[sumannandy]

If we keep the engine on while refuelling, is there any problem for the car?

I always keep the car on because of the problem mentioned in this thread.
Refueling diesel while engine running - Page 2 - Dodge Cummins Diesel Forum

The pump attendant will not wait for 1 minute to shut down and 1 minute to start after refuelling, so I keep the engine on.

From what I have read, its harmful for the petrol engines but not for the diesel engines.

Please post your comments and opinions.

[DRIV3R]

Leave alone all these thoughts. Just think how your call will be handled in the service centre. I BET that most of them will not follow this religiously!

[aargee]

If you read that article it says "Important for turbo charged AIR COOLED engines". None of the cars are air cooled engines in India nor my WagonR is turbo charged. But true, I usually idle for a minute or so when staring any of my vehicles & that is for lubrication & I also don't rev the engine immediately. I rev them gradually.

IMO, idling in fuel station is not required & here's why...
- I usually fill to brim which means it takes about 2-3 minutes to fill; add to the waiting time & time required to check the air pressure, & CC billing; all put together is about 6 minutes.
- Say 6 minutes a week, which is 24 minutes a month, round it off to half an hour a month
- Half an hour a month is 360 minutes a year which is 6 hours a year
- Now if you look at the Kms coverage, it would be 20K Kms a year & most Maruti/Hyundai/Toyota vehicles have proven for about 1.5 - 2 Lakhs Kms without any issues, especially without this idling factor. Even if I retain my car for 5 years, I would've covered hardly 100K kms which is just half of the life.

I'm OK to switch off to save some fuel on my pocket, for the country & consider this as a little contribution to my environment from my side

[doughnutter]

In the UK we have to turn all vechiles off while refueling. They say this is for health and saftey reasons.

I know that in the US the highest single cause of fires at petrol stations is from people putting the nozzle into the car and setting the ratchet for the fuel to deliver. They then get into their car to look for something and generate a static charge from rubbing against the velour type seats. This static is discharged via the pump nozzle to the car body when they pull the nozzle out and as a result it ignites the fumes in the filler pipe.

example video..

YouTube - ‪Static Electricity can cause a Petrol Pump To Catch Fire!‬‎

In the UK the ratchets are disabled at all public pumps and that function is only active on the HGV diesal pumps.

I used to leave my truck ticking over when I had to re diesal it when the starter motor was playing up, sorted the problem as aoon as I could though as some places refused to dispense me fuel. I alwyas turn off petrol engined cars though.

[neel385]

If your car has been running for some time, and the stop is short as in filling gas, the turbo and the engine will already be well lubed up and the oil would have reached operating temperature and shutting the engine for a short time will not allow the oil to cool down substantially. So keeping the engine running seems meaningless.

[sumannandy]

Originally Posted by doughnutter

In the UK we have to turn all vechiles off while refueling. They say this is for health and saftey reasons.

I know that in the US the highest single cause of fires at petrol stations is from people putting the nozzle into the car and setting the ratchet for the fuel to deliver. They then get into their car to look for something and generate a static charge from rubbing against the velour type seats. This static is discharged via the pump nozzle to the car body when they pull the nozzle out and as a result it ignites the fumes in the filler pipe.

example video..

YouTube - ‪Static Electricity can cause a Petrol Pump To Catch Fire!‬‎

In the UK the ratchets are disabled at all public pumps and that function is only active on the HGV diesal pumps.

I used to leave my truck ticking over when I had to re diesal it when the starter motor was playing up, sorted the problem as aoon as I could though as some places refused to dispense me fuel. I alwyas turn off petrol engined cars though.

So is in U.S., but wondering how will that be different if engine is not running.

Originally Posted by neel385

If your car has been running for some time, and the stop is short as in filling gas, the turbo and the engine will already be well lubed up and the oil would have reached operating temperature and shutting the engine for a short time will not allow the oil to cool down substantially. So keeping the engine running seems meaningless.

I think according to the rules you need to wait for 30 secs to 1 minute before any type of shutdown or start, regardless of the time period. Isn't that true? (In fact, that's the reason I don't even switch off the engine at traffic lights either. I would love to change the habit and save some fuel if switching off for a short period does not affect the engine or turbo.)

[clevermax]

Static electricity and sparks due to that, is not a problem in south, due to the higher moisture levels. In colder places away from tropical regions it can be a risk factor.

[ghpk]

Its safer to keep your Engine OFF during refills, don't risk your and fuel station workers life with this.

With engine off, i believe Static electricity sparking is minimal.

Most pumps do have warning to turn off your cellphone warning Sign, still you easily find idiots with continuous phone stuck to their ears talking talking talking...

During refills I either move away from such people cause I don't want to die cause of any such talking idiot or I ask the petrol pump guys to take care of such persons.
I've bugged these kind of people dozen times and would always do it.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by clevermax

Static electricity and sparks due to that, is not a problem in south, due to the higher moisture levels. In colder places away from tropical regions it can be a risk factor.

+1; However, when I used to fuel at MI, even during winters, I still turned off the engine. Static current may occur irrespective of the engine running in or not. But again, I would insert the nozzle completely into the tank & then start filling + I use the auto cut off feature, that way the fuel doesn't spill out.

[condor]

sumannandy : The pump attendant will not wait for 1 minute to shut down and 1 minute to start after refuelling, so I keep the engine on.

@Suman, this line here seems to be the trigger for your question. Please do a search on TBHP for idling to help clear your doubts on that, while this topic is being discussed.

Personally, since I switch off for even 30-40 sec's of waiting at signals, I will definitely switch off when re-fuelling. It typically takes a few minutes for my tank to be filled in, and then do the payment. Hence I dont see any point in letting the car idle during this time.

[neel385]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

I think according to the rules you need to wait for 30 secs to 1 minute before any type of shutdown or start, regardless of the time period. Isn't that true? (In fact, that's the reason I don't even switch off the engine at traffic lights either. I would love to change the habit and save some fuel if switching off for a short period does not affect the engine or turbo.)

While what you say is true as per the books, on talking to the Tata mechanics, I was told that the reason for the limit was to ensure effective turbo lubrication which is even more critical in case of a cold start. So if your engine is hot and the oil has reached the operating temperature, the limit does not really apply.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

I always keep the car on because of the problem mentioned in this thread.
Refueling diesel while engine running - Page 2 - Dodge Cummins Diesel Forum

I guess you are talking about idling the turbo? There's other ways to do that. Idle for a minute outside the pump, or drive with extremely low revvs (nearly zero throttle input) when nearing the petrol pump.

Turbo-charged cars aside, I prefer to switch the engine off while refueling. It is the safer way.

[Sn1p3r]

cars generate fumes that have some minor unburnt fuel as well. This also contributes to fire hazard and also pollution. Stopping engine is the best option for all.

Hey you at the back please stop honking and be patient in the queue, I am not here to camp.

Cheers!

[n.devdath]

+1 to what GTO said. I slow down when I near a pump and drive at zero revs till the dispenser, and switch off the engine as soon as I open the fuel cap from the cabin.

[jkdas]

I dont switch off most of the time, is this bad for the engine ?