Is my gas tank full of rocks???

See this recent thread for more explanation:
Fuel Tank Capacity | PriusChat

Then note that your model year has a fuel tank bladder, which shrinks when cold. Your Owner's Manual indicates how much it should shrink.

Then also note that numerous (though not all) Gen2 owners have had various other problems with that bladder, further reducing capacity. It was a very common topic here when I joined over a decade ago.

 

In North America there is a flexible bladder inside the tank to reduce emissions. In 110 degree heat I could get over 10 gallons in the tank, at freezing, about 8 gallons. Living in Wisconsin, you may well have even lower temperatures.

If you just get gas when the car shows 2 pips, you never need to walk to get at least 3 gallons before you try to restart your Prius.

 

uthere's a couple more gallons in there, but keep a safety can in the back if you test it. the bladders do age, like all bladders

 

just a guess, but i would say no. don't remember if anyone has tried it. you cal also try different gas pumps, pumping as slowly as possible, and try holding the nozzle at 45 and 90 degrees.

 

No, but somehow inflating it might expand it.

I had no issues with misfolding, but some owners had perceived issues with the bladder folding and not regaining it's original shape.

Come on down to MS next summer and see if heat can expand it.

 

If getting 8.4 gallons into it now, during a Wisconsin winter, a half gallon beyond that flashing pip, than I'd think it is quite reasonably well expanded now. At that gauge point, even a non-bladder Gen3 would be taking not much more than a gallon more than that.

You are already past the very last low fuel warning and into the 'safety margin', which is much more uncertain and risky with Gen2 bladders than with any non-bladdered tank. If testing to lower levels, be sure to do it in non-hazardous circumstances when you are not tied to any strict schedule, and take along a can of spare fuel to put in after the engine quits.

I'm not so sure that there is much additional risk from water and crude at the bottom of the tank. The fuel intake is always down there.

 

I was scrolling along prepared to say this very thing.

And I'd caution against trying to pump in more than the tank wants to accept. Good way to ruin the charcoal canister. It wasn't a problem before you knew what the spec sheet said, so if you ignore the spec sheet, it goes back to not being a problem. In fact, there's nothing you can do about the behavior of that goofy bladder, which puts it into the "fact of life" category rather than the "problem" category.

 

And don't ever run out of gas in a G2. That can be very very $$$$.

Us the search forums link up top and search in the G2 forum:

gas tank

and just for fun search:

ran out of gas

There's hundreds and hundreds of posts about the G2 gas tank and same for running out of gas.

Bottom line is in winter the bladder is much less flexible and will be a pain to get gas into it. It requires a lot of venting before filling.

 

What does a new tank cost to install?

 

Search forums link:

new gas tank

https://priuschat.com/search/267992102/?q=new+gas+tank&t=post&o=relevance