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automotive secret

Starting a dead cold engine at full throttle was a great idea! Probably why Buick is where it is today in the giant scheme of things.
 
merrylander said:
What did they do back when the fuel filler was dead center behind the license plate?
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I liked those except for the necessity to turn the pump handle upside down.

How much could it cost to put a filler on BOTH sides of a car? I'd rather pay to have THAT feature than 8 cup holders. I hate having to do U-turns in a mobbed with Yukons Sheetz station.

Ron.
 
TVTeufel said:
I liked those except for the necessity to turn the pump handle upside down.

How much could it cost to put a filler on BOTH sides of a car? I'd rather pay to have THAT feature than 8 cup holders. I hate having to do U-turns in a mobbed with Yukons Sheetz station.

Ron.
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The Jaguar sedans of the 80's had this feature.

bs
 
On most, if not all of my Fords, the filler has been on the passenger side, and there has been a little aarow pointing to whichever side the fuel door was on...most "newer" cars seem to have that...The tbird doesn't have a fuel pump looking dash light, but that's interesting about the location of the pump hose on the drawing...neat. I'll have to check that out. My very much un-loved "flaming caprice" (it caught fire) had the filler behind the plate...neat? sorta...in the grand scheme, HORRIBLE...have to pull WAY forward, or back in...plate fights you the whole time, sucks.

The caddys with the fuel filler behind the taillight is a neat idea. I like the way the 1968-1970? dodge chargers had the filler...on TOP of the rear quarter with that super sweet gas filler cap...just badass.
 
yeah gm's behind the plate filler was a feature called "central fueling"...part of the idea being that it didn't matter what side of the pump you were on..it was central...on the other hand it was a huge liability in a rear end collision.rumour is that GM calculated the cost of the predicted lawsuits from injured and burned customers...and decided it was cheaper to leave it be and just pay the lawsuits rather than redesign all thier models that had it
 
I checked my Bonneville. The handle extends from the right side of the pump icon, but my filler door is on the left. The icon however, is to the left of the gauge. :scratch2:
 
i drive a honda element, and the gas pump icon shows the hose going into the right side of the pump, yet the filler door is on the driver's side....
 
I just read about this on snopes.com this morning, apparently it's circulating. There are so many cars where it is not true that in effect you can't rely on it. Some newer cars have the little arrow somewhere on the gauge, that's the only thing you can really rely on.

Whenever I get an email like this I always check snopes.com before believing it. At least 4 times out of 5 it's a bogus urban myth. Snopes is fascinating reading because they actually research this stuff and call the companies that are supposedly putting ground glass in our food or asbestos in tampons, etc. Highly recommended.
 
Rodzilla said:
yeah gm's behind the plate filler was a feature called "central fueling"...part of the idea being that it didn't matter what side of the pump you were on..it was central...on the other hand it was a huge liability in a rear end collision.rumour is that GM calculated the cost of the predicted lawsuits from injured and burned customers...and decided it was cheaper to leave it be and just pay the lawsuits rather than redesign all thier models that had it
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Who starts these myths? Just about every type of 60s/70s car used a fuel filler behind the license plate, at one point or another. The only car of that era with a reputation for fuel fires (Pinto) used a filler located on the left side.

Do you think there is anyway a under-plate fuel filler would have lasted until 1996 (on fullsize GMs) given the lawsuit crazy culture we live(d) in?
 
thedelihaus said:
I'm sitting here, feeling very cheated.

I'm on a motorcycle. No arrow on the gauge.

What am I gonna do now!?!
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Fuel gauge on a motorcycle?

FUEL GAUGE ON A MOTORCYCLE??

WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING FUEL GAUGES ON MOTORCYCLES!!! :no:

What kinda girly motorcycle you riding anyway, city slicker ? :D

REAL motorcycles don't need no fuel gauge!
 
yeah gm's behind the plate filler was a feature called "central fueling"...part of the idea being that it didn't matter what side of the pump you were on..it was central...on the other hand it was a huge liability in a rear end collision.rumour is that GM calculated the cost of the predicted lawsuits from injured and burned customers...and decided it was cheaper to leave it be and just pay the lawsuits rather than redesign all thier models that had it
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Actually, it was Ford with the Pinto. The problem was with some sort of sheet metal screw that could pierce the gas tank in a rear end collision, which had nothing to do with the location of the filler. And Ford did do the cost/benefit analysis of the cost of the recall vs the cost of the potential lawsuits. There's plenty written up on this, here's one:

http://www.wfu.edu/~palmitar/Law&Valuation/Papers/1999/Leggett-pinto.html

Who starts these myths? Just about every type of 60s/70s car used a fuel filler behind the license plate, at one point or another. The only car of that era with a reputation for fuel fires (Pinto) used a filler located on the left side.
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Should that statement be qualified somehow? American cars? I've owned (still do) many Italian cars from the 60's and 70's, and I can assure you, none ever had a filler behind the license plate. Somewhat familiar with other European marques, never saw one on any of them either. Was this more of an American car thing?

bs
 
I read in Consumer Reports years ago that the driver's side of a car is involved in sideswipes slightly more often, so it's a little safer to put the filler on the passenger side. No idea if the statistic is is true, or if it really makes a safety difference if it is.

All the recent Japanese cars in our family (Honda, Toyota, Isuzu, Mazda) have fillers on the left (passenger side in Japan). The Saab has it on the right (passenger side in Sweden). Coincidence? Probably.

In today's world of self-service gas, the driver's side fillers are a lot more convenient!

The only '60s/'70s cars with behind-the-plate fillers I remember were GM models. Maybe there were others - it's been a long time.
 
Man, my Plymouth has been in my backyard so long, we put a fence up around the yard for the dog and had to measure the gates so I can get it out of there! Eventually.

:)

(And for the record, I like the having the cap under the license-plate).

Matt
 
vintageaudio said:
If you look at your gas gauge, you will see a small icon of a gas pump. The handle of the gas pump will extend out on either the left or right side of the pump. If your tank is on the left, the handle will be on the left. If your tank is on the right, the handle will be on the right. It is that simple!
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Btw,

I should point out that I misread this part of the original post. I was assuming you were referring to arrows on the gauges, not the position of the handle itself.

Turns out there is no basis to the position of the handle. Here's what Snopes has to say:

http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/icon.asp

bs
 
Tom Brennan said:
You guys can't remember how to gas your car? Really?
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This happens for three reasons:

1) You drive more than one car (not at the same time) and they have fillers on opposite sides.

2) Rentals.

3) You're really stupid, or forgetful, or both.

4) You're from New Jersey, are driving out of state, and don't have enough gas to get back.

(OK, four reasons)
 
'74 Ford Maverick (really a PINTO!!!) had it on the back of course, had one recently but junked its ass.

'64 impala that me and a buddy work on has it on the right side.

My car, an 02 Maxima has it on the left, cool trick though I have to look tomorrow when I get in it. Thanks
 
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