I seem to have an unlimited capacity for discovering dilemmas

[ritaxis]

Okay, this is dumber than a bag of rocks, but I'm stymied again.

You know how modern cars have the gas cap hidden away behond a locking door? On my Nissan the door latch is operated by a lever next to the driver's seat. The same lever operates the engine hood.


The lever doesn't work anymore. My gas gauge is on empty, my oil needs checking, and I can't do anything about it. Since I discovered this at the gas station and was unable to pry the gas door open with a screwdriver, I coasted home and there's probably enough gas to get the car around the block to the mechanic's, but I can't afford to take the car there. I'm twice late for its regular checkup because I can't afford it. I mean literally, I can't. Last month it was property taxes, this month it's making payments on the bills I've been shining on since the collapse last August (and earlier, in some cases).

In a better world I'd abandon the car right now but I can't do that. The car is otherwise in pretty good shape, though it's dirty and scraped. And others need it besides me. So it sits in my driveway while I ponder what to do.

Comments

[randwolf.livejournal.com]

Perhaps ask you mechanic if he knows how to pick the locks & can explain it to you?

[frogs_of_war]

We used to pop ours open with the car key, but if a screwdriver doesn't work...

If you could ever find a way to get it open, maybe you should take that little door off. It won't l=helf this time though.

[diminishedsheep.livejournal.com]

I had that problem before and what worked was having Jason push vigorously on the lever while I pried at it with my keys.

[mayakda.livejournal.com]

Yes, this might work. Get someone at the gas station to pop the lid while you push on the lever or vice versa.
If you have a gas station that is attached to a repair garage that might be a good place to get gas -- they've probably seen it a lot.

I googled and most people say it is just a $1 spring replacement on the lid. If the spring is fine it might be the tank cover cable that needs replacing.

This seems the most helpful
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_open_a_defective_gas_tank_cover_release_lever

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

I would ask your mechanic for advice. I don't know if there are significant risks with just trying to pry it open.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Can you manage without it until the end of the month? Could you get a bank loan to pay the mechanic?

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

It could be quite a small thing. How friendly is your local garage? Could you talk to them about the problem? It could be something that's common in that model and thus they'd know how much it would cost to repair. This would give you a better idea as to whether you can afford it or not.

Otherwise try Googling. There may be people who've had the problem and solved it themselves. Do you have a family member or friend who could fix it, given instructions?

I hope you manage to sort something out.