I own a 2000 Cobalt 262....when I am fueling it at the station on dry land on a trailer, the gas will spew out of the filler neck even at low filling volumes. Any suggestions?
When I first start fueling, I can feel air releasing from the vent line, but then it seems to stop or slow substantially at a certain point. Any thoughts?
Answers
I'd check the vent hose routing from the tank(if you can see it). You may have a sharp bend, kink in it or possibly an obstruction in the hose itself. Are you reaching the top of the tank before this happens? Where is the vent outlet located? On some boats the vent gets covered by the large plastic flap around the nozzle of the hose.. that can cause problems too. It sounds as though there is a partial obstruction that maybe being pushed closed by the escaping air. Best solution is to pull vent hose off both tank end and vent end... flush with solvent of some sort and blow out with compressed air if you have it.. or alternatively.. just replace the hose and route it so it doesn't kink or get compressed on it's way to the tank. Make sure it's fuel hose rated.. Regular hose will deteriorate quickly and allow fumes to build in places you really don't want them. Another possibilty is that your fuel gauge is faulty... telling you you're not full when in fact you are already... air slowing down means the tank may be full already. To check gauge.. quickly ground sending wire to see if gauge operates properly.. if it does.. you may have a faulty sending unit. Sending units can't be repaired.. have to be replaced.. check with mechanic some of them are integrated with the intank fuel pump if you have fuel injection. The last possiblity is the angle of the boat on the trailer.. if you are tilted wrong the gas tank may not be sitting at the proper angle to recieve the gas at the top of it's capacity. Best way to check is to fill up after you've launched at the dockside marina fuel station.
Hope this helps you out in some way! Best of luck!
Sean is right on.
I would add that today's ethanol enhanced fuel can cause fuel and vent hoses to delaminate (layers peel) on the inside. This may be what is happening and what Sean refered to as a "flap." New ethanol resistant hoses are available. The best fuel and vent hose, as sold by the foot, will have these markings:
ABYC H-24 & H-33, SAE J1527, ISO 7840,
USCG Type A1-15; CARB Executive Order and EPA Certified low permeation Type A1-15; and is
NMMA Type Accepted & CE certified.
As a mechanic I get a lot of questions on this as well, Most hoses last only 7 to 9 years at the most , do yourself a favour and alot of headaces just replace the hoses with the new ones that are Ethanol Resistant and that should solve your problems.


