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Filled tank but still blinking empty!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by swatt, Oct 15, 2019.

  1. swatt

    swatt New Member

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    Hope this is the right sub-forum because although it's about fuel, it's not about fuel efficiency.

    I have the receipt, and I watched the guy fill my car. The only unusual thing was that I forgot to turn off the car. I realized after that I was still in Drive with my foot on the brake.

    It was not a small fill. 33 gal.

    I've turned the car off and on a few times. I also got right out and locked it and walked away for a bit, but still, the fuel gauge is blinking empty!

    What to do?

    Thanks much,
    Sandra
     
    #1 swatt, Oct 15, 2019
  2. Pluggo

    Pluggo Senior Member

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    Isn't your fuel tank 9.5 gallons? If you bought 33 gallons I am afraid you paid for someone else's fillup. This can happen if the pump was not reset after the previous customer. Perhaps the station was busy and someone made an honest mistake. If the purchase was on a credit card you should dispute the charge.
    Edit: I don't think you got a fillup at all. You better buy gas today. Can you give us an update later?
     
    #2 Pluggo, Oct 16, 2019
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2019
  3. swatt

    swatt New Member

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    OMG, sorry. Litres! This station prints Gal on its receipt and I stupidly just copied it. LOL
     
    #3 swatt, Oct 16, 2019
  4. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Not sure what unit they use in Bermuda, but OP probably means 33 litter which is about 8.7 US gal.

    That being said, I don't have a good explanation on why the gas empty light is still on. Yeah, try different gas station and see if you can actually put more gas into the tank. If the tank is indeed full, then there has to be something wrong with sensor inside of the tank.
     
    #4 Salamander_King, Oct 16, 2019
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    try resetting the 12v negative
     
    #5 bisco, Oct 16, 2019
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  6. swatt

    swatt New Member

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    Thanks for the suggestions. I saw in other posts that for some people it just went away. So I drove to work hoping it would, before trying anything more complicated.

    At first it didn't, even when the gas engine kicked in up a hill. I also tried going around corners a bit aggressively, and driving over bumps in the road when I could to shake things up. Not sure of any of that did anything but about 7 minutes in, it stopped blinking and moved to 2 bars. Then bit by bit over the next 2 minutes it made it all the way up to Full.

    I'll mention it to the mechanic next time it's in for maintenance. :) Thanks!
     
    #6 swatt, Oct 17, 2019
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  7. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    The float could be sticking. If you keep tract of your mileage, as most Prius owners do, you'll know when to get fuel.

     
    #7 ASRDogman, Oct 17, 2019
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  8. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    The fuel level sender in the tank needs to be replaced. Better sooner than later.
     
    #8 Georgina Rudkus, Oct 17, 2019
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  9. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    My 2014 Subaru is susceptible to bogus non-full fuel gauge readings when I don't have it turned off during the entire fillup (e.g. go back to driver's seat to start updating the fuel logbook during the refill, needing to turn the car at least partly on to read the odometer and trip meters). It can read something around half full, and that persists until the real fuel level drops lower. Then everything works fine after the next refill, provided I don't turn any power on during the process.

    My Prius Liftback has never done this, though has had very few powered-up-during-refueling sample events. That practice is strongly discouraged by many.

    I wouldn't worry about anything unless this repeats after future refills, with the power properly turned off during the entire refill process.
     
    #9 fuzzy1, Oct 17, 2019
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  10. swatt

    swatt New Member

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    Thanks again everyone. I'll see if it actually happens again with the power properly turned off during refills. :) Of course, it's a while between refills. Love this car!!
     
    #10 swatt, Oct 23, 2019
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