gas cap or something issue.

[woa_its_j3ff]

So obviously it being winter things sometimes are harder to open like doors, handles, etc.
I have a problem with my gas door. when I pull the lever it doesnt yank very much and the door never opens, i have to use deicer/wd40 repeatdly on the door (where the crevice is) and spray for a good 15 seconds or so and then yank very hard on the handle for the fuel door to open.
Once it is open, i always see the nipple thing that latches into the hold that locks the gas door, is like frozen inside the little cover ( so basically the nipple thing wont pop out like it usually is supposed to to lock the cover back in place ). I dont know if this is because my car is so cold and sits outside because there is no room in the garage for my car, or if it's something else.

I dont want to drive with my gas door hanging a little bit out in the middle of winter.. so..
Any advice or possible information please let me know asap.
I'd rather ask you guys than taking it to the assho!e dealership by my house.
Thanks.

[Nyyankees3511]

Open the cover and look near the hinge you will see a metal piece in the middle. If that piece is flat with the door the cover wont open so bend that piece a little out so it acts like a spring.

[Ruski]

Dosn't dw40 freeze also if its cold out.. don't take it to the Stealer what ever you do.. There going to rape you there.

[Nyyankees3511]

Yea they will, im pretty sure its that spring thats the problem.

[woa_its_j3ff]

you sure? because when i pull the lever to open the gas lid, it doesnt "clink" until i pull it extremely hard..
Ill try that little spring thing when I get home from school today. ANyone else with suggestions let me know.

[woa_its_j3ff]

Open the cover and look near the hinge you will see a metal piece in the middle. If that piece is flat with the door the cover wont open so bend that piece a little out so it acts like a spring.

any another thing. the spring IS bent out a lil bit, which is why my gas cap door wont close. it's basically the nipple thing that is stuck inside my gas door area and it's supposed to move smoothly in and out everytime i pull the lever but it wont. any ideas on how to get it unstuck?

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

On my gen4 camry, i had the same problem. I did take it to the dealership and a TSB was issued for camry (i don't think it was issued for solara). The door was fixed for FREE and has never had any more problems. They replaced that U shaped metal thingie that pop's open the gas lid. Essentially, my issue was i needed someone lifting the leaver and me using a creditcard to open the gas-lid...Tried and tested methods....hehe..it worked!

[woa_its_j3ff]

On my gen4 camry, i had the same problem. I did take it to the dealership and a TSB was issued for camry (i don't think it was issued for solara). The door was fixed for FREE and has never had any more problems. They replaced that U shaped metal thingie that pop's open the gas lid. Essentially, my issue was i needed someone lifting the leaver and me using a creditcard to open the gas-lid...Tried and tested methods....hehe..it worked!

I know i could do that too before where i had someone hold the lever up for me and then i used something to open the gas cap door. but that's not it. my main issues are

1. when i pull on the lever, it wont even open the gas cap until after spraying the entire area with deicer or wd40 and waiting a few minutes (keep in mind the spring that everyone is telling me about IS working (which is why when i DO manage to get the door open, it wont shut all the way), and then yanking it still very very hard until I hear a "pop" then it opens..
after opening the lever that i use to lift it feels very.. floaty, as if the cable got loose.

2. in continuing from #1, it wont shut all the way because the nipple that is supposed to lock the gas door in place is frozen or stuck inside the housing that it retracts and stuff from..

the gas cap nipple DOES pop back into the place it's supposed to be but only after like a few hours, which isn't good. I really don't knwo if it's the cold weather that's causing all of this, or what...

so with these 2 in mind, how do I go about fixing this? I don't know and highly doubt my dealership would fix this for me for free.

[kpxboi0619]

I'm having problems on my gen 2 solara already,, I got the car not too long ago

[crispone]

Sorry, not much time to speak to your "specific" issue at the moment... but:

Rather than use all that deicer and WD40, I would recommend GRAPHITE LOCK SPRAY. This stuff will "free-up" your door locks and/or the little "latch" on a gas-cap door without "freezing up".

Just a thought... it's probably under $5 at any auto store... mine was in a little blue can with one of those red spray tubes like the WD-40 has...


Good luck!


(Note: My Toy Truck door lock was getting so stiff, it was about to "break" my key in it when I tried to turn it... one little "shot" of the graphite into the slot and it's slick as snot every time... even in -4 below.)



Note: I never use deicer... it can be bad for paint, etc... and it's temporary.

-crisp

[woa_its_j3ff]

On my gen4 camry, i had the same problem. I did take it to the dealership and a TSB was issued for camry (i don't think it was issued for solara). The door was fixed for FREE and has never had any more problems. They replaced that U shaped metal thingie that pop's open the gas lid. Essentially, my issue was i needed someone lifting the leaver and me using a creditcard to open the gas-lid...Tried and tested methods....hehe..it worked!

also the U shaped hinge you're talking about, on mine ..one of the tabs broke off of it, how much is it to buy at Toyota, any idea?