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Customer Ran Car Out Of Gas / Light Came On

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by macarose, Jun 19, 2015.

  1. macarose

    macarose Junior Member

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    Location:
    Powder Springs, Georgia
    Vehicle:
    2002 Prius
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    I
    One of my customers apparently ran her car out of the gas and the following lights came on the dashboard.

    Everything else seems to be normal. I wanted to find out whether anyone has experienced anything remotely like this, and if so, what should be watched out for.

    Thanks for everything. The picture is enclosed

    [​IMG]
     
    #1 macarose, Jun 19, 2015
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Location:
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    What year is the car in question?

    I think the second gen's allow you to run the hybrid battery dangerously low when run out of gas. It's a "feature". :rolleyes:

    And just curious, re "customer": are you a garage, or is that unrelated?
     
    #2 Mendel Leisk, Jun 19, 2015
  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I've run our 2003 Prius out of gas about 30-40 times when I was doing gasoline quality studies. When the dash lights up, I just use the traction battery to reach a safe place to park. Then I add 1 gallon from a gas can; start the car, and; drive to the gas station for the next tank.

    The only known risk is if the customer tries to restart the car 3 times, it will set a flag keeping the car from trying again. The easy solution is to disconnect the 12V battery ground for ~30 seconds, reconnect, add some gas, and start her up.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #3 bwilson4web, Jun 19, 2015
  4. macarose

    macarose Junior Member

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    Location:
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    I
    Thanks very much. It was a 2002 and the fellow sent me that picture via phone. By the way, if you are bored enough to Google, "Steven Lang and cars" this afternoon, you'll figure out exactly who I am.

    And yes, I have a 2002 Prius. No it's not the one in this pic. Really ;)
     
    #4 macarose, Jun 19, 2015
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    A 2002 with only 24K miles on the odometer?

    It looks like the fuel tank was refilled prior to the photo being taken. The owner can try disconnecting the 12V battery to clear the DTC logged. Then when the power is restored and the car made READY again, see if any warning lights reappear.

    The meaning of the third icon appearing in red color within the MFD is that the hybrid vehicle ECU logged a DTC, most likely associated with the engine not producing power when the HV ECU expected it to.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Jun 20, 2015
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