Does anyone have a pic of how the release cable attached to the release lever? I discovered yesterday (at a petrol station in Ilminster with an empty tank and a long drive back home) the flap no longer opens. I unscrewed the sill trim and looked under the carpet but nothing obvious.

 

A gentle pry with a cloth-wrapped swiss army knife got the flap open but I'd like the proper fix.

 

The only things that have happened since the last fill up a couple of weeks ago is a detail and I knocked the lever with a boot like a clumsy git. That's why I think the problem is at the level end. Any pics/ hints? Ta.

It might not be the cable. Try and pop it open with a flat head screwdriver (be careful not to mark the paint!) once opened there is a long metal bar which holds the flap onto the car. Sometimes it slips down preventing the pin from releasing the flap. You just need to push the long silver bar back up (you'll see what I mean once the flap is open!) HTH

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=121062&highlight=petrol+cap

Does this thread help Mike

looks like your car is trying to save you some money mate! :)

looks like your car is trying to save you some money mate! :)

 

 

:biggrin:

Thanks Gary, I'd seen that thread but had to re-read it to see this from groover

It uses the same cable that does the boot release

. I thought'd I'd kicked it so hard that the flap cable had been dislodged. But if the boot still opens (which it does) that should mean the problem is at the flap end and not the lever end. I guess. Better pop out and have a prod.

looks like your car is trying to save you some money mate! :)

That'd be the first time in 12 years and 3 Zeds :biggrin:

The release wire has a junction on a bracket near the top of the rear pass wheel arch, you may just need some wd40 on the bracket or the flap release pin.

 

As mentioned, also depending on the type of mat in your car, the lever when pushed down, wont go down far enough if the mat is in the line of the lever. Really basic system so only 3 places of importance to check.

Lever

bracket junction

flap release pin

 

It has been known for that part of the cable to have a break, like my original did, so check the wire is moving with someone else pushing down on the lever.

Ta. It all worked fine on the previous fill-up so hopefully should be easy to spot. I've also done what I tell all my dealers to do which is RTFM and found these pages.

Removed the polystyrene tray and two trim panels to find the back of the filler flap. The white cable locator 1 does not appear to be fixed into anything. Pushing the filler lever in the cabin makes the cable go back and forth but no movement is transmitted to the lever in this pic. Should the white bit 1 be slotted into the metal fork 2? The other end of the lever seems to be in the right place on the release pin 3 but atm moving the cable does not move this lever or pin.

As it turned out, that was the problem. Fiddle the white thing (which has a locating ring into which the metal fork should go) back into the metal fork and the filler/boot lever opens the filler flap again like Mr K intended.

 

Jeez - another typical Zed fault. One tiny little plastic piece worth, oh must be 2p, slightly out of whack with a bent piece of not-exactly-micrometric tolerance metal. Fix, 10 secs of put it back where it should be but preceded by take all your crud out of the boot, dodge the showers, take out the boot floor, unlatch the targa top straps, roll back the carpet, take out the cargo tray (three bloody screwdrivers to find one the right length), back upstairs to find the socket set, unbolt the centre innner trim, unbolt the lh trim.

 

And then climb inside the boot, put the back seat down, turn upside-down and try to look at what's going on in the dark while being blinded by the sun which has now come out, wish for geisha-size hands while assuming a contorted position probably only achievable by real trained geishas but without the same pleasure. :shuriken:

 

Anyhoo, job done and now back to the fun of dropping nuts down little holes and having to take out the spare to get them back so I can put the trims back (another Zed trait hoho). Still, should be able to do that before a well earned :pint: Feeling slightly smug and hope that's not encouraging a pride/fall interface which usually happens when I do anything, let alone anything on my Zed.

 

Thanks for the pointers, guys, save a lot of head scratching.

Glad you got it sorted Mike and hows that pint going down:pint:

Very well, thanks Gary. Nice pint of Windsor Knot http://www.webrew.co.uk/ourbeers.html

Given their naming convention, I'm looking forward to their next royal celebration ale when Mike Tindall gets back to Zara: "Messy Divorce". :D

lol nice one Mike I had a pint of Guinness last night in a restuarant and it was bad:no: so went onto the Smirnoff. As for Mr Tindall what a fool is all I can say

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/8771755/Bouncer-to-appear-in-court-over-Mike-Tindall-video-leak.html