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Sticky gas tank membrane

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Roger3125, Mar 8, 2009.

  1. Roger3125

    Roger3125 New Member

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    I found my 06 Prius with four bars, I added $10 of gas and the number of bars remained the same. Later that day to be certain the gas guage was working properly I filled the tank and still it showed four bars.

    I planned to bring it in to the dealer to be checked out but hours later while still driving on the same trip sudeenly it showed a full tank.

    Is something wrong or this the nature of the membrane? Is it something I should have checked by the dealer?

    Thanks for any advice.
     
    #1 Roger3125, Mar 8, 2009
  2. dapastaguy

    dapastaguy Junior Member

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    Usually takes mine awhile to get to full but certainly not as long as you describe, maybe a mile or so. I would take it in for sure
     
    #2 dapastaguy, Mar 8, 2009
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Roger,

    Looks like you added >4 gallons initially, then a smaller amount subsequently. I've noticed once in a while, if I add a relatively small amount of fuel, that the fuel gauge does not register that.

    If you want you could have the gauge checked out, but its likely the tech will report NTF (no trouble found.)
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, Mar 8, 2009
  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    It's not the fuel tank bladder, it's the way the fuel gauge works. Adding small amounts of gas does not trigger an immediate response. If you had filled it all at once, it would have reset right away.

    Tom
     
    #4 qbee42, Mar 8, 2009
  5. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Only time I had an issue was when the gauge remained "stuck" on 1/3. Under warranty, got a new cluster and something on the tank as well
     
    #5 jayman, Mar 8, 2009
  6. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Pearl can work that way once in a while. It's the gauge, not the bladder. The gauge is operated by a microprocessor, and can be reluctant to respond immediately. It's normal for this car. It ignores small changes, just in case it was due to sloshing or parking on inclines. If it sees the change persisting over time (start/stop cycles as well as elapsed time) then it advances the gauge reading. Pearl has even left one pip off when I fill up until the next day, that is, the gauge advances to all but the top pip, until the next day. Then she illuminates the top one as well.
    She's just teasing us. ;)
     
    #6 David Beale, Mar 9, 2009
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