Fuel Theft?

[AdrianMF]

Hello Everyone,

I have a new (3 months old) Ford Focus STi2 Estate, with the no cap fuel filler. The fuel consumption has been fine (for an STI) but in the past month my wife is reporting that she is filling it a *lot* more.

No smells of petrol, drives as normal, no visible or smellable leakage.

Before I ring the dealer, has anyone any information on whether thieves can steal petrol through this type of filler cap?

I live in South London so if it can be done, someone is probably doing it!

Thanks,

Adrian

[IINexusII]

is the filler flap not locked shut when the car is locked? if someone is stealing fuel (if its even possible though the filler port) surely the flap would have been broken first?

[Celticfan]

With Ford Easy Fuel there is no lock on the cap. It relies on only a pump nozzle, or the nozzle that comes with the car for putting from a can in, to protect the tank. I suppose you could bypass the neck by sliding a smaller tube through the plastic 'can' nozzle but that is a bit dramatic for some fuel..

[madmole]

On mine, the plastic cover flap over the filler cap wont open if the car is locked

[Celticfan]

My 09 Focus Zetec had Easy Fuel and all you do is push the cover and it pops open. It's exactly the same on my 2013 Focus Zetec S

[Dee_82]

will a tube just slide down it though?

if you don't push the wee button bit at the bottom when filling up it just pisses diesel all over the floor, and shuts it off early, perhaps shes doing that and not realising its not full yet.

edit

loving that "pisses" is ok but AR$E isn't on here :D

[madmole]

There is a bend in the tube below the filling area that stops a syphon tube being inserted

other wise you could just buy a ford emergency filling funnel and go steal everyone's fuel

[AdrianMF]

Thanks guys.

The bodywork flap is not locked - you just push it open. After that, you have access to the filler pipe, which has a neck sealed by an interlocking internal shutter that only opens when the catch in front of it is pushed sideways (by a filler nozzle inserted into the neck).

So there doesn't seem to be a known fuel theft problem. I will fill it up myself (so I know it's full) and put something under the flap overnight that will show if tampering is happening. A nut under the filler flap would work. If you open it then the nut drops out.

Then:

if the fuel goes down quickly and the nut isn't there in the mornings, it's a call to the police;

if the fuel goes down quickly and the nut is still there in the mornings, it's a call to the dealer;

if the fuel doesn't go down it's a refresher course on how to fill the petrol tank!

Thanks,

Adrian

[Figgis41]

so let me get this streight,,,,, your wife puts fuel in the car ??
how did you manage that ?

Aparently if the car is locked the cap will not open, this is to stop anyone with a plastic ford funnel from nicking the fuel,,, some more info here as to fords easy fuel merrits.

"With Easy Fuel, the filler opening is secured as part of the car's
central locking system. It also has a spring-loaded flap, held in place
by two latches, that can only be released by a standard-sized fuel
nozzle. In principle, syphoning hoses are of no use to a would be-crook."

http://www.ford.co.uk/experience-ford/AboutFord/News/VehicleNews/2012/Innovative-Easy-Fuel-System

as to your issue,,, do you know there is a bolt plug at the bottom of the tank used for draining fuel from the tank ?
these type of fluid threaded plugs are usually sealed with liquid spray ptfe to stop leakage through the threads,,, in the past i have found that type of ptfe to be crap and with time or a certain amount of jolts it will leak as it tends to crack.

get it checked out.

[Celticfan]

Well, I've just double-checked. The cover over my fuel pipe does not lock. Checked car was double-locked, pushed cover and it popped open. Exactly the same on my 09 Zetec

The link you gave talks about the actual filler but doesn't say it's part of the central locking.

[Figgis41]

hi,,, the part that locks is the fuel openings cover not the plastic cover hiding it. :)

just reading a little more in to this,,,, you are correct,,

it is the outside plastic cover that is suppose to lock, and is mentioned in the manual as such.
But also according to Ford they dispenced with using a locking cover to prevent further costs in the event of it being forced open,, as they cant syphon the tank anyway.

[Celticfan]

Yes, but still not part of the central locking. It restricts what's put into the filler pipe.

Where did the line about being part of the central locking come from?

