Prius Fuel Tank

[heimdm]

I have seen several articles about the Prius fuel bladder. How far should you fill it? I filled it up yesterday and the gas pump kept clicking off about every 2 seconds... any ideas as to why?

[DaveinOlyWA]

Originally posted by heimdm@Oct 9 2005, 06:45 AM
I have seen several articles about the Prius fuel bladder. How far should you fill it? I filled it up yesterday and the gas pump kept clicking off about every 2 seconds... any ideas as to why?

[snapback]138642[/snapback]

actually the problems you have filling the tank is normal for many. suggestion is to know about how many gallons you used based on the MFD. then slow to the lowest speed you can WITHOUT STOPPING about 2 gallons before you anticipate a full tank. this will help you get more in before the first shutoff happens.

the reason you dont want to stop is many pumps have an overflow sensor that can be filled when stopping. this can make the pump unable to restart again. if everything goes about as expected, just call it good. it wont be full full, but you will still get great range on your tank.

now if the additional range is desired and you feel that you should be getting at least a few more gallons in there, try switching to another pump. many have been successful doing this. personally, i dont feel its worth the hassle especially if moving the car is required.

[Presto]

Usually, when the pump clicks. I can load in at least another 5 litres (around a gallon and a quarter). I'll also pull the pump out a bit to help it with the clicking.

[Bill Merchant]

Originally posted by heimdm@Oct 9 2005, 07:45 AM
I have seen several articles about the Prius fuel bladder. How far should you fill it? I filled it up yesterday and the gas pump kept clicking off about every 2 seconds... any ideas as to why?

[snapback]138642[/snapback]

Also remember that the internal bladder seems to "relax" with use, but that cold weather tends to stiffen it up, lowering capacity. If this is a new car, you may be able to get more gas in as you keep stretching the bladder with each fill-up. But if it's a cold day, don't try to force too much more in, or you could overflow the tank.

A Prius driving 8000 miles emits fewer hydrocarbons than a cup of spilt gas. (from the HSD web site)

[heimdm]

This was at the Prius's first fill up. Just kept clicking every second or so, kind of annoying. But kept filling it till it seemed to be getting full. Didn't know if this was normal behavior or not.

[Tigerops]

From my knowledge, this isn't a vehicle problem, this is a pump problem. I have driven all across the country and for some reason certain pumps in certain states caused this same problem for 3 different vehicles. Have you ever used this gas station before with another vehicle? It's sad, but some bad pumps end up spilling fuel all over the side of my car sometimes. I get so fed up that I swear never to go there again. Good luck!

[altaskier]

Originally posted by Bill Merchant@Oct 9 2005, 05:29 PM
A Prius driving 8000 miles emits fewer hydrocarbons than a cup of spilt gas. (from the HSD web site)

Good point! - and this is why it is just not worth it to try to squeeze another half gallon in to a car that already goes a long way between fillups.

[aaf709]

It's happened a couple of times with me. I just press the handle down and fill S-L-O-W-L-Y. Most of the time that works and it fills until it's full (with no spills).

[DieselConvert]

Originally posted by DaveinOlyWA@Oct 9 2005, 10:16 AM
actually the problems you have filling the tank is normal for many. suggestion is to know about how many gallons you used based on the MFD. then slow to the lowest speed you can WITHOUT STOPPING about 2 gallons before you anticipate a full tank. this will help you get more in before the first shutoff happens.

[snapback]138656[/snapback]

DON'T FOLLOW THIS SUGGESTION IF YOU FILL UP IN CALIFORNIA!

About $3 worth of fuel (and 10,000 miles of air pollution?) gushed out of the filler neck when I stopped filling S L O W L Y, when the meter read 11.572 gallons. I thought "This station surely needs to get its meters recalibrated," when it crept past 10.5 (my guage had shown the last pink bar blinking for about 5 miles when I stopped for fuel). Pushing the hose spout back into the filler neck did not stop the gushing. Some vapor under pressure seemed to be expelled alternately with 4 - 8 ounces of raw fuel for several seconds.

My guess: the vapor recovery and auto shut-off valve are not able to sense the full tank when fueling extremely slowly, so the station's pump obediently stretches out the Prius' fuel bladder until its internal pressure equals the pump pressure. A sensor may prevent raw fuel from returning to the vapor recovery system.

[jkash]

I have had the most luck filling my tank on the middle setting of the nozzle. When I try to fill up on the lowest setting, the valve tends to shut off early. My car is an early 2004 model. I did not have the TSB done on the tank after reading Dr. Fusco's story and my dealer had never done one. I didn't want to be the ginny pig. I can live with going nearly 400 miles between trips to the gas station. The most gas I ever put in was 9 gallons. The car was new and I wanted to see how much I could put in it, especially after reading the Prius boards on over-filling the tank. Unfortunately, a little gas spilled. I have not made that mistake again. I'm okay with 8 gallons.