Fuel Gauge Markings

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oregon-Mica @ Apr 10 2006, 10:04 PM) [snapback]237913[/snapback]</div>

People have reported the first bar not disappearing until they've gone 150 mi. I've kept all mine showing for 100-125 mi. several times.

People have also reported having one of the last 2-3 bars disappear in 10 or fewer mi..

As for what's typical, only several more posts might give an indication.

You may have the most accurate Prius guess gauge ever made.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ Apr 11 2006, 04:29 AM) [snapback]237955[/snapback]</div>

Thank you for this. My wife and I just got back from a ride, and our new Prius has all of 145 miles on it, and the fuel gauge display has not changed - all the bars are still there. We agreed that if nothing happened by 200 miles, we'd take it back to the dealer ... but I feel better having read your message.

Newbie jitters, I guess.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GreenGene @ Apr 16 2006, 07:55 AM) [snapback]240485[/snapback]</div>

I have driven as far as 175 miles after filling up before the first bar dropped. Others have reported going more than 200 miles before it happened.

 

Placing too much faith on the fuel gauge bars is what causes prius owners to run out of gas - as in: "But I got 100 miles on the first bar, so I was expecting to go 800 miles before needing to fill up!"

I try to fill when there are two bars, and ABSOLUTELY fill as soon as the one bar begins to blink.

 

I filled up this morning and drove 95 miles, bars still are all on "full"
was tempted to try to fill up this afternoon but didn't want to invoke the ire of the gas station.
could it be just that mileage really is better when the tank is full?????


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(walt @ Apr 16 2006, 02:12 PM) [snapback]240537[/snapback]</div>

 

Now I don't know anything about how the fuel sensor in the tank works, but if it's worked off some sort of float switch technology that simply measure how high (level) the gas is, then it will be a tad inaccurate since most tanks aren't symmetrical in shape so the top 1" holds more gas than the bottom 1", not to mention accelerations and braking might cause more "sloshing" to affect said sensor. Of course this is all wild speculation

 

At 93 miles the 1st bar went. I was starting to think their was somthing wrong with the gauge

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FJRCRAZED @ Apr 20 2006, 08:31 AM) [snapback]242571[/snapback]</div>

Yep - when I posted 4 days ago, we had 145 miles and the fuel gauge hadn't changed. Like you, I was starting to think that something was wrong with the gauge. Later that day, the first bar disappeared. Now, the fuel gauge shows 5 bars. We'll be getting some (expensive) gas this weekend. With other vehicles, I generally didn't let the tank get below 1/4 ... with the Prius, I think I won't let it get below 3 bars, just for the peace of mind.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GreenGene @ Apr 20 2006, 09:40 AM) [snapback]242596[/snapback]</div>

I am on my second prius 60,000 miles on the first 13,000 miles on the second.
The gas gauage gives a different reading on each one, on the 2002 prius when you got to 1 bar you had about 30 miles left before running out of gas.
On the 2005 prius when you get to one bar you still have 3.5 gallons of gas I have not run out of gas on this one.
My conclusion is that their all different.