[Figgis41]

hi,,, as i said,, they dispenced with using a locking cover to prevent further costs in the event of it being forced open, this being the bit that would have locked with the central locking system,,, strange that its still mentioned that it locks in the manual though, its a bit misleading.

i think the flaps that use to lock with the central locking were on the pre mk3 cars,,, these had a locking flap to protect a screw off cap if you remember, but now with the new system its been discontinued as the flap can be forced open thus causing damage for nothing,, as the tank is anti syphon, aparently. :)

[Marks12]

will a tube just slide down it though?

if you don't push the wee button bit at the bottom when filling up it just pisses diesel all over the floor, and shuts it off early, perhaps shes doing that and not realising its not full yet.

edit

loving that "pisses" is ok but AR$E isn't on here :D

this has happened to me 3 times luckily i spotted the puddle of diesel if left at the filling station managed to get the nosel in fully at the next attempt thankfully before i worried so it might just be that

[Celticfan]

Doesn't mention central locking in my hand book. Where is your info coming from?

[TomsFocus]

this has happened to me 3 times luckily i spotted the puddle of diesel if left at the filling station managed to get the nosel in fully at the next attempt thankfully before i worried so it might just be that

What is it you're supposed to do, slightly confused here?

I filled to the first click as I always do...then done it to the second click as it didn't seem enough (didn't realise the tank is only 50 litres!), but that extra ended up on the floor lol. Not sure if I done something wrong or if I just pushed my luck with the second click lol? When I got back in the car the fuel guage was as far 'max' as possible so I assume it was as full as possible?

[Figgis41]

on the mk 2.5 focus upgrade (2010 i think) the new ford easy filling system was fitted and it still retained the locking flap,,,, on the mk3 they got rid of the locking flap as i have explained but, it still said it locked with the central locking in the first lot of manuals which was then removed when it was realised on later models.

info from Ford Tech cousin and web site talk ford.
above is what he told me when i spoke to him today about it,,,, aparently it come up quite a lot.

btw it dosent mention it in mine either.

[TomsFocus]

Mk2.5 was early 2008, mines got easyfuel but the flap doesn't lock! Though maybe its broken and should lock. Hmm...

[Goodkat]

Mine is a 2009 and the flap doesn't lock, but as mentioned previously it doesn't need to as the only way in is with a fuel nozzle or the adapter, and it is designed to be siphon proof. However, when I first saw the 'easy fuel' I panicked momentarily as I had never heard of it before.

Sent from my Gen 1 WAP phone

[Figgis41]

hi,,, spoke to my cousin again,,, he said the easy fuel filling came in on Fords when the mk 2.5 Focus was just out,,, but they stopped it quickly on those as they realised they did not need it,,,,

Fords had locking flaps and a screw cap under that and this is how some fords were sold with the new easy fule system,,, ie,, it still had a locking flap but as i said was quickly discontinued on those MK's and not just discontinued when the MK3 came out as i had wrongly said.

so basically as they fazed in the new easy fuel filling system they realised they did not need a locking flap and fazed that out, some early cars had it on the central locking still but it was soon discontinued,,, this was accross all the Ford range not just the focus.

[TomsFocus]

I was thinking earlier, couldn't a thief just get hold of the adapter thing and syphon fuel out that way?

[alexp999]

The adapter only opens the mis-fuelling valve.

You still can't syphon out with it...

If someone is that determined to steal your fuel they will just stick a hole in the tank under the car

[TomsFocus]

But once the valves open, isnt there a clear route to the tank if youve got a bit of tubing?

Though you are right lol, could just stab the tank instead lol.

[alexp999]

No there will either be a kink, second (one way) valve or even just some mesh to stop tubing being pushed down and into the fuel.

[Figgis41]

Aprently the new fuling system is made so its a complete seal when fueling,, so no emitions are escaping,,,, if there is no seal made the bottom valve will not open, they discovered that this also stops people using the ford plastic refuling nozzle supplie to open the top valve and then shove down syphone pipe as there is no complete seal and the bottom valve stays closed.
but as mentioned,, if some one wants to they can punch a hole in the tank or just undo the bleed nut at the bottom of the tank.