Fueling up your VLX for dummies

[Fman]

On my 2011 VLX everytime I fill up at different gas stations I will get fuel leaking out the filler inlet on the boat unless I fill on the slowest possible flow setting. In California the fuel nozzles have rubber emission vapor controls on them. On my Supra I never had any problems with fuel leaking out while filling up. Does anyone else in CA with a newer wakesetter experience this?????? I cant seem to figure this out why this happens, it takes quite a bit longer to fill 45 gallons not being able to open up to full flow on the filler nozzle.

Have tried filling at different angles, and still having the same issues.... any ideas why this is happening?

[Ndawg12]

Ah....Vapor recovery, what a joke!! Are they trying to save fuel or the environment or...? Either way VR equipment is not helping your cause. I used to be a tech and worked on them on proactive stations. We still don't have alot of VR equipment (hasn't been mandated in NC) but still can usually only lock the nozzle at half. It seems the bend at the filler neck is too sharp and close to the hole. Fuel backs up ( starves the nozzled for air) and it clicks off. If the station is busy it usually means 1 or 2 underground pumps are serving all the nozzles and the flow should be reduced, so it all depends on circumstance. Alot of people don't know but the "pump" is not actually a pump but a big metal box filled with wires and boards that calculate fuel flow and send transaction information into the station.

Anybody know if Gilbarco or Wayne or etc. are the leading "pump" distributor over on the west coast?

[MalibuNation]

Very interesting ... keep us posted. If it was coming out the vent I'd say get one of these:

[REW]

Ah....Vapor recovery, what a joke!! Are they trying to save fuel or the environment or...? Either way VR equipment is not helping your cause. I used to be a tech and worked on them on proactive stations. We still don't have alot of VR equipment (hasn't been mandated in NC) but still can usually only lock the nozzle at half. It seems the bend at the filler neck is too sharp and close to the hole. Fuel backs up ( starves the nozzled for air) and it clicks off. If the station is busy it usually means 1 or 2 underground pumps are serving all the nozzles and the flow should be reduced, so it all depends on circumstance. Alot of people don't know but the "pump" is not actually a pump but a big metal box filled with wires and boards that calculate fuel flow and send transaction information into the station.

Anybody know if Gilbarco or Wayne or etc. are the leading "pump" distributor over on the west coast?

Try venting through the other fill port, see if that helps, the extra airflow may allow for faster filling.

The only issue I have is that it wont turn off on its own until it is about to burp gas all over the place.

[bamabonners]

i was filliing up my old boat last month when it burped and shot fuel all over me and the pump. I reported the mess to the attendant. I had to just about take a bath in the gas station bathroom to get it all off. Then me and my truck smelled like it all the way to the lake.

[gorilla]

Try venting through the other fill port, see if that helps, the extra airflow may allow for faster filling.

The only issue I have is that it wont turn off on its own until it is about to burp gas all over the place.

this is what I do. just listen very carefully and you can hear the sound change when you are getting close to being full. works every time.....unless there is a ton of background noise at the gas station. I have actually stopped fueling until it was quiet enough to hear the gurgling sound change letting me know it is almost full.

[REW]

this is what I do. just listen very carefully and you can hear the sound change when you are getting close to being full. works every time.....unless there is a ton of background noise at the gas station. I have actually stopped fueling until it was quiet enough to hear the gurgling sound change letting me know it is almost full.

Yea that is what I do as well. The gas stations that have the tv's out side to play ads at you while you are pumping gas makes this more difficult, but it does work.

[Molarbu]

I turn on the key and watch the digital readout on the dash for the fuel guage. I fill until it says %100 which is probably a couple of gallons early since it is on the trailer then just stop there. No spills or overflow.

[WakeGirl]

ICBW, but it doesn't sound like it's the backsplash once it's full that is the problem. It sounds like he can't fill at a very fast rate or it will burp back at him even if it's not full. As mentioned, opening the fill cap on the other side can help vent in some cases. On some boats turning the nozzle upside down can help as well.

[MalibuTime]

I always unscrew the other side, and visually inspect the gas tank level from the floor access at the front of the tanks so I always have a ballpark idea of how much gas I can fill, plus I am only filling the tank full 1 or 2 times a year max. Full tank does not equal best slalom wake. As for early shut off, sometimes turning the nozzle 180 like WG suggest works but then you need to make sure you know how much fuel you can take.

[BSUBU_Kris]

Not sure about the VLX but on the LSV I can remove the center cushion on the rear seat along with the tray under it and I can then see the tank while I am filling. This makes it really easy to see when the tank is getting full. This is really helpful when on the water as you don't have to worry about any fuel spilling into the water. At some stations I have had to turn the nozzle upside down in order to fill at full flow. If it is the vent that is spitting some fuel I would try opening the other filler as others have suggested as that larger opening should allow air to escape without small amounts of fuel escaping with it. Only issue with this is once the tank is close to full you could get a large amount of fuel shooting out the other filler opening. I would close the other filler once you are about to the top of the tank. In CA there can be some fines if you spill fuel into the water while filling.

[Fman]

The problem is when I am actually filling the tank, it has a constant slow stream/drip coming from the bottom of the rubber vent boot. I am going to the same fuel stations as I did with my Supra, apparently the Malibu uses a different fill style inlet that is not liking the rubber boot. I usually grab a few towels and wrap it around the filler port to help absorb the seepage.... fuel is already expensive enough, every drop counts! When I fill up a the Marina its not a problem because they have a normal fuel nozzle without the rubber boot.

Oh well, not a major prob, just takes awhile to fill the tank because of the low flow I have to use when filling.... I will try removing both caps when I fill as someone suggested, maybe this will allow more airflow and prevent this from happening. I have tried pushing the nozzle further into the inlet and still no luck...

[Violentj34]

Guess I am lucky but I have a 2010 LSV and have not had that problem. I do have to keep the nozzle proped up thou to keep it from falling out just doesnt stick in like a car or anything.