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Gas gauge not moving

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Mr. Man, Nov 12, 2018.

  1. Mr. Man

    Mr. Man Junior Member

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    Hi there all. This is my first post to this forum.

    I bought a used 2013 Prius C from a Toyota dealership about a year ago. A few days ago, I began to notice that the fuel gauge on my dashboard didn't seem to be moving after a period of time that normally would've seen it decreasing. I thought, "Wow, this car's got great gas mileage." Next day, more driving, same thing - clearly something's wrong.

    Two things to note:

    1) I was recently involved in an auto accident. My car was repaired and I thought it was good as new. Most likely this accident is the cause of this problem. Now bear in mind - I drove that car for two weeks before this issue occurred, and the fuel gauge was working normally.

    2) Much more minor but I just can't help but think it's related since the timing matches up perfectly. The day this started, I went to my car and noticed that the little door to the fuel tank was open, had been open all night. Not sure how I could've possibly missed this, I never have before. And I use street parking, so my immediate thought was that somebody screwed with it. But that might be a bit paranoid.

    SO.

    Any way to deal with this that doesn't involve great cost?
    Is it most likely a sensor-related problem?

    Any advice is greatly appreciated.
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Just keep your tank as full as possible for a while and forget about it... If the problem comes back unplug your 12v battery for 5 mins, which is the same as restarting/rebooting your phone or computer to fix it. If that still doesn't solve the problem, post a follow up on this post.
     
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  3. Mr. Man

    Mr. Man Junior Member

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    Thank you! Alright then. I'll wait for a bit and see if it just resolves, and after that I'll try the battery.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    was there an insurance claim? if so, tell them. if not, have a talk with the repair shop. perhaps a harness was not fully seated
     
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  5. Mr. Man

    Mr. Man Junior Member

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    Okay so. I finally got around to this. Didn't go the way I want it. I remove those cheap little clamps, and now by the way I can't get them back in. Not without breaking something. I remove the panel and looked at the battery, and I have the manual open the entire time, but what I saw inside the battery did not resemble what I saw in the manual, and I was very hesitant about taking any action.

    And honestly, that's how I left it. I would really be only confident right now for somebody to look at this who really knew what they were doing, particularly and reinstalling those clamps... Obviously I am quite a noob when it comes to this sort of thing, but I just don't want to screw any of this up...

    There is sort of an insurance claim. The accident occurred while I was driving for Lyft, so insurance was outsourced. As for the repair shop, I don't really know what to say to the guy... It doesn't seem like it was his responsibility?
     
    #5 Mr. Man, Dec 21, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 22, 2018
  6. Mr. Man

    Mr. Man Junior Member

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    FYI I do a lot of dictating into my phone instead of typing, and that's why my messages occasionally can look a little weird...
     
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    are you talking about the battery post clamps? you can only do what you feel comfortable with, then you need a dealer or good mechanic.

    you have access to some great hybrid mechs in los angeles
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i would go back to the body shop and be honest with the oe=wner, maybe something came loose during the accident and disconnected two weeks after the repair. hidden damage is common in accident repair
     
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  9. Mr. Man

    Mr. Man Junior Member

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    Thank you! I feel there's no harm in asking, but I am curious about how much responsibility the body shop guy actually has... Dubious about it...
     
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed, it is hard to say. it is not responsibility as much as determining what is wrong, and if they feel it was caused but the accident.
    it is the difference between an insurance payment, or not.
     
  11. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    You mean the little black plastic pop-clips that hold the rear heel panels up?

    Those are (each) two pieces of plastic. You probably figured out that you could push the centers in to release them. Once you have them out in your hand you need to pop them back outwards. Then you can pass them through the mount holes and push the centers inward to the position they started in.

    If you toy with one in your fingers for a few minutes you'll get the light-bulb moment.

    I'm not sure what to tell you about the gas gauge, but if you stop for gas every 350 miles you'll never run dry.