Suggestions for a forgetful fellow

dan

dan

Senior Member
Hey all,

Had a typical "Oh $#%" moment this morning--filled up with gas and lost the gas cap when I drove off with it on the running board. I'm exactly the kind of person that the modern tethered caps are made for; you can drive off with the fuel door open, but you can't leave your $30 gas cap behind.

So, aside from "Hey, stupid--don't leave your cap on the running board" what do you suggest. What do you do with the cap when filling up? I hate to set it on top of the tank itself because of what the metal and residual gas will do to the paint. My wife often says that if my head wasn't screwed on to my shoulders, I'd leave it behind, but at least I haven't left the kids behind anywhere (yet :-> )
 
I would just put a rag on the gas tank - then set the cap on the rag. The rag would also come in handy if you "dribbled" a little.
 
Yea, Been there, done that. Your not alone. That's just another reason that I have a faucet installed on my gas cap. It won't roll very far. I also put it on the step plate of the drivers side running board. It's hard to miss it there.
 
I did the exact same thing while on a tour last fall. I drove off with the gas cap on the running board and didn't realize it until I was about a mile down the road and smelled a strong gas odor. The gas was sloshing out all over my cowl! Fortunately I went back to the gas station and found the cap in the middle of the road. Needless to say, I never ever put it on the running board now. I usually just lay it upside down on the cowl right next to the filler hole. You could also put it in your back pocket or on your seat. That way you'll be quickly reminded when you sit on it, before you drive away with gas sloshing everywhere.
 
Hey Dan;

Don't feel bad, A couple of years ago I filled up with gas, checked the oil, put some oil in and drove off without the oil cap. Luckily I only went a few hundred yards and met a friend (Gord by the Bay) for coffee and breakfast and had an epiphany about my oil cap during breakfast. Went back and retrieved it.

I always put the gas cap on the pump tank. Then when I hang up the pump handle I'm looking straight at it - which is no guarantee that I'll actually pick it up!!

Have fun

Dick
 
Put it on the drivers side seat, threads up !!.. If you dont feel it right away, the first bump, you will !!...
 
Hang on to it with your hand that doesn't grab the fuel nozzel. When you move the nozzle over to the tank, keep the up-turned cap under the nozzle to catch any wayward drips. Then, after you've filled the tank to your satisfaction, position the cap under the nozzle as you remove it from the fill hole. You will catch that last drop that will otherwise end up on your paint.
When you screw the cap back on -- or twist it on to your '30--'31 -- don't jam it tight. Give the vent under the gas cap gasket a chance to prevent a vacuum in the tank ... that can cause electrical problems or #%^#!! Zenith problems or distributor problems or otherwise make your engine cough and die and make you scratch your head.
 
I had the same problem with the fuel screen that I would remove each time when I needed a full tank. Had to drive back to the station to get it enough times that I decided to leave it out and keep them at home. The cap was a similar problem until I decided to leave them on a rag on the hood. Haven't made the mistake since I started leaving them on the hood or tank although I have had to get out to secure the cap after I snugged up the seat belts. Gar Williams
 
I used to put mine on the hood, but last year drove off with it on the hood, with my mind in a fog. It is not always visible on the 28-29 cars, with the lower cowl. Now I keep it in my left hand. Hard to forget when it is right in your hand. Pity is that the one I lost was an early 28 recessed cap. I went back to look, but gone.
Memory is the second thing to go!
 
i always put mine on the top of the pump as i do with my modern car cause when i used to work at a gas station i saw lots of people loose theres to the road
 
Put it on the pump! If you do forget it you can go back and pick it up and it won't leave a stain or smell in the interior and no scratches or dings on the outside odf the cap from bouncing down the street.(been there, done that!) Here in Ca. we have vapor recycling gas pumps and you need to pull back this rubber vapor catcher to get a full or even a 3/4 tank full. Two hands required and who needs a rash from gas in your pocket?
My 3¢
 
10 years ago while borrowing a friend's Model A, I left his original early '28 gas cap on the running board and didn't notice for several miles. A quick ride back and a wander up and down the highway and it was found. We still laugh about it now and he kept the scratched and dented cap on as it is just another story of his car.

Ever since then, it goes in my back pocket. You'll feel it the second you left your leg to get into the car.
 
Over the years I have forgotten the gas cap a few times. Generally I put it on the hood or someplace I can see it when I get in the car. One time was at the local gas fillup place. I did hear it drop. It was a busy intersection so I couldn't stop. I went back and right before I got there, a lady in a Buick had to swerve but she got it with 2 wheels. A very nice 30/31 cap was flat. The other that I remember was on a tour in Arkansas. Filled up and left town. Heard a noise and accused the guy in front of backfiring. Went a couple miles and smelled gas. Looked out of my 29 roadster on the running board and didn't see anything. Went back and kept looking along the road but it had disappeared. Decided to put on the spare I always carry. When I got out, I saw it tucked neatly on the running board next to the fender. Couldn't see it from the drivers seat.
Unless you leave it with the car or in your pocket you might loose it.
 
I either hold the cap in my hand or put a rag on top of the tank with the cap on top next to the gas inlet. That way when the gas spurts on top of the cowl the rag is handy for wiping off the gas.
 
why dont you take a thin peace of cable and a sader it to the inside top of the cap than rivet it to a peace of spring steel .5" x 4" x 1/32 in the center
of it. just flex it into a tight u shape so it slips into the tank (tetherd cap)
 
My wife made me a nice diaper, the color of my car, that goes down around the filler neck of the fuel tank and I set my cap on it while refueling. When I lift the diaper up, I pick up the cap also and wipe any dribbles that may have gotten on the paint. It also catches a few splatters as I'm filling the tank. I haven't lost a cap in over 14,000 miles of driving.
Glen
 
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