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Flashing Fuel Pip with Full Tank. How long can I drive it? (Gen 2)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by rickster2, Oct 12, 2016.

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  1. rickster2

    rickster2 Junior Member

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    Yesterday, 12 miles after a complete fuel fill up, my 2006 fuel gage dropped to one flashing pip.
    How long can I drive like this before it shuts down? Or will it shut down?

    I suspect that the fuel level sensor either failed or broke connection. And a broken sensor is an expensive fix ($900+).

    I would like to drive it to the dealer, and maybe drive even more, but I've read that the car will shut down, even if it is full of gas, requiring a tow and even more expensive repairs if driven to shut-down.

    Does anyone know how this works?
    How far I can drive?

    Thank you!

    -----
    PS
    -There is gas in the tank -- it is almost full (no leaks or theft).
    -I tried the fuel gage recalibration sequence, but got only dashes during the odo sequence.
    -I have not checked the electrical connection to the gas tank/fuel sensor (I would like to but have not found that. Where is it?).
    -My dealer said it will shut down, but didn't know how long I have to drive it.
    -I can typically drive 80+ miles on a flashing pip, but I am not sure if this issue (a faulty fuel level reading?) will behave the same way as a normal flashing pip.
    -I have not checked error codes (should I buy a tool and do that?)
     
    #1 rickster2, Oct 12, 2016
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how many gallons were involved in a complete fuel up?
     
    #2 bisco, Oct 12, 2016
  3. rickster2

    rickster2 Junior Member

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    That last fill up was around 10 gallons.
     
    #3 rickster2, Oct 12, 2016
  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Sorry to hear,
    but I don't recall hearing this problem. Also I do not recall hearing a Prius would stop running with a full tank due to a flashing PiP, until out of gas of course.

    The main thing to watch out for, if the engine does stop running, you do not want to drain the HV battery down by driving too far. Gen2 allows you to drive on battery power until the battery is exhausted, which is not good for the battery.
     
    #4 wjtracy, Oct 12, 2016
  5. rickster2

    rickster2 Junior Member

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    Thanks WJTracy. I don't want to hurt the batteries.

    So has anyone out there run with a broken fuel gage? Stuck on 1 flashing pip?

    I was under the impression that the system would shut itself down after x miles past the low fuel warning. Maybe that does not happen?
     
    #5 rickster2, Oct 12, 2016
  6. rickster2

    rickster2 Junior Member

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    Update: Spoke with 2 different toyota service techs. they both said it should be fine driving indefinitely with a broken gas gage (blinking 1-pip) as long as I don't really run out of gas. I drove it to the dealer, 5 miles out, the gas gage jumped back up to full. So the problem went away.

    At the dealer I got the oil changed. They also checked and "recalibrated" the fuel gage for $60 which seems reasonable.

    Not sure what happened. And hope it doesn't happen again. :)
    Thanks!
     
    #6 rickster2, Oct 12, 2016
    bisco likes this.
  7. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    My wife doesn't even look at the "guess gauge" in the Prius. She fills up every 400 miles.
     
    #7 andrewclaus, Oct 12, 2016
  8. Paul Schenck

    Paul Schenck Active Member

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    I just replaced the engine and the HV Battery in my 2005 last week. One of the steps was disconnecting the fuel sensor which was under the backseat.
    I have driven my Prius nearly 400,000 miles, it will run with no instrument cluster at all, there is no shut off unless you are in an accident or the engine is sucking air.
    I do have a question for you though. When you filled up did the miles driven since the last fill up reset on the Consumption / trip info screen??
     
    #8 Paul Schenck, Oct 12, 2016
  9. rickster2

    rickster2 Junior Member

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    Andrew and Paul,
    Thanks. This is good to know since I don't think anything has been fixed, so the issue may come back.

    Paul, yes, the mileage on the consumption screen did reset upon fill-up. So I suppose something was working properly then. We drove it another 20 miles or so today and it's still fine.

    Got really close to buying a 2016 Eco Prius today, but decided to hold off :)
     
    #9 rickster2, Oct 12, 2016
  10. Paul Schenck

    Paul Schenck Active Member

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    Use that screen then. After the engine swap i won't need another Prius till 2020


    iPhone ?
     
    #10 Paul Schenck, Oct 18, 2016
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