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Trash in Fuel Tank

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by davidd1951, Aug 19, 2018.

  1. davidd1951

    davidd1951 Junior Member

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    Hi everyone, i have been a member for a few years now and have gained a lot of new lodge from here.
    I buy my gas 35 Gals at a time and store what want go in the car, purchased some extra cans for this reason.Last month i had about 15 Gal left. I transfered it some Tidy Cat Litter Plastic containers,have done this in the past with no problems. This time though i filled up with 10 gals from the plastic containers and got 2 miles down the road and my dash board lit up like a Christmas tree and car began loosing power ,i pulled over to the side and used my scan gauge 2 to clear the codes and nurse it back home.Pulled the spark plugs they were fouled up and had what i guess were bits of plastic from the litter containers. Same with the fuel injectors. I tried to drain the tank by disconnecting the fuel line and jumping the fuel pump with a 12 v battery . I can hear the pump working but no gas is being pumped.Do i need a new gas tank?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    maybe the pump or fuel filter is clogged.
     
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  3. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    :confused:o_O:unsure:

    I believe Gen 2s have a filter in the tank. Unfortunately, it's not serviceable.
     
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  4. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Intrigued why you are storing so much gas? Do you live in the boonies? Are you a prepper? Gas is cheap out there. Hope you were adding Sta-bil to the stored gas.

    Get Techstream, as your Scan Gauge has very limited code reading capability.

    You may have two problems.
    1) plastic bits of Tidy Cat Litter container in the fuel system
    2) HV Battery may have gone bad at the same time, coincidentally. 8-10years is the OEM warranty period by design. Some people get less, some people get more.

    If you continue to store gasoline, use an appropriate, approved container. Tidy Cat Litter is NOT an approved container.
     
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  5. GrGramps

    GrGramps Active Member

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    I find it amazing that bits of plastic could pass through the filters in the system and even through the fuel injectors!
     
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  6. davidd1951

    davidd1951 Junior Member

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    I replaced the HV Battery in May at 180000 miles with a one from Green Bean.

    I am not 100% sure that it was bits of plastic but there was definitely small particles of something, they were not in the injectors .
    I replaced the fuel tank with a used one from a 2006 one.Replaced the spark plugs, air filter,cleaned the MAF, throttle body and cleaned the injectors with Techron. After 3 or 4 rough starts it is running good as new.The Lord does look after fools.

    You are right about the filter being in the tank. I had to replace it with a used one.

    I believe it was either clogged or not working properly.
     
    #6 davidd1951, Aug 26, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 26, 2018