ran out of gas at 397 miles

You know what 9.4 gallons x 41.3 mpg = ? 388 miles .
Your anticipated range for that tank would have been 388 miles, and you ran out at 397. quite simple and quite accurate.
My point is, if you didn't pump it into the tank, don't assume it's there.
Now that you ran out, though, you'll always know how much is in there, because it's no more than what you put in.

Yeah, I verify my tank capacity everytime I fill up. The capacity is how ever much I pump in, and I always know my anticipated range by multiplying the gallon I pumped by my average MPG since fill up. Never lets me down, I've never run out of gas, I get over 600 mile every tank, and pump little more that 10 gallons each time.

 

So how many miles did it go once the last pip started flashing?

 

read those other threads.
the tank has a variable size ; its not fixed , it changes with age, temperature, and some unknown magical factors. its a fuel bladder - it changes, it moves, its alive...

when you get down to 2 pips, fill that baby up

 

OMG, I can't believe someone else ran out of gas. I think they should take driver's licenses away from these people. If you can't follow a simple fuel gauge that disappears to one bar and then flashes telling you to fill up how can society expect you to follow the rules of the road? Perhaps you should be locked in a rubber room so you are no longer a danger for yourself and others. Seriously, yeah, this is a bit harsh, but come ON!! A Prius is like any other car. When the gas gauge indicates low, get some fuel. Once again, this is harsh... but the reality is I'm just posting what everyone else is thinking.

 

And I did just that today. My FIRST FILLUP!!

I was armed with a towel just in case the fuel burped, inserted the nozzle fully and set the pump on auto watching it closely.
The pump clicked off at 7.8 gallons, I waited 10 seconds, removed the nozzle and guess what happened??

Uh..actually, nothing. Was I ever relieved!

The tank from the dealership lasted 364 miles and I had just entered into 2 pips. I'm sure I could have gone another 50 miles at least. I only spent $30 bucks.

I'm sticking to Pewd's advice.

ZC1

 

As you've realized, running out of gas in a hybrid gives options not available to ordinary cars. I've done it over two dozen times as part of my gasoline experiments. I just drive to the nearest safe place, put in 1 gallon and then drive to a gas station. Of course my Prius is well beyond any warranty "issues" and I know how to clear the codes.

My experience is the usable gas is ~11.3 +/- 0.2 gal.

GOOD LUCK and perhaps we can work on that 41 MPG?

Bob Wilson

 

Also, Just to add that you should never run your tank dry. Mainly because you have a submerged fuel pump and the it relies on gas being in the tank to keep it cool. So, When you run it dry the pump will basically overheat and now you got problems.

 

While I agree that you should never run your tank dry, I'd say that based on the photos of the inside of the tank that can be found here:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-technical-discussion/30593-gas-bladder-exposed.html

The pump is only ever partially submerged, and when you get down to your last gallon or two it doesn't seem to be submerged at all (notice the pickup filter extending out the bottom of and remaining below the level of the pump).

There are a variety of reasons to avoid running out of fuel, but I'm not terribly concerned about overheating the pump.