Stalling after fillup

[Swordsmith]

Fairly consistently over the past couple months, every time I fill up, my Sonic stalls whenever I go to idle, for the first couple minutes. It does not do this when started cold, I can get up morning after morning and no problem. Just immediately after filling up, and regardless of whether I use 87 or 93 (happens I haven't filled up with E85 recently as my HGF is driving the car half the time)

 

[Natesriv]

fillling too high in fuel filler tube? clogged fuel filter? When filling back up, the incoming gas pushing something in the way of the filter??

 

[NewZJ]

Have you cleaned your throttle body?

 

[Chrish051873]

My car will always stall, either while filling it up or after it is filled and i sit in the car just ready to take off, it will stall.

i always checked it off as normal, as i have seen a few posts before of stalling while refueling somewhere around here.

Chris

 

[ahtoxa]

Swordsmith, do you top off when you fill up?

 

[Natesriv]

stalling is never normal... does it stall without the gas pedal being pushed, or does a good push on the pedal after starting (right after filling up) solve it?

 

[Chrish051873]

found the link i was talking about
http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/general-discussion/2851-stalling-when-filling-fuel.html

 

[Natesriv]

is it running when you fill up? Like Chris posted?

 

[Italianjoe1]

Usually that issue is a faulty EVAP purge solenoid, sticking open and allowing the fuel vapors to flood the engine when refueling, which leaves no air left to run the engine, resulting in stalls/no-start.

Try using the flood-clear mode, hold the gas pedal to the floor for a little bit while cranking, this will turn the fuel injection off and allow you to pump some fresh air into the engine. That should alleviate the problem. If it does, then you need to replace the EVAP purge valve. That part will be covered either under powertrain warranty or 8yr/80K federal emissions warranty so take it to the dealer.

 

[Swordsmith]

I have engine off, and do not top off when filling; I fill until the pump clicks off and that is it. This has happened a number of times, and with different pumps, different stations. I am not sure exactly when it started, but I am reasonably sure it has been happening every single time for a little while now.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

Fairly consistently over the past couple months, every time I fill up, my Sonic stalls whenever I go to idle, for the first couple minutes. It does not do this when started cold, I can get up morning after morning and no problem. Just immediately after filling up, and regardless of whether I use 87 or 93 (happens I haven't filled up with E85 recently as my HGF is driving the car half the time)

Hello Swordsmith,

I'm sorry to hear that your vehicle is experiencing these issues. I would be happy to assist in getting your vehicle into the dealership. They can possibly find something that's causing the stalling. Please send a PM to me with your VIN, mileage, contact info and a preferred dealership. I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[Ever Victorious]

I have engine off, and do not top off when filling; I fill until the pump clicks off and that is it. This has happened a number of times, and with different pumps, different stations. I am not sure exactly when it started, but I am reasonably sure it has been happening every single time for a little while now.

2004.5-2009 Kia Spectra and Spectra5 models are notorious for doing this. There are threads about it ALLLL over the internet. In a nutshell, what happens is that after a while those models develop a problem where the evap system doesn't kick the pump's auto-fill off quick enough, and it overfills the tank/neck. If a car keeps doing this over and over and is left unchecked, it will also wreck the evap system. Nothing that I have ever seen on that model is ever a permanent fix. The only thing that you can reliably do in a Spectra to prevent this, once it's developed, is to MANUALLY fill your tank, and stop yourself before the tank is full. (My Spec5 had this problem. But it also did it when coming to a stop for the first 3-10 miles after fillup, which is a HUGE safety issue, particularly if the person behind you has no clue you've stalled out).

I'm seriously hoping that yours is a one-off case, and not an indicator that the Sonic also has such a design flaw.

That said... hand pump it for a couple tanks. Don't let the evap system determine when the tank is full. Don't fill it up completely. See if that helps.

 

[billboening]

my 2013 sonic rs automatic has started shuddering and stalling at any time around ideal. like stop and go traffic. it does not give any codes and starts right back up. even some times right after remote starting it. The tank could be full or almost empty. is this the same issue or do I need help?