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2003 Prius Fuel Indicator

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Elars, Dec 30, 2004.

  1. Elars

    Elars New Member

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    I’ve got a 2003 Prius. The last couple of months I have noticed that the fuel indicator seems to be in error. After filling the tank the indicator shows full. After 50 or so miles the gauge is down one bar. Then it seems to go down normally until about half tank. Then the quantity rapidly reduced to two bars after only 300 miles on this tank of gas. The display shows 43 mpg. I should be good for another 200 miles. Is the indicator bad or is there less gas in the tank than I think there is?

    Has anyone had a similar experience? Does the 2003 Prius also have a fuel quantity indicator problem?
     
    #1 Elars, Dec 30, 2004
  2. Dave C

    Dave C New Member

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    Elars,

    I too have a 2003. I notice a very similar pattern in how the fuel gauge operates; it doesn't seem linear. I don't sweat it though. By the time we get the Ajouter Essense "Add Fuel" indicator and the last bar is blinking, there is still about 1.6 - 1.8 gallons in the tank. This estimation for us is based on how long we wait to fuel up after we get the low fuel warning and the volume of fuel added. I just look at the average mpg and total miles. We get mid to low 40s in the winter months and high 40s to the ocassional low 50s in the late spring and summer months. I am very diligent about maintenance and tire pressure.

    Hope that helps.

    Dave
     
    #2 Dave C, Jan 7, 2006
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