Filling up while power on

No, it's not a good idea. First of all it is illegal. Second, the Prius fuel system has a series of valves that open and close to configure the fuel system for operation, testing, or refueling. When your Prius is Ready, the valves are in the operational position and not set for refueling. Try not to make a habit of it.

There is no need to put your car in Park when shutting down. Get in the habit of hitting the Power button instead of Park and this won't happen.

Tom

 

actually.. if you're not using the heat/ac.. then there's really no reason for the ICE to kick on.. and by nature, you're not breaking ANY law.. even if there is a law about leaving your engine running.. well, obviously your engine is NOT running....

 

Actually... there are many reasons for the ICE to start (Other than heat/AC)on it's own if you leave it in ready. The only way you can be sure it won't start is to turn the car off.

Tom is correct about about the Prius fuel system.

I believe that many of the fueling complaints are the result of not turning the car off to refuel.

 

I leave the car "on" and have not noticed any ill effects. I buy gas on the way home so it has been running for more than 30 minutes. I turn off the radio & climate control so for the 5 minutes it takes to pump some 8 gallons the ICE won't spin up. I believe there is a measureable increase in FE by not having the ICE spin up just to generate heat.

 

ICE aside, electricity can cause a gas fire. statisticly it is very unlikely but it is up to if you want to play the odds. you gamble?

 

Someone posted some diagrams from the Fuel tank and the various valves that open and close While powered on and open and close while powered off a while back. Turn it off, there is no reason to leave it on, even if you think you are avoiding a warmup cycle. I have filled up many times and immediately got 75 MPG + the next 5 - 10 minutes (without going downhill).

 

Its best to be safe rather than sorry...not a difficult thing to hit the power button to shut the car off and refuel. Easy -- and no fire hazard...

 

If you turn it off, the worst that will will happen is you have to turn it back on.

If you keep it on, the worst that will happen is your car will go boom.

Being a strong believer in Murphy's Law, I turn it off.

 

The danger is not with the ICE running, it's more that Ignition is on and can generate sparks...

 

In many jurisdictions, including California, it is illegal to refuel an automobile while the engine is running. This law exists to promote the safety of every person in a gas station.

If a person near me was refueling a car, hybrid or otherwise, without taking the proper and legally required safety precaution of shutting down the drive train, I would resent their putting my life in jeopardy because of laziness or a laughable effort to save 4cc of fuel.

 

Fire danger may be overstated, and you can't see any of those pesky valves opening and closing so it's hard to be concerned about damaging your car.

But there's a simpler reasons to shut down: Your car is a big heavy machine, and if you do something that's not part of your regular shutdown routine before getting out of the car, you risk stupid things like your car rolling away and hitting something or someone.

Treat your car like the dangerous piece of heavy equipment it is by always following safety precautions, no matter how minor the risk seems at the time.

 

I've done that a few times but noticed a very small "lurch". Is that normal?

Sorry, not trying to hijack the thread.

 

There is a reason Toyota gave us a Park button.......

 

I thought that was to make out with my wife.

 

Toyota gave us a Park button so you can put the car in park without shutting down. Simply powering off automatically applies the Park button, then powers off. In no way is it different than manually pressing the Park button, then pressing the Power button.

The jerk comes from the parking pawl taking up. Depending on the grade and drivetrain position, there is a little slop before the pawl grabs. This is true whether you manually engage Park, or go directly to powering off.

Tom

 

No, it's so I can make out with your wife. SNAP!

There have already been rambling discussions about the virtues of the "PARK" button, so I won't rehash those, but basically to answer Taggart, if you keep your foot on the brake when powering down, you probably won't feel that lurch.

I do STRONGLY recommend using the "parking brake" every time you park though. If you don't, your whole car is held in place by a little piece of metal in the transmission instead of the brakes. Bad idea, especially when the ground isn't level!

 

Thanks, Tom. I haven't noticed the little jerk (unless you include me) when putting the car in park, but have noticed it when going straight to power (same location.....my garage). I'll pay more attention next time I use park, but it's good to know that going straight to power is ok also. I now feel comfortable telling my wife to do so.

 

Thanks for the response. Yep, I'm a firm believer in the parking brake also. I've done enough work on cars to appreciate using them properly and not putting undue stress on their parts.

My apologies again for hijacking the thread. The original post was for filling the gas tank while powered on.