does anyone else have this issue... when i bought the car this was last thing he told me, after i gave him the money.... "oh by the way the gas door button doesn't work, so you have to open the hatch fish around by the lights and pull the lever" kinda a P.I.T.A! i haven't had much time to investigate what i can do to fix this due to rain and no garage... but i have sat in her trying to figure out the "gas button" its definitely broken. cant really figure out how it works...

 

Solenoid operated. I will trade ya fuel doors, mine has a key hole for it

 

It's actually pretty easy to fix. if you move the carpet out of the way on the inside you can reach in and get a hold of the solenoid. On it there is a thin metal arm. Pull that along the long axis of the solenoid and it will pull the plunger in far enough to open the door.

If you have a multimeter you should find 12 Volts DC from one pin on the plug to the other one when the button is pressed. If not you've got a bad button.

If you do have 12 Volts there, you can take the solenoid off by removing 2 screws inside the gas door. The solenoid itself is probably ok as there isn't much to go bad in them, but the plunger may be very corroded inside the case. This would cause it to stick in the case and not move. You can unscrew the cap where the case meets the plunger and remove it. Clean the corrosion off and lube it with some lithium grease and reassemble and it should work as it is supposed to.

If I can find the spare one I've got somewhere I'll take some pictures.

 

For my 83, I bought a switch that fit from an electronics parts store (NOT RADIO SHACK) for $10.

 

here in lies another problem... the"button" *** latch type gas thing next to the rear hatch popper... ha ... is completely disconnected. nothing is holding it in its place...