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Last pip still blinking after adding 3.8 gallons

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by PriusRos, Jul 19, 2006.

  1. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    Last night I got the warning beep (scared the hell out of me) and the last pip on my gas gauge started blinking. I drove it for no more than 10 miles. Today, I plan to be going in the direction where there is a Costco with much cheaper gas, but it's about 25 miles away, so I went to my local gas station and put in 1.8 gallons just to make sure I don't run out. When I turned the car back on, I still got the fuel warning and the gauge was still blinking. So I stopped at another gas station (10 cents cheaper than the first) and added another 2 gallons. It's still blinking!

    Has anybody had this problem? So far, I only have about 2800 miles on the car. I don't think I've had any problem with the gas gauge until now, but then I've always filled it up completely on previous occasions. Does it not register a partial fill or something?
     
    #1 PriusRos, Jul 19, 2006
  2. aaf709

    aaf709 Ravenpaw of ThunderClan

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    I believe 3 gallons at once is the minimum for the fuel system to detect.
     
    #2 aaf709, Jul 19, 2006
  3. silentak1

    silentak1 Since 2005

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    Strangely this happened to me 2 weeks RIGHT before i dropped off my car at the dealer for the some other repairs. I pumped 7 gallons all at once and nothing...still blinking. I shut the car off and restarted and even waited another day and the same thing happened.

    Has it been solved? I will find out early next week. Hopefully the dealer fills up my tank for free to see if the blinking goes away ;)
     
    #3 silentak1, Jul 19, 2006
  4. miwaku

    miwaku New Member

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    No, but I had something weird happen, too. I always gas up when I hit one pip, and I pump anywhere from 7.5 to 10.5 gals. Friday I hit one pip after 352 miles, tried to fill up, and the pump stopped at 3.5 gals. Couldn't put any more in, even after shaking the car and feeding slowly! Drove away happy with my 111mpg run only to see only FIVE pips on the gauge! Pulled over at the next gas station & put in another 8.5 gallons to really fill it up. Worst mpg yet at 36.7.
     
    #4 miwaku, Jul 20, 2006
  5. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(aaf709 @ Jul 19 2006, 05:37 PM) [snapback]288951[/snapback]</div>
    I think it must be something like that. When I added gas two gallons at a time, it kept blinking. However, on my third stop, I filled the tank (6 gallons), and it finally stopped.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(silentak1 @ Jul 19 2006, 07:19 PM) [snapback]289011[/snapback]</div>

    Seven gallons should definitely have registered! Let us know what the dealer finds out.
     
    #5 PriusRos, Jul 20, 2006
  6. amitandrima

    amitandrima New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusRos @ Jul 19 2006, 04:23 PM) [snapback]288940[/snapback]</div>
    On one ocassion I filled about a couple of gallons of gas about 10 miles after the last pip started flashing. I was in a rush to get somewhere then so I just stopped filling and drove out to my destination which was less than a mile or so. On the way back after my meeting I decide to fill up the tank so I went back to the gas station and filled the tank till auto shut off. However, even after having the tank full, the gas gauge was stuck at 3 or 4 pips for the next 5 or 10 miles of driving and got me worried. But all of a sudden after a while when i glanced at the gauge again and it was showing full. I have no idea why that happened, my guess was that the prius checks and uploads fuel data every few miles or so or maybe a glitch!
    Hope this helps..
    Gyro
     
    #6 amitandrima, Jul 20, 2006
  7. Ryn01599

    Ryn01599 Hybrid Owner for Life

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    The Tanks "idiot light" turns on at, I believe 9.5 gallons out of the 12 gallon tank - so you can drive it for 2.5 gallons before you completely run out.
     
    #7 Ryn01599, Jul 20, 2006
  8. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    The gas gauge doesn't seem to be linear. It takes forever to lose the first square, while the last two or three go pretty quickly. I like how it magically fills up after I've left the gas station - in spite of filling the tank, the gauge shows about half when I first get back in the car, and slowly moves to full as I drive down the street. Maybe it needs to be burped after feeding?
     
    #8 hyo silver, Jul 20, 2006
  9. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gyro @ Jul 20 2006, 12:51 PM) [snapback]289432[/snapback]</div>
    Well, now I know I'm not alone with an quirky fuel gauge. Between that and the variable fillup amounts (once, I had 2 or 3 pips left on the gauge was able to add around 8 gallons, while the next time I had 1 pip left and was only able to add 6), you never quite know how much gas you are going to need.
     
    #9 PriusRos, Jul 20, 2006
  10. marjam

    marjam Member

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    All of the above do happen. That's why many here call it a "guess" gauge! I always completely fill at 3 or maybe2 pips and have never had a problem.

    (Where did the word "pip" come from?)
     
    #10 marjam, Jul 20, 2006
  11. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Jul 20 2006, 04:10 PM) [snapback]289545[/snapback]</div>
    That's the same with "normal" cars too. But what I'm finding is that sometimes I can drive 120 miles before the first square disappears -- and only 30 miles the next time. Meaning, I assume, that the amount of gas I can actually pump before automatic shutoff can vary by a several gallons.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(marjam @ Jul 20 2006, 04:59 PM) [snapback]289582[/snapback]</div>
    "Guess gauge" is a good name for it!
     
    #11 PriusRos, Jul 20, 2006
  12. ttabbal

    ttabbal New Member

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    Hmmm... I always run to the "Add Fuel" warning (1 blinking pip) and I always put about 10 gallons in.

    The gauge isn't linear, but it's not so different from other cars I've had with analog gas gauges. Most cars I've driven seem to take a while to get off full, go to 1/2 pretty quickly after that, stick there for a while, then hover at 25-33% for a while, then drop to near empty almost instantly. I wonder if it's just that the digital gauge makes people think about it differently.
     
    #12 ttabbal, Jul 21, 2006
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