Bladder oddness

I have just set up a Facebook page for those interested in exchanging info and getting Toyota to notice and act. Search for Prius Cold-Weather Shrinkage aka The Incredible Shrinking Gas Tank or go to www.facebook.com/priustank.

 

Toyota already acted, by abandoning that fuel tank design for 3G Prius (model year 2010 +).

 

No bad idea, you do not want the car ever run out of gas, that would be a bad thing, avoid low gallon fills also. Actually the gauge sounds like it's working OK. I consider it as a Logarithmic, rather than Linear in the way it displays the amount of gas in the tank. In summer, after I fill up, I usually drive 130 miles until the far right pip disappears, then each successive pip has less mileage than the previous pip! That's why I fill up at 2 pips, I know I won't run out of gas!

Like you said, you only have 120 miles... give yourself some time to learn the car, once you do, you will enjoy it!

 

As KK6PD said, it is NOT a good idea to run out of gas in a Prius. 1 Gallon of Fuel will NOT be enough to get the Prius started again. It takes a minumum of three (3) gallons before the system will reset and allow the ICE to start up.

Try to give yourself and the car some more time so that you can get used to it. During the winter, the bladder will not hold as much as during the summer. What you are experiencing is normal IMO. Try to get into the habit of refueling when you get down to 2 pips. It is not a good idea to top off either. As I stated in my last post, when you go to fill up try letting the tank vent for a minute or so, then pump the fuel in at the SLOWEST setting on the handle. When the pump shuts off, hang up the handle.

If you will click on my fuelly link in my signature you can see how many gallons I use when I fill. I usually fill up at 2 or 3 pips. As you can plainly see, I generally get somewhere between 5 to 6.5 gallons. Now if I was to run down to the flashing pip, I am pretty sure it would be around 7.5 to 8.5 gallons, but I don't like running on the bottom of the tank. During the winter my tank usually lasts around 225 to 250 miles and during the summer it usually lasts around 280 to 330 miles. I also note that during the summer I can put about a gallon more in than during the winter even though the guess gage will read the same (2 or 3 pips).

As I wrote earlier, look at the MPG over several tanks. If you watch it at each tank you will never be happy. It is the big picture that really matters.

Ron

 

It's definitely annoying, happened to us a week ago. I normally get 8.5-10 gallons on a fillup, but last week i was in a hurry to get to work and pumped a quick ten bucks to get on the road so i could be sure to not run out. that afternoon when i filled it would only take 5 gallons...add that to the two gallons from the morning, minus 70 miles of driving, something was screwy. I only got barely 200 miles until i was down to 2 pips, but the next time I filled it took 8.8. I don't think I'll ever like the guessgage and bladder, but I'm getting used to the inconsistencies.

 

I know a lot of you are concerned about Aardman running out of gas but lets face it, 6 gal's from empty to full isn't right. I am confident he can put more than 6 gal's in the bladder and this will help with how the guage reads.

This is probably what happened to him/his car. The previous owner or dealer let the tank run down to 3/4 or 7/8 of a tank then filled it up again. Since its a small amount, the guess gage didn't register the gas and remained @ 3/4 or 7/8's (this has happened to me several times. Try it once and you'll see for yourself). Then the guage will continue to go down with mileage causing a false empty. The way to fix this is to let it go to below empty and fill it up.

I do not advocate running it out of gas but I advise carrying gas just in case. The idea is not to run out of gas but to reset the guage. I am confident he can drive the car at least 400 miles on one tank (without running out of gas).

 

I've experienced this a few times. With my two Prius, a small refueling (i.e., 3-4 gallons) will cause the gauge to remain at its prior level until sufficient fuel has been consumed so that the actual fuel level drops below the level indicated by the gauge. Then the gauge will start moving down and will be no less accurate (and no more accurate, for that matter) than "normal".

 

Will the tank from a Gen III fit in a Gen II?

 

No. Different physical size, and the 2G engine ECU expects to find the specific sensors located in the 2G fuel tank.

 

My 2005 is definitely showing bladder shrinkage. After a pretty brutal winter here in CT the bladder has not expanded like it did in previous years. I gassed up the other day with 1 pip showing and the tank only took 5.5 gallons. I used to get about 9 in at that point. I was down 2 pips after about 75 miles. MPG is still good but my range has taken a serious hit.

 

Just my observation that the bladder does not begin to loosen up until the nighttime temps are in the 60's - late May to early June around here.

As to the OP who thought about carrying a gas can - just remember that it is not terribly safe driving around with a gas can in the openness of the Prius. At least here in PA by law you can only carry gas secured in a space that is physically separated from the passenger area - ie a trunk in a car. Makes sense as you do not want the inside of your car doused with gas in case of an accident. I am a bit of a scofflaw as I do bring home gas for the lawnmower and snow-blower, but the gas station is close and I accept the oh so slight risks.