CEL + Fuel door won't open

[C.Sco]

Got in my 4xe this morning to drive to work, right away noticed the Check Engine light was on. Drove to a gas station to stop and check if maybe the fuel cap wasn't on tight enough (plus I was running a bit low on gas anyways, so I could use a refill)... stop the car, press the fuel door button, and... NOTHING. No message on the dash, no "please wait" message or anything, no errors, just... NOTHING. Press it again, nothing. Start the Jeep again, turn it off, press fuel door button, and again nothing.

I haven't had a chance to pull the CEL code yet to see what the cause is, right now I'm just panicking because I made it to work but I don't even have enough gas left to in the tank to drive home or even to a Jeep dealership, and I have no idea why it's not letting me open the damn fuel door.

Any ideas? I'm seriously considering taking a screwdriver and prying the fuel door open so I can refuel.

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[Magredvet]

Don't have a 4xe, but I read on here somewhere that there is a release in the trunk area....

 

[Magredvet]

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/new-jeep-and-fuel-door-problem.72130/

 

[C.Sco]

Don't have a 4xe, but I read on here somewhere that there is a release in the trunk area....

Ah yes I remember hearing something about that too! That's the problem with panicking, it's hard to think straight... lol! Thank you very much! This should help me at least stay on the road until I figure out the root cause of the problem.

My first thought is maybe the fuse for the fuel door popped, or wiggled loose, but I'm having trouble finding the fuse # in the manual. I reseated all the fuses originally when I first bought it, but who knows.

 

[Magredvet]

No problem, if you look at the link, it appears that you are not alone..... Good luck, hope you get it solved !

 

[C.Sco]

I just remembered that I never posted a followup here.

I finally made it to the dealership, who quickly determined the issue was a stuck evap system purge valve. The Jeep was not letting me use the fuel door button because it wasn't able to properly purge the tank pressure.

They got the part in 2 days, put in in for me while I waited, took about 2 hours (it's located behind the passenger rear fender liner). Problem solved!

And one other thing, since they replaced that valve, refueling has gone MUCH more smoothly at the gas station! The nozzle doesn't stop itself 15 times before the tank is full anymore, which is something that has been an ongoing annoyance for me since the day I bought the Jeep new. So I'm guessing the valve was always partially defective from the start. And perhaps some of the rest of you who are having refueling issues might try replacing that valve too.

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