Running Out of Gas!

dmckinstry · 03-14-2007, 08:59 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ichabod @ Mar 13 2007, 12:34 PM) [snapback]404971[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

We always see the occasional "out of gas" post around here, so I got curious.

Mostly I want to see if those of you who have run out of gas in your Prius have only done it in your Prius, or if people who do it in the Prius have been prone to the same problem in the past.
[/b]

You don't give enough options. I've run out of gas in the Prius once. That's because I believed the guess gauge and thought that even if not accurate it would be consistent. I've run out of gas in some of my other cars in the distant past. However, I'd hardly call two (or possibly 3) incidents in over a million miles a habit.

Dave M.

Ichabod · 03-14-2007, 10:16 AM

That "habit" line was a little bit tongue-in-cheek. You can safely ignore that part and still vote for the "out of gas in multiple vehicles" option

I've only come close to running out of gas once, driving a Camry wagon... it was 4am, I was driving home to Boston from an all night film shoot in Providence. I was half asleep, but I noticed the warning light after a while. After that, all the gas stations I passed were closed, and I feared that if I went out of my way looking for gas I'd only find more closed stations and run out further from home. I did make it though.

rufaro · 03-21-2007, 10:07 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Mar 13 2007, 06:10 PM) [snapback]405121[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

I have never run out of gas with my Prius or with any of my previous cars since at least 28 years ago, but if I were to do so, it would be for the sole purpose of annoying our resident curmudgeon.

[/b]

What he said--almost--I did run out of gas in a '75 Toyota Corolla with a REALLY faulty gas gauge...on the Mass Pike...it was in about '84. I learned then of the term "guess gauge." With the Pri--the first time it started blinking at me...despite what the earlier calculations I had figured, I pulled off at the first place I could reasonably hope to find a station. Since then, regardless of ANY other numbers, my not-quite 15k miles has told me that I have MAYBE one gallon of fuel when it starts blinking. And I am only sure about that since I ignore all the signs that say "do not top up your tank." I have found that the pump shut downs will just about always kick in when I still can go anywhere between one and two more gallons before it is REALLY full. And, yeah, I've done more than one overfill to find that out. In any case...with MY Pri, with MY driving habits--1 blinking pip is no more than one gallon left. And that can mean anything from about 30 to 50 miles, depending on conditions. If I am on the road at 2 pips--I ask my Garmin to find me a gas station in about 60 miles. If I'm around town, I go when it starts blinking, when I can get SOON-ISH to a gas station I like.

OTOH, annoying curmudgeons is fun too...

isaac.stewart · 03-22-2007, 04:01 PM

I ran out of gas in my 2006 Prius. We were driving on the interstate with 46MPG, 530 miles on the tank, and 3 blips on the tank.......538 miles lost a blip.........546 miles lost the other blip......550 miles the last blip started blinking.......554 miles the HSD turned off, and we went on sole electric for about 4 miles off an exit where the closest gas station was 7 miles away. I stopped when the battery went to one bar.

Fast forward several hours of walking

Got the car home and took it to the dealer still under warranty, and now, 3 faulty gas tanks and gauges later, I fill up when I've gone 10x the tank mileage.

I still fill up for less than $25

Ghostrider · 03-22-2007, 08:46 PM

Well sometimes it really isn't the drivers fault. My 1960 MGA had the excellent British design of a fuel guage with the needle hanging straight down from the 12:00 position. Guess what happens when the wonderfully reliable electrical system turns off juice to the guage, The needle is held at the half tank position by gravity...

qbee42 · 03-22-2007, 10:20 PM

I had a Jeep C-J5 with a bad gas gauge; that got me a couple of times. The other time was towing a U-Haul trailer on the toll road, which produced two compounding problems: it was farther than I thought to the next gas station, and we were burning gas much faster than I realized. I came close to running out once in an airplane - that would have been a lot worse.

Tom

View Poll Results: Are you running on empty?
I've never run out of gas while driving.	67	68.37%
I've run out of gas, but only while driving in a Prius.	4	4.08%
I've run out of gas, but only while driving a car other than a Prius	23	23.47%
I've run out of gas while dirving both Prius and non-hybrid car(s). I've made a habit of it.	3	3.06%
I don't put gasoline in my car (this one's for you, Darell).	1	1.02%
I don't drive.	0	0%
Voters: 98. You may not vote on this poll

03-14-2007, 10:16 AM	#22
Ichabod Artist In Residence Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newton, MA Posts: 1,774 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 7	That "habit" line was a little bit tongue-in-cheek. You can safely ignore that part and still vote for the "out of gas in multiple vehicles" option I've only come close to running out of gas once, driving a Camry wagon... it was 4am, I was driving home to Boston from an all night film shoot in Providence. I was half asleep, but I noticed the warning light after a while. After that, all the gas stations I passed were closed, and I feared that if I went out of my way looking for gas I'd only find more closed stations and run out further from home. I did make it though. __________________ 2006 Barcelona Red Metallic - a.k.a. "The Professor" :: Accessories/Mods :: BT Tech Stiffening Plate - Engine Block Heater - OEM EV button - OEM Mud guards - Rear Bumper Protector :: Near-future :: ScangaugeII

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03-22-2007, 04:01 PM	#24
isaac.stewart Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 2 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I ran out of gas in my 2006 Prius. We were driving on the interstate with 46MPG, 530 miles on the tank, and 3 blips on the tank.......538 miles lost a blip.........546 miles lost the other blip......550 miles the last blip started blinking.......554 miles the HSD turned off, and we went on sole electric for about 4 miles off an exit where the closest gas station was 7 miles away. I stopped when the battery went to one bar. Fast forward several hours of walking Got the car home and took it to the dealer still under warranty, and now, 3 faulty gas tanks and gauges later, I fill up when I've gone 10x the tank mileage. I still fill up for less than $25

03-22-2007, 08:46 PM	#25
Ghostrider Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 116 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Well sometimes it really isn't the drivers fault. My 1960 MGA had the excellent British design of a fuel guage with the needle hanging straight down from the 12:00 position. Guess what happens when the wonderfully reliable electrical system turns off juice to the guage, The needle is held at the half tank position by gravity...

03-22-2007, 10:20 PM	#26
qbee42 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 5,643 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #7 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 6	I had a Jeep C-J5 with a bad gas gauge; that got me a couple of times. The other time was towing a U-Haul trailer on the toll road, which produced two compounding problems: it was farther than I thought to the next gas station, and we were burning gas much faster than I realized. I came close to running out once in an airplane - that would have been a lot worse. Tom