How to fix fuel door on 2010+

[Lunareclipse02]

My fuel door on my 2010 does not open and shut with resistance. I believe the spring is broke or something like that. The fuel door still operates but the wind will blow it open. Has anyone had the same problem? If so how do you fix it and what do I need to fix it? Thanks

[FusionDiffusion]

There are stops that hold it open and closed, but there is no resistance or springs in the middle. If the wind blows it open maybe you aren't shutting it completely?

[Lunareclipse02]

I completely shut the fuel door every time. What the issue is is that it has no resistance either way. Another example of my problem is when i take it to the car wash the water will open the fuel door and it will shut when the water shoves it the other way. There is nothing there to keep the fuel door closed.

[Lunareclipse02]

Well I am guessing that the stops are worn or broken??

[toyz]

I had the same issue and the dealer fixed it under warrantee. It has worked fine for over two years now.

[Lunareclipse02]

Thats good.... But my question is how do you fix it? Do I need to buy a new fuel door and all? Or is it just something broke behind where I cant see??? Also how to you access this?

[andrewdingemans]

I am not sure what it would be, but I think you should be able to see it if you pull back the liner in the rear wheel well. I don't remember seeing anything inside the trunk when I was installing all my audio stuff.

[ARFusion]

Sounds like the spring mechanism. Just a guess.

[mort]

Thats good.... But my question is how do you fix it? Do I need to buy a new fuel door and all? Or is it just something broke behind where I cant see??? Also how to you access this?

Hi Lunareclipse,

The repair manual says that you get at it from inside the fender. Remove the tire and fender liner. The "fuel filler neck housing" (part number 27936 $62.55) is held to the fender by retainers on the back side. The filler pipe is connected to the housing by a retainer on the out side, I think it is that ring #18 in the fuel tank image. I don't see anything inside that can be repaired. The manual isn't very hepful on how the filler pipe is disconnected from the housing. This is from how to remove the filler pipe, you only need to get to the housing though:

6. Remove the 3 rivets, 6 pin-type retainers and the LR splash shield.

7. Remove the 3 nuts and the fuel tank filler pipe heat shield.

l To install, tighten to 9 Nm (80 lb-in).

8. Remove the fuel tank filler pipe bolt and nut.

l To install, tighten to 7 Nm (62 lb-in).

9. Disconnect the fuel vapor tube assembly-to-fuel tank filler pipe recirculation tube quick connect

coupling. For additional information, refer to Section 310-00 .

10. Remove the information bezel.

11. Release the retainers and remove the fuel tank filler pipe housing.

 

And the actual door is a seperate piece, if you need a new one it comes primed.

-mort

[Lunareclipse02]

Thank you Mort!!! Great help. Well after all that deep detail explaination I am better off just letting the ford dealer doing it. I believe I will find a way to screw the filler ring or filler pipe up while doing this and probably spend more than they could fix it themselves. Thank you so much for your help!!!

[rw2]

I know this is an old thread, but I'd like to add my 2 cents on fixing the fuel filler door spring from what I found today (August 2015) on my 2010 Fusion 3.0 SEL.

The fuel door had suddenly stopped having any spring force to close itself and would blow open slightly just driving along. Before you proceed here, go watch the youtube video: 2010-2012 Ford Fusion Filler Pipe & Door Replacement P0442 by FordTechMakuloco. Note that just fixing the door is much easier than replacing the whole filler pipe and door as shown in that video.

1) Jack up the left rear and stick a jack stand under the frame for safety.

2) Remove the left rear wheel.

3) Use a y-shaped body clip pry tool to pull out the plastic fasteners holding in the plastic wheel well liner. There are two on the top underneath that you may need a flashlight to see. Once you have them all out the liner will practically fall out on its own.

4) Remove the yellow "No Gas Cap Needed" trim ring from the filler pipe. It just slips on and and off. Having it off makes it easier to get the door past the filler neck.

5) Remove the single nut holding the filler pipe bracket to a stud on the underside trunk metal. You won't remove the filler pipe, but this lets the pipe move enough to get the fuel filler neck housing / door assembly past the filler pipe itself.

6) The plastic filler door assembly is held against the fender by three hidden integrated plastic clips. From inside/under the fender, push each clip radially inward toward the filler pipe and pop that part of the door assembly free of the fender metal.

7) Once the filler door assembly is free of the fender all around, rotate it forward and work the hidden hinge area box past the loosened filler tube neck. This doesn't take force, just maneuvering.

 

At this point you have the filler door assembly in your hand.

 

On my Fusion I found that the reason the spring was not effective was because the plastic hinge pin for the door has come partially out of the hinge, releasing the hinge pin's key from the keyway that is built into the door flap. The hinge pin has a bell crank on the top that the spring attaches to. When the hinge pin's key isn't engaged in the door flap's keyway, the spring can't apply torque to pull the door closed. I removed the metal wire spring and pulled the hinge pin out the rest of the way and found that it was supposed to be locked into the door flap with a plastic center tooth, but the old plastic was no longer holding the tooth outward like it should. I fixed this by cutting a small section of hard foam into a narrow strip and filling the hollow center of the hinge pin with foam to keep the hinge pin expanded at the center.

 

To put the hinge pin back in you just line up the key on the hinge pin with the keyway you will see inside the door flap, and also line up the front of the hinge pin with the hole on the underside of the hinge box, then push the pin back in until it snaps into place. The hinge pin should protude out the hole on the underside of the hinge box. Then bend the spring's loose end back and slip it back onto its mounting post on the hinge box to restore the closing torque. At this point you should find that the fuel door pulls itself shut like it used to.

 

To reassemble everything just reverse the removal process. When you put the filler door assembly back into place, push the assembly toward the fender at each of the three hidden plastic clips until you feel them click back into place. Don't forget to put the retaining nut back onto the post that holds the filler tube! Also don't forget to remove the jack stand and tighten the lug nuts!

 

The bottom line is that there was no need to order a new fuel filler door assembly. Nothing was really broken. The old door assembly just needed the hinge pin clicked back into place. This took me about 30 minutes all together.