Stant Locking Gas Cap

SWharton · March 27, 2017

We decided to buy a locking gas cap for our MH, not so much for gas siphoning but so no one would add something to the tank, like sugar.

2 keys came with the cap and we tried to get a couple of additional ones from Ace and Lowes. Neither had the blank. I wrote Stant and they supply an extra set free of charge. Great customer relations!!!!!!

Pieere · March 27, 2017

Bought one for my Ranger truck, it lasted about 6 months before the locking mechanism broke and I had even used a spray lubricant when it first started getting hard to unlock!

SWharton · March 27, 2017

Maybe they improved the product...................

bigjim · March 27, 2017

MUST have been bad luck, I have been using the same on my P/U for over 5 yrs. No problems yet. I was staying at a place where I was warned that some kids had a habit of dumping pea gravel down the filler but they had not been caught at it yet.

Ronbo · March 28, 2017

Locking are notorious for leaking air. If you get a check engine light, replace the cap with a non locking cap and give it a week to reset. The code will be for a leak in the evap system.

Kirk W · March 28, 2017

This subject brings up an interesting question................ Has anyone reading this thread ever had any sort of problem which a locking fuel cap would have prevented? It is very difficult to prove things which have been prevented from happening, so real stories would be of interest. I have heard antidotal stories on the subject so I'm only interested in first-person stories, which happened to you.

In my experience, I have owned vehicles with a locking cap and others that didn't but am not sure just how important they really are.

bigjim · March 28, 2017

True enough I can not prove I kept stuff out of mine since I got it right away. I did have the problem of it not sealing properly when I changed altitude on a Dodge p/u I had but never on the Chevy.

Mark and Dale Bruss · March 28, 2017

11 years of full-timing and we never locked the fuel caps and never had a problem. The truck held 250 gallons of diesel.

SWharton · March 28, 2017

As our world changes one worries about additional things. We never thought about carrying bear spray or wasp spray for self-protection until several years ago. Same thing with the locking gas cap. Pretty much all cars and trucks have a gas cap behind a latched door, MH's don't. Our world is changing, some for the better, some not.

LFDR3116 · March 29, 2017

Our motorhome has a locking latch door with a regular gas cap behind that. It is always locked when not filling with gas or the little door wouldn't stay shut. There is no other latch on it. Wonder if you could purchased a locking door instead of just the locking cap?

gjhunter01 · March 29, 2017

A little off subject, but today I saw a MH with a toad that had a flat tire on I-30 in AR. There was a locksmith van also on the side of the road with the MH and they were working on the rear bumper of the toad, a Chevy blazer. It appeared while I was driving by, that the anti-theft bumper lock mounted in the rear bumper was not working and was preventing access to the spare tire. Just a reminder for any vehicle owners with these bumper locks that are 8 years or older to check these locks. My Chevy is 11 years old and I had the same issue with the lock 6 months ago, but I was able to get it freed up using WD-40 and working it back and forth for about 15 minutes. I disposed of the lock and decided it was not needed, but it might be worth checking out.

Greg

Kirk W · March 29, 2017

The reason that I asked the question is that our fulltime motorhome of 14 years had the fuel cap behind a locking door and all of our vehicles have had the inside released door for the fuel cap, until we bought our present tow truck which is a 2003 Dodge that doesn't have such a latching cover, just the flap that anyone could open. I'm still thinking about the need or lack of need for such on our "new" truck.

bigjim · March 29, 2017

I know many vehicles have a locking fuel door but I have never owned one. A lot of my trucks including the one I have now have had service beds which might explain the lack of a locking door. At least for those vehicles. One thing I considered is so many tanks now are plastic of some type and can be punctured by something sharp like and ice pick or screwdriver if they really want to steal fuel. Plastic is not exactly the word I am looking for but I think it will lead to understanding of what I am getting at.

Optimistic Paranoid · April 9, 2017

I hate to be the one to tell you folks this . . .

A couple of years ago I bought a Jeep Cherokee at a state auction. While driving it home, I discovered that it had a locking gas cap, but no keys for it.

A little time spent on YouTube brought up numerous videos demonstrating how easy it is to remove those caps without keys. Took me about ten seconds to take mine off. I threw it away and bought a regular cap.

SWharton · April 9, 2017

Nothing is going to protect against someone who is serious about getting to your gas tank. I just worry about the kids who think it is great to dump something in(like sugar). This is a deterrent, that is all.

Kirk W · April 9, 2017

5 hours ago, SWharton said:

Nothing is going to protect against someone who is serious about getting to your gas tank. I just worry about the kids who think it is great to dump something in(like sugar). This is a deterrent, that is all.

Is this a growing problem that I'm unaware of? It has been years since I have spoken to anyone who has experienced that. I do know of someone who had fuel stolen a few years ago, but his RV was also in an airport parking lot when it happened, while he flew away for several days. I have never been concerned about this in the past, but am only asking if I should be.

Pat & Pete · April 9, 2017

Kirk ,

I'm pretty sure it's simply a matter of initially using your brain . I've carried a gas can , in the open , on an open trailer , not locked down , for the past 7 years . I've never lost a single drop other than from the tank on one of my bikes that formed a rust pinhole leak , a few years ago .

Of course , if you're going to camp on the 'seedy' side of the tracks , by all means lock everything at every opportunity .

I'mdonewiththis forum · April 10, 2017

You do realize that sugar will not dissolve in either gasoline or diesel fuel,don't you? http://www.snopes.com/autos/grace/sugar.asp

Ray,IN · April 10, 2017

35 minutes ago, Mntom said:

You do realize that sugar will not dissolve in either gasoline or diesel fuel,don't you? http://www.snopes.com/autos/grace/sugar.asp

Sure stops up a fuel filter though. Some neighborhood petty thieves siphoned gas from my farm tractors once, then sugared the tank. They failed to see my clear glass sediment bowl/ fuel filter under the hood, but it was the first thing I checked when the gauge showed empty.

I once used a locking cap on my pickup, but soon realized the cost of lost gas compared to a damaged vehicle from a frustrated thief was a no-brainer.

bigjim · April 10, 2017

I don't think it is common for people to put stuff in your tank but it can happen..In my case I just happened to be at a place where it had happened at least a few times so I elected to use the locking cap as a deterant. I don't consider the caps to be beyond more than a minimal deterant.