problems filling the gas tank

SEARCH the forums... Many threads on this subject. Try "guess gauge" or "fuel tank"

 

There is one gas station that I don't go to because I can never fill up my car there. I haven't had any trouble at any other stations. Like Charles said, there are lots of threads about this problem.

My gas gauge also stays on full for longer than it seems like it should. For the first quarter or third of my driving between fill-ups, the tank the guage says "full".

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(theTurk @ Sep 22 2006, 12:19 PM) [snapback]323510[/snapback]</div>

Along the same lines, I try to use the same station (and even the same pump) as I can consistantly fill the tank.

The first pip usually disappears after 100-150 miles. That's seems to be normal.

 

as has been said, try a search...

but to answer your question, here's what happened: the first fill up stretched the bladder. when you removed the nozzle, the bladder contracted a bit, spilling gas. This *shouldn't* happen, and if it does don't go back to that station again... odds are there was something wrong with the auto-shut off.

Additionally, the guess gauge has been proven to show full for anywhere from 100-250 miles... given the "max fill" you had performed, you were probably at the upper end of this range. The rest of the gauge goes down quite a bit faster though, as do the gauges in every other car.

For the constant click off problem, once again try another station. In those cases the pumps may be set too sensitive. Also, you can try filling on the lowest setting, that will often times avoid this problem. As for guessing how much will go in, you can usually get fairly close by looking at the mileage for the tank combined with the miles travelled. Note that with the bladder, you *shoudn't* use this as an estimate on when to fill up (thinking it's an 11.9 gallon tank when in reality you're going to have less than that).

 

I had this problem with my '05 three stations in a couple of weeks. After reading it here, I made sure that I never (1) overfilled the tank (2) relied on the guess gauge...

my problem was solved by taking my car back in, explaining that it was happening EVERYTIME I went to fill the car up... and that I was carefully traking mileage/fillups etc. I was going to different gas stations. They re-calibrated my fuel gauge, and it hasn't caused any more problems since then.

The other thing you might want to watch out for is filling up at a gas station that doesn't have the rubber plunger looking thingy on the pump.

Amy

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Sep 22 2006, 03:44 PM) [snapback]323533[/snapback]</div>

This happened to me last week. It seems to me that part of the problem is that the fuel nozzle fits very snugly into the filler pipe, leaving no room for escaping air. There may be a vent that vents air displaced by the fuel, but if so, then when the fuel rises above that vent, then the pump is forcing fuel against a rising air pressure, which causes the gas to gush out when you pull out the nozzle. This is only speculation, but seems to me to be what's happening.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Leo @ Sep 24 2006, 07:01 PM) [snapback]324443[/snapback]</div>

That's exactly the problem. You actually should have BETTER luck at a gas station with the rubber plunger looking thing. The nozel at these stations is slightly smaller, and that plunger is meant to capture escaping gasses so they don't go into the environment.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Leo @ Sep 24 2006, 07:01 PM) [snapback]324443[/snapback]</div>

No, that's not a "problem" at all, it's a deliberate design feature, and an integral part of the "bladder" system. There is no vent to allow escape of air as there is very little air to worry about. The bladder "collapses" over and around the fuel as the quantity decreases in use. The bladder is flexible, and relies, in part, upon pressure from the fuel pump to help it "inflate" as you fill up with fuel. This is why there is a tight seal between nozzle and fuel filler. It's also why the Prius has a rep for "spitting" back fuel if you persist in topping the tank to the point that the bladder is overfull and starting to stretch.

 

Sorry for the smell of unleaded... my first filling up problem.

Went to fill up today as my guage indicated 3 pips left. I began filling the tank and it stopped after 4 gallons. I knew this wasn't correct so I continued to slowly fill the tank as it clicked and stopped every time I squeezed the handle. Needlesst to say, I was able to put 4 more gallons of fuel in when it started gushing back out at me and ran down the car. It was quite embarassing to be fueling at Costco (you know the lines) and have these issues with a Prius. After reading about the charcoal canister and other fuel components, I am worried that I have hurt my baby. She only has 2,300 miles on her.

Anyway, why could I still get 4 gallons of fuel after it clicked indicating it was full? I would expect a little variance due to the bladder, but 4 gallons... come on. How can we be sure the tank is actually full? I won't trust the guage or the spill prevention nozzels anymore.

Any suggestions?

 

Suggestion:

just fill until it clicks

The bladder shrinks and expands with temperature and other factors. the fuel gauge isn't the most accurate thing in the world. Additionally, the pips tend to disappear at different rates on different cars.

