Urgent help - how to remove the door to the gas tank?

[serban]

Hello everybody,

My car is in service and the guy has some problems with removing the door to the gas tank. I am not sure how is that called, I'm not an English native, but is the thing you flip in order to fill up the tank.

Any tips on how he can do that or a link to an explanation, would be really helpful.

Thank you.

[632 Regal]

why does he want it off? what I have heard is you go get a new hinge at the dealer and then break the old one off so that you can get the ends out. replace with new hinge and slide back on until it locks back into place. as for just removing it, I dont know if it is possible.

[WarrenBrown]

I've replace 2 of these, the only way I can see to remove them is to break the hinge, then it becomes obvious.

Warren
91 318is
95 525iT

[1992 BMW 535i]

Does he mean that it is locked closed? You have to get under the floor mat on the passenger side to release it...

[serban]

I have a few spots of rust there and I need to clean it very good before painting that area...are you sure that it cannot be removed without braking the plastic parts??? why would bmw design something like that?

[Dick Schneiders]

and it is easiest to just break it since the plastic parts are going to be replaced. I have read that a few people were able to figure out how to remove it without breaking it, but have never tried it myself. Hopefully, one of them will see this and reply. As I recall, they had to use a couple of flat bladed screwdrivers to press in on a couple of release points in the hinge. I had already replaced both of mine when I read this, so never needed to figure it out.

Dick Schneiders (2, 1991 525i's)


I have a few spots of rust there and I need to clean it very good before painting that area...are you sure that it cannot be removed without braking the plastic parts??? why would bmw design something like that?

[serban]

I see, thanks for the reply, maybe someone that didn't change that higne will see this and help me. I thought something needs to be pushed to release that, but I don't know where to push...

[DaCan23]

It is possible to get off w/o breakin it... I did once..

My hinge mechanism needed to be replaced... broke off old one... put new one back on... forgot to put the metal ring spring thing back on before puttin new one in... impossible to get that metal thing on once it's in... was so worried I couldnt get new hinge off w/o breakin it... 2 hrs later w/ 3 tiny screw drivers I did get it off amazingly... just gotta fiddle w/ it... not really explainable, but there are little clips holding it in that need a tiny screw driver to do, 2 of em, almost a 2 person job... not fun..

[Warren N.CA]

prying with two flat blade screwdrivers, simultaneoulsly. Then, the door with the hinge will pull straight off.



Hello everybody,

My car is in service and the guy has some problems with removing the door to the gas tank. I am not sure how is that called, I'm not an English native, but is the thing you flip in order to fill up the tank.

Any tips on how he can do that or a link to an explanation, would be really helpful.

Thank you.

[Dick Schneiders]

I did a similar thing. I put the new hinge back on the car, first, and then tried to attach the door and metal clip. I don't think it can be done that way. I think you have to attach the hinge and clip to the door and then put the entire assembly onto the car. I spent at least an hour trying to figure out how to get it back off again. It was very frustrating. I finally gave up and broke out the brand new plastic hinge. Since I have two of these cars, I had a spare new hinge - I bought two of them, one for each car. They are very inexpensive, and it would have been far better if I had just broken the new one out immediately. However, once I started trying to remove it, I didn't want to give up.

I, also, decided the same thing - that it was really a two person job to do it.

Dick Schneiders


It is possible to get off w/o breakin it... I did once..

My hinge mechanism needed to be replaced... broke off old one... put new one back on... forgot to put the metal ring spring thing back on before puttin new one in... impossible to get that metal thing on once it's in... was so worried I couldnt get new hinge off w/o breakin it... 2 hrs later w/ 3 tiny screw drivers I did get it off amazingly... just gotta fiddle w/ it... not really explainable, but there are little clips holding it in that need a tiny screw driver to do, 2 of em, almost a 2 person job... not fun..

[Elekta]

Just leave the gas nozzle in the tank and back up a few feet. My wife was successful removing it that way. :p

It's actually one of the cheaper dealer fixes.

[serban]

Ok, thanks, I will try to figure out, good to know it can be done.

[serban]

LOL, braking the hinge or without? If without braking it, she is the master :)