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Don't worry about it, the errant flap is likely just lying in the bottom of the tank and doesn't present an issue. There's a screen pickup sock on the bottom of the fuel pump that's too big to be blocked by that little flap. It's probably nowhere near the fuel pump pickup in any case. The pickup assembly lives in the middle of an anti-slosh bucket centred in the bottom of the tank. The flap is likely sitting on the bottom of the tank outside the bucket. The flow slits in the bottom of the bucket are too large to be blocked by the little flap.
As for blocking a rollover valve, I wasn't aware there was such a valve in the RWD filler necks. Most newer cars, including Volvos, do have some kind of rollover check valve at the base of the filler neck with either a ball float or neck float design, so these are likely DOT mandated now.
The only rollover valve in the old Volvos I'm aware of is a check ball valve assembly in the evap return line to the tank. It's a small side-ported, in-line cylindrical body that lives up above the differential, as close to the tank as practical. I only recall seeing them or hearing about them in 240s. There may also have been one in my later 140, but I forget. Although I see mention of it in fitments for 740s and 940s, even in one schematic, I'm pretty sure my 740 didn't have one nor do my 940s.
Your post got me curious as to the purpose and requirement for that spring loaded little flap in the filler neck. I couldn't find a definitive answer, but it appears that it's primarily there for environmental reasons to reduce splashback and fuel vapour escapement during fuelling. Note that the flaps do not have a tight seal when closed nor does the restrictor neck seal to the inserted pump nozzle. Only secondarily would it be of any safety benefit and then only if you happened to be running around without a fuel cap, such as to minimize fuel splashing out of a full tank or to slow spillage during a rollover.
The restrictor neck itself dates back to the 1970s. It's also called a discriminator neck insert. It's there to keep you from accidentally putting in leaded fuel, as if you could even find leaded fuel at a gas station these days. The old leaded gas nozzles were fatter, so wouldn't fit. Not all car makes of our vintage have the little flap. It appears to vary by manufacturer, even model. It may also vary by market and year, such as California and Canada emissions requirements often being more restrictive or in force sooner than general EPA requirements. I saw one comment where you might fail emissions inspection if the missing flap was spotted, but I have my doubts.
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now
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