Wierd Fillup

[exces6]

I just filled up my Prius juat after the second bar disappeared. Normally my Prius takes 8.x gallons, but today I struggled to get in 6.8! Is something wrong with my gas gauge. I've also noticed that I get about 100 miles on the first tick mark, and then after that it varies from 40 to 80 miles.

[efusco]

That sounds like the usual abnormal behavior. Can vary with temp, driving conditions, which pump you use, how fast the fuel flows, the phase of the moon, etc.

[V8Cobrakid]

hehe.. it's due to the bladder system. Sometimes it shrinks.. sometimes it grows... the cars a male.. no self control *Shrug* lol

just rub and kinda bump the side panel.. it will grow to allow more fuel.. lol

ok.. .. but bumping or rocking the car will actualy cause the bladder to *hickup*.. sorry.. it will cause the car to burp.. hehe.. girgle i guess you could say. it will release air out of the fill tube allowing more space for fuel. try it.

blinking is usualy 1 gallon or so left.. 1 bar is almost 2 (from what i've seen).. two bar is 3 i guess.. so.. do the math

[Frank Hudon]

That sounds like the usual abnormal behavior. Can vary with temp, driving conditions, which pump you use, how fast the fuel flows, the phase of the moon, etc.

no, no, the tide is the determining factor. Hi tide low fill, low tide hi fill. Cold hi tide really low fill Warm low tide really big fill. What you described is normal for a Prius. It's a bladder thing, ment to P*** you off. The best advise I can give you is Ignore it. Fill when low drive when not. You can gloat in your low emissions.

[Sufferin' Prius Envy]

I wonder if the cold temperature of the gasoline being pumped from underground gas station tanks is cold enough to cause the Prius bladder to stay stiff while filling?

Just for example: Airplane wings can frost over when fueling due to the cold from fuel stored in underground tanks. This phenomenon can even happen on warm humid days.

[KTPhil]

Underground temps don't vary like air temps. It's a consistent 50 or so degrees once you get down 15-20 feet or so, as gas station tanks usually are. In cold climates, the gas would probably warm the tank and bladder!

[bruceha_2000]

blinking is usualy 1 gallon or so left.. 1 bar is almost 2 (from what i've seen).. two bar is 3 i guess.. so.. do the math

It probably depends on the car, I have found that not much past 1 bar blinking means over 2 gallons left based on how much I squeeze in.

I filled up yesterday, uncharactisically waiting until 23 miles past 'the flash'. Computer MPG 37.0, 372.6 miles, put in 9.86 gallons. Probably could have SQUEEZED in a bit more but a round $20 seemed convenient. That is the most gas (and money) I've put in the car in the 6 months I had it and I usually wait until 1 bar flashing.

My first bar is usually indeterminable. Might be 75 miles, might be 100. In fact yesterday was the second time it only showed 9 bars when I left the station and went up to 10 a couple of miles later. Not sure why that happens. After getting to 9 bars each bar is usually something between 25 and 40 miles (given the cold temps we've had the last 3 months).

[DanMan32]

For me, miles to 10th bar off is about 150-190 at about 55MPG.
Up until 4 bars show, each bar is about 30 miles or so. Last 4 bars about 50. Blinking bar, who knows. I think I have done 40 on it once.

[exces6]

On this fillup I lost the first TWO bars after only 50 miles. I wonder if the bladder was really shrunk when I filled up.

[priusham]

... and that's why we call it the guess gauge!