out of gas , getting out of safe mode

Thanks for the report!

When I am planning to run out of gas, I put a 1 gallon spare can in the back so all I have to do is reach a safe area to refuel. Typically, I find a safe place to refuel within a quarter mile and slow down so the battery is not stressed. Then I drive directly to the test gasoline station for a full tank and refill the spare can. I've run out of gas about three dozen times in my gasoline studies.

Speculation now, I wonder if the battery might have gotten a little too warm. Also, disconnecting the 12 VDC battery for a minute is another 'reset' approach that might have cleared the problem. However, it would not have cooled the battery, only time can do that.

Bob Wilson

 

Interesting! Not that I ever plan to run out of gas, but it's good to know that I may only suffer a repetitive stress injury from pressing the power button, instead of more dire consequences.

 

umm...seem to remember that you can start it in safe mode by unplugging one of the modules under dash, power it up... unplugging module prevents you from shutting it off in normal manner. so you have to hold power button for 7-10 seconds to power it off. then plug module back in, power up. codes cleared.

the module was same one you unplugged for EV switch.

not sure of ramifications of this. i did it on my Prius by accident (forgot to plug it back in...Duh!!) but no ill effects i could determine. that happened about 19,500 miles ago... got 20,000 now....nothing but oil changes to keep her going

now dont know if it clears all codes, but i did generate a few of them by starting it up with module unplugged.

 

I have a really hard time believing that one of the ECUs has
a counter that keeps track of *100* restarts. That sounds more
like the width in millimeters of the tech's BS howitzer. Some
other condition was probably slowly coming back into an acceptable
range while you were trying.
.
_H*

 

Will a scan gauge code reset, reset the code? If so the scan gauge @~$150 would be cheap insurance even if you didn't use it for a running gauge.

Icarus

 

scangauge is supposed to be able to reset codes... to be honest with ya, dont know, never had to try it...

funny thing how keeping gas in the car is so difficult. seems counterintuitive for a car that gets better gas mileage

 

It's similar to when I used to drive a Jeep C-J5: That vehicle could go through almost anything, and I was never stuck more in my life. You just have to try harder.

Tom

 

What is wrong with people?
I am doing a casual survey, did you have 2 bars on the fuel gauge?

 

I would speculate that running out of gas should indicate no bars. Not a good idea to let that tank go dry. Unfortunately, we cannot really push it like a stick shift.

 

Not entirely true. The gas engine provides lubrication for the synergy drive, so driving for extended periods without the gas engine is not recommendeed by Toyota.

 

So what happens if I have a Hymotion extra battery and run in EV mode for 30/40 miles ? Can't be good for the PSD.

 

If you have enough fuel in the tank, no problem. You can go electric and petrol will still be cooling some parts down.

 

I drove 45 miles after the gas gauge started blinking. Not sure how much more I could have gone...

 

I have run out of gas twice. Once by accident and once on purpose.

I have kept close track of my gas mileage. My gas mileage indicator is about 1.5% high. I was under the belief that my usable gas was 11.9 gallons (like it says in the manual).

The first time I ran out of gas I was driving up a grade and I thought I had a gallon left. I was not far from the gas station and I was easily able to get there (I kept the acceleration light to be safe). I filled the tank from empty and it took 10.95 gallons.

I wondered if the car ran out because I was on a hill. I then planned to run out of gas on flat ground. It again ran out at with what should have been about .9 gallons left. I refilled the tank and again it took just under 11 gallons.

Perhaps my fuel pick up is not set in the bottom of tank.

For my car I have just slightly over a gallon when the last gas bar starts to blink. If you were averaging about 50 miles a gallon, you were probably very close.

 

So, what are the options if you should happen to run out of gas with the Prius? Are you able to drive from battery power? How far can you go at about what speed? Is there a warning to let you know when to stop driving on batter power?

 

A tow truck to bring fuel is cheaper than a new traction battery. Better still, don't run out. I struggle to see the logic in running out of petrol. I fill up when the gauge gets down to 2 bars, why go lower than that?

 

A Prius with a nominally charged battery might make it about half a mile, but don't do it. Drive only far enough to get safely off the road. In general, treat an out of fuel situation in a Prius just as you would with any normal car.

Tom

 

I think it depends on your fuel gauge. I'm quite comfortable with driving until the gauge is on one flashing pip before looking for petrol. In winter I will fill up on reaching one steady pip because the consequences of running out of petrol in winter may be so much more serious.