VP fuel jug / fuel can review

 Complain, complain, complain.  I read a ton of reviews about leaking caps on amazon before I made my decision, and I bought them anyway.

These VP Racing Fuel containers may seem a little spendy, but I feel they are well worth the price and if treated correctly are going to last me at least 30+ years. I like these fuel cans better than any fuel can I have ever used before.  I feel the features that makes these much better than the crap ones; the air vent, the thickness of the plastic used for the jug, they are easy to fill at the pump due to the large mouth, they hold more than 5 gallons with room to spare, and the fact that they empty quickly and cleanly due to the rubber hose spout (less than 2 minute empty time when the vent is open). The air vent can be a little tricky, but the trick with the air vent is to just back it out 1/2 to 3/4 a turn. Don't take the vent cap all the way off.

Some of the reviews that I read before I bought this can talked about the cap leaking and the hose clamps coming loose. I read that the reason for the cap leaking was that the spout on the can itself was not molded or cut square.  The remedy, sand it flat and square using an orbital sander.  I actually had to do this with one of the cans and I will show you how it was done below.

Besides these two small negative things, the tanks are stellar and I will more than likely buy 2 yellow for diesel and a blue for kerosene.

Things that turn me on about these jugs.

1. The air vent.
2. The thickness of the plastic used.  They are extremely sturdy fuel jugs and can take some abuse before giving out.
3. The large mouth makes it easy to fill at the pump.
4. They can hold more than 5 gallons with a little room .to spare
5. The spout makes emptying the cans easy and cleanly.
6. Handle under the bottom of the jug.

Things to watch, (but they are easily fixed)

1. Hose clamps,  if they leak or come loose, just replace them with some high quality stainless steel hose clamps.
2. Seal between cap and jug, make sure O-ring is in the cap, square up mouth of jug using an orbital sander with 320 grit sand paper.

This style of fuel jug has been used for a couple decades and little can be done to improve on this design. I feel that even with the 2 things that can be easily fixed, these cans are still a solid buy.

Hose can be easily flexed and fits nicely into the fuel fill hole.

Handle on the bottom, eases pouring.

Below is how I fixed my leaking cap.  This method may work for you, or it may not.  I can't say for sure if this is the reason your jug is leaking. All I can say is that this worked for my leak.

I tested the seal before I ever used the fuel jugs, because I read that the cap seal was a possible problem.  The way I tested the seal of the cap was to blow air into the spout.  I literally blew into the can.  I then quickly placed my thumb over the end of the spout so the can would hold air pressure (gotta be quick).  It was very noticeable that the cap was leaking, because I could hear it while I was "pressurizing" the jug.  If the can holds air for a minute or so, the seal is probably good.

To fix the sealing problem double check that the cap has the O-ring in it.

O-ring is present.

If the O-ring is present, your problem is probably with the mating surface on the jug. To check the contact, clean the mating surface on the jug with a clean rag, lightly oil the O-ring, and then screw the cap on quick and then quickly remove the cap.  This will tell you where the O-ring is hitting (the oil will leave a trace).  Check this a few times.  Coloring the O-ring with a sharpie might work as well.

I can barely see where the O-ring left its mark.

If there is a definite area that the O-ring is not making contact, the jugs mouth may need to be squared up with an orbital sander.

Doing some sanding and constantly checking the contact area with light oil and the cap.  Using this method sealed my jugs up nicely. #vpfuel