

dynamho

There's an official recall on the old gas cap. Get it replaced.

expo1

Or just buy a new one STANT GAS CAP Model 10838. It's under $10.00

machfive

If it aint the cap, check the threads on the filler tube, but I doubt if they are bad.

Spinning Sushi

iTrader: (21)

Mine did the same thing, they told me that it was a small defect in some of the RX-8's. If I remember correctly, there should also be a TSB on it.

New Yorker

As I said, mine seems to be loose, but with no CEL. And it's NOT in the range of cars mentioned in the TSB. I guess a "normal" RX-8 fuel cap takes almost no effort to open.

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

my gas cap takes a bit of pressure to open. it screws on tightly.

btw, thanks for the 3 clicks = tight tip. i always did 1 click.

ken-x8

My original cap was like that. Going on, it felt snug like any of today's "make sure it clicks thrice" caps. I'm in the MSP-13 VIN range (even got a P0455 once), and the dealer replaced it at my last visit. The new one goes on the same. Coming off, it rotates against a spring for about a quarter of a turn, then there's resistance about like you'd expect for a cap that was actually capping.

Ken