The Guess Gage

[icharry]

Ok, I know this has been talked about alot... I just filled up for the 2nd time... the 1st time I only got like 8.2 gal in, but I added gas within a mile of the gauge going down to 1 pip... today I waited till I had gone about 30 miles after it dropped to 1 pip ( I wanted to wait till it flashed, but I had a long drive ahead and did not want to stop)... and only got 8.6 gal in!!!!

That is crazy! That means there was over 3 gal in the tank - 25% left thats an extra 100 miles.... is there any aftermarket thing that can make this a bit or WAY more accurate?

[efusco]

CAN-View will give you a "tank %" full level if it's that important to you. I suggest just adapting to the system as it is. You'll get used to it. Even with only 8-9 gallons you should be able to go 450-600 miles per tank once you get your mpgs up...and that will come.

I've, personally, never gotten more than 9.4 gallons in and that was driving 50+ miles after the last pip started blinking. I rarely fill before the last pip starts blinking and still rarely get more than about 8.3 gallons in. But I'm used to it and still only fill up 2-3 times per month on average. I think the guage has been improved in the past couple model years. If you live/drive in an area that has gas stations readily available you can push until the last pip starts blinking, that should allow you at least one more gallon and around 50 miles more driving.

[jmccord]

The fuel tank/gage/bladder seems a common source of consternation among Prius owners.
I usually rely on a combination of mileage and the gage. I am also guilty of typically refueling at 1-2 pips just to be safe (never blinking).
I was a victim of the fuel tank bladder this weekend however. I drove to the mountains from sea level and refueled at about 5,000 feet elevation. I filled the tank as usual, removed the nozzle, and watched helplessly as about 8-12 ounces of fuel gurgled back out of the tank onto the ground.
Definitely not good for the environment - or my ego!
Oh well, lesson learned. <_<

[IndyDoug]

a good rule of thumb is to start thinking about heading for a gas station when you're down to one pip.

[icharry]

Reply #1: I know I'll get better and go further, and I do live where there are gas stations all over, but part of the reason I got the Prius is to NOT waste my time at a gas station.... Funny thing though, is htta now even that I go less often I spend more time... checking the tires, oil and writing down my miles and average... I know I'll probably stop (or do it lesss) doing this after the car has a few thousand miles... after the honeymoon.

To reply #1: Are you saying the pressure change from sea to +5000 caused the tank to spit? Would not the pressure equalize when you opened the gas cap?

[berylrb]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(icharry @ Jan 7 2007, 10:33 PM) [snapback]372312[/snapback]</div>

... but part of the reason I got the Prius is to NOT waste my time at a gas station.... [/b]

OK, now I understand, at first I was thinking, "what difference does it make?" Knowing your goal to be less trips I see your consternation. But I'm sure you understand with regards to MPG it doesn't matter.

Funny thing though, is htta now even that I go less often I spend more time... checking the tires, oil and writing down my miles and average... I know I'll probably stop (or do it lesss) doing this after the car has a few thousand miles... after the honeymoon.[/b]

Oh I don't know, I think you'll become hooked on how sweet it is to be doing so much better than your other car(s), having stories to tell to your co-workers, etc. I have record keeping down to a science now and found that my tires stay at 42/40 rather easily.

[dmckinstry]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Jan 7 2007, 06:55 PM) [snapback]372305[/snapback]</div>

CAN-View will give you a "tank %" full level if it's that important to you. I suggest just adapting to the system as it is. You'll get used to it. Even with only 8-9 gallons you should be able to go 450-600 miles per tank once you get your mpgs up...and that will come.

[/b]

Yep. The CAN-View does give more precision, but I doubt that it takes care of the variable tank capacity problem. I'm only guessing (will have to ask Norm), but I'm at 92% now, and I assume that means I've used 8% of what was presumably a full tank of 11.9 gallons. If it's the case that a full tank is only 10.5 gallons (the most I've ever put in), I would run out quite a bit before it reads 0%.

Dave M.

[efusco]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ Jan 7 2007, 11:52 PM) [snapback]372366[/snapback]</div>

Yep. The CAN-View does give more precision, but I doubt that it takes care of the variable tank capacity problem. I'm only guessing (will have to ask Norm), but I'm at 92% now, and I assume that means I've used 8% of what was presumably a full tank of 11.9 gallons. If it's the case that a full tank is only 10.5 gallons (the most I've ever put in), I would run out quite a bit before it reads 0%.

Dave M. [/b]

I agree, I don't completely trust the tank level from CAN-View either and tend to fill up at about 10%...the last bar starts flashing at 12% level I think.

[Syclone]

People, GET OVER IT! It's a fuel bladder, not a fuel tank. Its capacity varies, depending on ambient temperature. Neither you nor the on-board ECU can predict how much fuel it can hold at any particular time.

When you get down to 2 pips start looking for a gas station. If you get down to one, look harder.

This whole topic has degraded from interesting to amusing to annoying.

I had a feeling where this subject was going when I posted a response on a fuel bladder thread several months ago suggesting modifiying the gas cap with a Shrader valve to pressurize and expand the bladder before refueling and found that I was being taken seriously.

I find it difficult to understand how a group of people who seem to be above average intelligence get fixated on this sort of mental masturbation!

[berylrb]

So syclone what exactly are you trying to say, 'Get Over It', 'Move On', ...?

Just kidding, point well stated, gotcha, right-on!