What happened to you, simply put, is you stretched the bladder out by forcing in the extra 4 gallons. when the pressure from the nozzle was removed, the bladder contracted (like a watter balloon will before you tie it off), gushing those 4 gallons of expensive, already paid for gas out onto the ground.

Simply put, if you put 4 gallons into the car on a fill, fine, leave it at that. Drive 200 miles and fill up again. it really isn't the end of the world. really.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Oct 26 2006, 02:34 PM) [snapback]338844[/snapback]</div>

Only a small amount of fuel actually came back out. My point is that the 4 gallons of fuel that I was able to put in would relate to approximately 120-200 additional miles that the car could have went had I not kept putting more in. Of course, this really wouldn't be a problem in town, but on a road trip, it could lead to me on the side of the road.

Does the Prius have a guage like other vehicles or is the guage based on what the computer thinks?

Newbies... newbies... newbies.

 

Well, I can't answer the "technical" question but I can say that I've had a similar occurrence with my '05. I typically do what you did because if I find that the typical fill stops prematurely. I've never had it quite 4 gallons early, usually just like 1.5 or so. I think what happened to you is that you got a good pump that was filling faster than the fuel could drain from the fill tube into the bladder so it backed up a bit, kind of like what you see if you poor too fast into a funnel. This causes the nozzle to click off much earlier than it should. What you might do is just try and fill it a little more slowly and see if this doesn't alleviate the problem. It is true that as the weather gets colder, you will find that the bladder holds less fuel. I've never had a fluctuation of 4 gallons though and I have over 30,000 miles on mine.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(c_ocean @ Sep 22 2006, 01:02 PM) [snapback]323443[/snapback]</div>

It seems to get better as you have the car longer. It also seems to work better for me to try to get gas during the warmest part of the day in colder weather. I don't worry too much if a fill up only means I have 9.9 gallons instead of 11.2, I'm not playing the 800 mile tank game I read about, although now that I've heard about it...

 

Start slowly, fill slowly. At the first click, shake the car to
see if you can burp the bladder once; this may not matter or be
effective... but leave the nozzle IN, sealing the opening, until
things have had a little time to settle. You might be able to get
a little more in [like up to the next quarter or 50 cents], but don't
push it.
.
_H*

 

:huh: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(c_ocean @ Sep 22 2006, 11:02 AM) [snapback]323443[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Shane @ Oct 26 2006, 02:46 PM) [snapback]338812[/snapback]</div>

The bladder in the tanks of our Prii make them difficult to fuel and prone to belching on occasion (one of which probably puts more hydrocarbons into the air than everything the bladder tries to prevent)...they do say it gets better with time, and also warmer temperatures tend to help.

And, if you haven't heard, it's not called the "guess gauge" for nothing!
[laughing]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(c_ocean @ Sep 22 2006, 12:02 PM) [snapback]323443[/snapback]</div>

I have had the same problem, gas comes gushing out after only putting in 3 gallons or so, I divided the miles by the gallons and got 89 mpg. not possible. I thought the tank was full but it was not. How can this defect be corrected. Warranty problem???? Coinboy44

 

What you are experiencing is a common Prius fuel bladder problem. Most Prii experience difficulty fueling at some point. The problem is, you are at risk for developing a totally "non-stretchable" fuel tank bladder, as did my 2004 Prius.
Recently, I could not put more than one second of fuel in my Prius before the fuel nozzle would click off. I tried virtually every gas station in my town. Finally, running out of fuel, I left the car at the dealership.
Come to find out, it needs an entirely new fuel tank!!! And since I have 42,000 miles on my Prius, it is off of warranty.
After voicing my displeasure with the service manager, he "agreed" that Toyota would pay for the part if I would pay for the labor. I was tired of fighting and was having a bad week in my life anyway, so I agreed. But it still cost over $400. I think this problem is more common than Toyota admits. I suspect that it's almost universal, because their "agreement" to pay for the part if I would pay for the labor was too rehearsed/cut-and-dried.
I think the moral of the story is that, if you are having ANY TROUBLE WHATSOEVER fueling your Prius, you need to inform the dealership EVERY TIME you bring it in for any service visit. If you inform the dealer of a problem before the warranty period expires, and they cannot resolve the problem, then the problem is still covered under the warranty should you require a new fuel tank off of warranty, as I did.
My Prius started off the same way all of yours did...with occassional fueling problems at certain stations or under certain weather conditions, but it evolved into a total fuel bladder failure.
Consider yourselves warned.

 

Just because you may have had a "problem" doesn't make it common for the rest of us, and you cannot provide any proof of the statement, "Most Prii experience difficulty fueling"... Stop being bitter drama queen.

Oh, yeah, and I'm now considering myself warned, if it makes you feel any better.