fuel door won't open

lgoldsby · Post by **lgoldsby** » 23 May 2011, 19:25

I just got a 2000 S80 with 94,000 miles a few days ago. Yesterday, we found we could not open the fuel door. We've tried locking and unlocking the car and changing the fuse, but it still won't open. It worked fine on Friday. This is one way to conserve gas. Any ideas?

Post by **dcarlson12** » 24 May 2011, 18:01

I imagine there is a solenoid which activates the lock. I believe you might be able to access it from the trunk. Maybe try to apply 12 volts to it to see if it will activate it. I would isolate the solenoid so as not do damage to the input circuit since it is probably sensitive to polarity. As a short term I am sure you can access the actuator via the trunk and manually actuate it... Others with more knowledge please chime in......

moondogy2045 · Post by **moondogy2045** » 28 May 2011, 16:14

lgoldsby,

This is a common problem. Open the trunk and look to the right for a handle used to release the rear seat. Next to this handle is a knob. Turn the knob counter-clockwise to release the vertical carpeted truck panel, then pull the panel from the top to expose the wheel well/sheet metal. Use a flashlight if needed and look for the area inside the trunk where the fuel door is located outside the car. You should see a black solenoid-operated lock. There is a small white plastic ring around the movable locking shaft. Just pull this backward (toward the back of the car) to release the lock. If you do not plan to replace the lock (and to prevent it from re-locking the door) just disconnect the electrical connector. The lock may be removed by simply removing the electrical connector and the 2 mounting screws that are accessed from outside the car, inside the fuel filler door.

Hope this helped!
Moondogy

Please post your results for others.