Someone go pop their gas cap off for me.

[doubleDD]

Hi Corn;
checked mine out, and it DOES have the flapper. My vehicle manufactured 10/03.

PS and it is also an FFV

 

[Charlie]

One purpose I have been told that it was for was to discourage the occasional street-level petroleum distributor from making a withdrawal with a flexible hose. (shrugs shoulders)

-Shawn

A thought occurs: wonder if it was a feature to slow a fuel spill from an overturned vehicle??

I always thought it was to keep anything from getting in when the cap was off, and the re-filler nozzle deal wasn't in.

Maybe all three

 

[Claus]

spill - you shouldn't fill in that much gas that this should cause a problem

dirt - the flap goes down, so the dirt would fall in next time you fill up

theft - the flapper does nothing. Not even lockable fuel cap will help much if one is determined to get the fuel. When I was a kid, we stayed at a cabin in Austria were you had to park your car on the street away from the cabin. One night all big vehicles had their locked gas cap broken and their tank was siphoned. Since my dad drives small vehicle nobody touched his tank, even though it didn't had a locked gas cap. There is just not enough gas to bother in that car. : Obviously, the Explorer is not such a vehicle.

fumes/evaporation - *shrug*

gimmick - probably


If I remember right my 03 V8 EB doesn't have a flapper either.

 

[Yamvip]

my 02 has the flapper, and is flexfuel.......

 

[Curtis]

my 02 has the flapper, and is flexfuel.......

Same with my 02 Taurus.

Anyone have a newer Ford other than Explorer to see if it has one? Anyone with a newer Fseries or escape, excursion, expedition?