Pump Clicks off WAY before full

[Find another dealer. I vote no confidence.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dzoutzidis @ Jan 24 2007, 12:58 PM) [snapback]380141[/snapback]</div>

Ditto on finding a new dealer.
make sure you're fillin with the oriface level or slightly elevated like when you fill a soda bottle.

 

In my experience this is dependent on which gas station I use. Some stations give me no trouble while on others I can hardly put any gas in the tank. I think the overfill shut-off is out of spec in some gas stations.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dzoutzidis @ Jan 24 2007, 01:58 PM) [snapback]380141[/snapback]</div>

In a little over two months this has happened to us twice. Both times we fixed it by pulling the car to another pump at the gas station; then the fill-up went ok.

 

The same thing happened to me last night, and it was the first time in about 5k miles.
The pump clicked off about 5 gal into the fillup whether I tried going slow or fast.

What did help was to hold the handle while filling and pointing it down, or rather aligning it with the car's fill pipe. I was then able to fill another 5 gal!

What most people do when filling a car (myself included) is to stick the nozzle into the car and then let the handle go (after also selecting a fill speed.) This results in the nozzle pointing "up" to the point where it is actually resting against the upper surface of the car's fill pipe. One can easily imagine the flow of fuel first hitting this upper surface of the pipe, thus causing some kind of foaming or resistance which is then sensed by the filler nozzle. Aligning the nozzle with the car allows the fuel to shoot right down to the tank.

(Well, that's my theory anyway.)

 

I'm going to stop lurking and actually post here since I had a similar experience...

I suddenly started struggling to get gas in my tank without it clicking off as described by the OP. Went to a different Shell station, same problem. After much frustration I noticed some new instructions on the pump - they had changed the nozzles, so you have to apply some force to squish it down and then move the handle down towards the ground, and it kind of clicks in place. Like magic, I can pump gas again.

This may not be what is going on for others, but thought I would mention it just in case.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dzoutzidis @ Jan 24 2007, 12:58 PM) [snapback]380141[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tiger roach @ Jan 24 2007, 03:16 PM) [snapback]380269[/snapback]</div>

I didn't know about this, I'll be on the lookout for the new nozzles.

 

I have a lot of difficulty with this, regardless of station, regardless of pump. I'm getting to the point where I'm almost resigned that I can't get more than 5 or 6 gallons in it, even if I run it down to almost completely empty.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(meezercat @ Jan 24 2007, 09:00 PM) [snapback]380399[/snapback]</div>

On my last fillup (temps were in the 30s) I was able to get 6 gallons in, and the first pip went away after 25 miles! I usually gas up with two pips left, sometimes one. In any case, my milage is still around 42-44mpg so no complaints here.

Dave

 

Ah. Welcome to my world. This has been a problem for me since I bought my Prius in Feb of 2006. And people complain about "plugging in." Ha. Every time I plug in, I get a full tank, at least!

One solution that seems to work more than half the time is to turn the nozzle UPSIDE down. Seriously. You look like an idiot doing it, but I can usually at least fill the tank this way.

And please note - this isn't just ME having the filling problem with my car. When we drove through Oregon last summer (no self-serve) the highly trained perfessional gasoline filler personnel at the various gas stations had the same problems. One guy just stood there wordlessly slicking the handle endlessly for about 15 minutes (about 1 TBS of gas per click) until I finally let the poor guy off the hook and paid him the 1.37 for my "fill" and tried another station that worked better.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dzoutzidis @ Jan 24 2007, 02:58 PM) [snapback]380141[/snapback]</div>

I believe (in other words, my theory...) the problem is caused by two factors: the bladder in the tank, and the fact that the Prius filler pipe grips the nozzle rather tightly to prevent fumes from backing out of the tank when new fuel is added. This is required to meet the California regulations that prohibit fuel vapors from escaping the car.
When you force fuel into the tank, there seems to be some air pressure buildup in the tank which causes the fuel to push back against the nozzle. This causes the gas pump outside to sense the tank is full. If you continue to pump gas into the tank anyway, what is liable to happen is that the bladder will expand more than needed, in order to hold the additional fuel. Then when you withdraw the nozzle, the bladder is no longer inflated by the nozzle, and the bladder shrinks back a bit, and the fuel bubbles out on to the ground.
One solution is to pull the nozzle out of the filler pipe to release the air pressure, and then re-insert it. Or, you can "flutter" the nozzle handle, which will gradually put more fuel into the tank as the air pressure slowly seeps out through the filler pipe.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jan 24 2007, 09:16 PM) [snapback]380402[/snapback]</div>

This is a great idea! Perhaps it should even become part of the standard FAQ.

 

After six months I'm reasonably satsified with my 2006 Prius but I also have this problem. I'm mechanically oriented and have tried every trick I know to get a freakin' tank of gas at my local convenience store. No way -- have to go to another and less convenient location. Pretty amazing that there is ANY issue in fueling up a vehicle. Last time I checked folks have been successful at this for about 100 years. Folks can rationalize it any way the choose....it remains absurd.

 

Discussed this with the Prius technicians at the local Toyota dealership. Their answer: Learn to live with it .. and don't fill beyond that point where the pump shuts itself off (in my case that's typically 7.5 gallons, put in after that first gas gauge bar has been blinking for a while).

So .. Okay .. I'll just grin and bear it.

 

I had a geo metro that I simple could not fill effectively (8 gallon tank). I had to back the nozzle out so the tip of it was just barely inside the filler, otherwise it was a teaspoon per click, starting after maybe a quarter gallon. This was always worse at newer pumps. My prius behaves better for me, but I still only get six or seven gallons on a fill.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveLeePrius @ Jan 24 2007, 10:02 PM) [snapback]380401[/snapback]</div>

Dave, I feel suddenly relieved. Yes, it's hard to fill my gas tank but TODAY was the first time that my 1st pip disappeared at ~25 miles (usually it has been ~50-65). At least I'm not alone! Yes it was cold, snowing even, when I refilled my Prius, but even so, 25 miles?! Heck we're not even in the real throes of true winter weather in Chicago, so I'm wondering how bad things will get then.

Unfortunately, my mileage (currently too low to post, I'd be kicked off PC), is due to multiple factors (living close to work & play, a community which values speed humps & delights in totally unsynchronized traffic lights, etc.) is hardly equal to yours. In your case, I wouldn't worry.

If I lost my first pip at 25 but got your mileage, I'd be deliriously happy on balance.

Meanwhile, this thread has been quite valuable. I might try some of the tricks on my next refill which, judging from how fast the first pip went bye bye, might be a lot sooner than I had anticipated...

 

I track my mileage and have had this problem repeatedly, dealership re-calibrated my guess-gauge. (I have an 05) it works for most of the gas stations.

soo.... I've found that at one pump in particular that always give me troubles, I put the pump in upside down..... guess what, no more problems.

Its stupid, but thats what worked for me.

 

For some reason I've always been a little afraid to try the upside down thing...but maybe I will. I think I'm going to need a fillup tomorrow.