1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Gen 2 fuel tank sending unit / fuel bladder issue

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Joey40202, Apr 22, 2023.

  1. Joey40202

    Joey40202 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2009
    25
    2
    0
    Location:
    Naples, FL
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I have read through multiple threads regarding the issues that can result from a bad bladder or fuel sending unit.

    Facts:

    2007 gen 2. I have owned since 2009. 130k miles.

    I live in southwest Florida so its always warm-hot.

    I hooked up my OBDII. - no codes showing.

    I have reviewed the supporting fuel system diagram from the other thread.

    Issue: Inconsistent readings and fluctuations coming from the fuel gauge. Blippis on gauge can count down sequentially or sometimes they drop 5 blips in on moment. Once the fuel drops the blips do not go back up, only drop. Sometimes it’ll read empty and I will refuel and it take 2 gallons until reading full again, other times it’ll be empty and the most it will take since the problem started is about 6 gallons before the gauge reads full.

    Manually calculating the fuel economy I’m getting around 150 to 290 miles from full to empty depending on the specific tank. I have been threw 3 or 4 fuel cycles at this point. On the second fill up since the issue started I put some seafoam in the tank and ran a whole tank and that seem to help with the issue but by no means restored normal capacity.

    My thought was if it was the fuel sending unit malfunctioning due to the ethanol and the gasoline gumming up the float on the sending unit then maybe this could help create soother operation and restore normal operation. Just a deductive guess on my behalf…. The other thought is an issue with the actual fuel bladder not expanding to its full 11.9 gallonish capacity anymore.

    question: a) I assume you can not send an inspection camera down the fuel line without potential getting it stuck or causing damage to sensors etc. to see if the fuel bladder is creased etc when the tank is reading full.

    b) Due to the inconsistent nature of the reading I do believe it is more related to the fuel sending unit float not accurately leveling out or potentially a clog in the fuel tank where the sending unit is housed causing inaccurate fuel leveling so does anyone think more sea foam cycles could potentially resolve the issue as it did help get more mileage out a tank.

    c.) The final and most important of questions- does the vehicle shut down when it runs out of fuel, or when the sending unit tells it it’s out of fuel?

    For example l, if I have driving 180 miles from fuel to empty (blinking blip on fuel gage) is the computer going to shut the car down based on the fuel sending unit communicating its empty even there could still be 5 gallon of usable fuel?

    Or is the vehicle going to run until all actual gasonline is consumed and the vehicle stalls out and dis regard the faulty sending unit?

    I can manually calculate fuel consumption all day - easy enough but I really dont want to run it out of fuel If my bladder capacity has been decreases due to a frozen/stiff fuel bladder which is only allowing the vehicle to hold a portion of its full 11.9 gallonish capacity.
     
  2. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    5,286
    4,225
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Yes, and will then run on hybrid battery until dead, leaving no way in which to restart the vehicle once you've put in 3 gallons of gas.
     
    ColoradoCrow and wjtracy like this.
  3. ColoradoCrow

    ColoradoCrow Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2019
    923
    377
    1
    Location:
    Leawood, KS
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    I
    Hi. Yes very common in older Gen 2's Bladder looses flexibility with age.

    Try this. I also know that some have carried a spare gas can and ran the car until empty,(or had a friend follow them with 3 gallons of gas)
    Drive until you KNOW the tank is empty. Add the 3 gallons of fuel and then drive to the nearest gas station and fill up...carefully adding up the gallons that you put in. If you get to 9.1 gallons or more you are doing well. Then with a full tank RECALIBRATE the electronic system.
    Good luck. Report back with how it worked for you.
     
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    23,273
    15,072
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    The system has nothing that can be recalibrated, other than the inclinometers built into the dash meter, which sense how the car is leaning. They generally don't need any recalibration unless they've been disturbed.
     
  5. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2020
    3,241
    1,351
    0
    Location:
    NJ-USA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    You can read the diagnostic procedure for the fuel gauge in the service manual. If you have the gauge suddenly read empty, you can test the resistance of the sending unit at the connector under the rear seat. You will likely find that the unit is out of range (high resistance).

    The car will keep driving until the pump sucks air. Keep going after that and you'll run the HV battery down.

    Repair for the sending unit is to replace the fuel tank assembly.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  6. Rocinante

    Rocinante Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 16, 2022
    45
    6
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    I drive 100+ miles on "empty"

    When I refill, fuel gauge fills up again and the trip odometer on the MFD resets itself, so I just go by the mileage on that screen. Once I get to 300, I fill up again. I fill until the pump stops then I slowly add another half gallon.

    When I first got this car last year, It was reading empty after 50 miles. Now it gets to 200 before reading empty.

    I'm going to push it to 350 for a while and see if it "expands" even more.
     
  7. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    6,089
    5,806
    0
    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    c.) The final and most important of questions- does the vehicle shut down when it runs out of fuel, or when the sending unit tells it it’s out of fuel?

    The "indicated" fuel level has no effect on how the car runs or whether it will run. I have a 2008 project right now that shows one blinking dot (I added a full 5 gallon jug a week ago just to make it wasn't actually empty, and TechStream also shows the car thinks it ran out of gas), but it runs like a champ. Just one more thing to fix after I bleed the brakes this weekend (replaced brake actuator last weekend). Maybe I'll get lucky and it just needs more time for the fuel level to calibrate itself back to life.
     
  8. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2006
    11,312
    3,588
    1
    Location:
    Northern VA (NoVA)
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Running out of fuel on a Gen2 of course killed many an HV battery, Gen3 had a little better auto-shut-off of HV battery before it got completely discharged.