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Fill your tank

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by sharpdoug, Oct 29, 2022.

  1. sharpdoug

    sharpdoug Tig

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    I watched a YouTube video and the Toyota master mechanic said filling your tank to full capacity is very bad.
    Is this a real problem? If I go with the pump shut off, I looses 2 gallons to full capacity. That’s at least 100 miles. Please let me know if anyone knows. Thank you

    Also if it does mess up the car, what are the signs of the possible problem created?
     
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I've always spilled mines of the bladder contracts and it spits at me with the nozzle still in the tank I'm trying to run the tank down to fumes right near 500 mi and then when I fill up I'm looking to put almost 11 gallons in it which is what the car holds are very close to it sometimes I'll get 11.1 I will run the car down to the fuel light and then add 35 mi to be sure I am close to fumes I do not like the stop and fill up except when I'm on fumes they keep saying this is bad especially for these cars but I've done it to my '09 my 10 and my 13 since I've owned them I like to keep that bladder in the tank stretched meaning full so if I know I'm going to have the car sitting for a day or two I fill it up stretch that bladder like a pregnant woman keep it full. The way I understand it it's kind of like a well tank has a bladder in it so I would think you'd want to keep it stretched and full not drawn up and dropped down but that's just me it's work so far 300K plus.
     
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  3. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Sloppy overfilling can clog the tank emissions parts.
     
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  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    At the gurgle once . You should not be filling your canisters or EVAP system full of fuel at that point If you keep going then you start having fuel run down the tubes that go to the evap system I do realize this I'll let it just fill the bladder up it spits back at me once and that's that and then I'm full I should not have my evap system full with 11 gallons of gas in the car or ride around that I don't believe.
     
  5. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    What's the red bike in your signature?
     
  6. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Mostly, people start posting threads like "ok, it was always finicky before, but now I can barely get 2 gallons in and it spits back out."

    Sometimes they buy the replacement parts, fix the problem, continue topping off, and end up posting another thread of the same kind eight months later.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it is fine to put in more after it shuts off, if you always yse the same pump, and the consistency is there.

    just don't fill it to overflowing. maybe 1 1/2 gallons to be safe?
     
  9. sharpdoug

    sharpdoug Tig

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    Sounds good. In my wife’s Lexus ES350 it shuts off 3 gallons from full. Come on Toyota that’s ridiculous. What’s the point. I never had this issue with any other cars I’ve owed
     
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I just pump till it shuts off, done; don't lose any sleep over it.
     
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  11. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    1.5 gallons is a lot less likely to cause trouble than 2.0 (or "to the brim," which I gather is about the same thing), especially if you avoid doing 1.5 when you won't be burning off much before the cool fuel in the tank has a chance to warm up in warm weather.
     
  12. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    My mechanic told me to stop doing that.

    When the tank is full, if the gas sloshes around a bit, it will wet the vent port filter. Once that vent filter gets wetted, it refuses to allow air to pass, and that sets a code. So the mechanic had to replace the filter.
     
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  13. Doug McC

    Doug McC Senior Member

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    I say fill it up until you’re just absolutely thrilled! Saving yourself 10 minutes or so each tank full. And after each fill up like that, put some money in the bank to pay for the repairs that might take a few days to accomplish. Or, you could maybe, heed Toyota’s warning not to “top off the tank”, save yourself some money, and, in the long run, a lot more time. But what the heck, it’s your life and your car, GO FOR IT! ;)
     
  14. Doug McC

    Doug McC Senior Member

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    Short answer: YES:

    LONG ANSWER: See The Car Care Nut YouTube video on why it is a REALLY BAD IDEA TO TOP OFF THE TANK.
     
  15. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I've never run my Prius to fuel starvation to see just how much of its full capacity might be 'lost' that way, if any. But without any such top-ups to 'really full', instead just stopping at the first fuel nozzle click (when it isn't premature), I've gone somewhat fewer miles beyond DTE=0 than Bob Wilson's out-of-fuel tests, and got to within about 0.6 or 0.7 gallon of the official claimed claimed capacity. Overall, comparing my distances and refueling sizes to Bob's results, I don't believe that my lack of full-top-ups is causing me to miss out on any fuel capacity.

    I have run a couple other cars to fuel starvation to test fuel gauging and tank capacity, and found no shortage with either.
    According to the 'conventional wisdom' that I have heard against such overfilling, an actual problem may show up as a Check Engine light, with codes related to evaporative emission controls. Hopefully the more serious mechanics here can provide a real answer.
     
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