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

Ran out of fuel, yet extremely lucky!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by AllenZ, Jul 15, 2012.

  1. AllenZ

    AllenZ Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2010
    640
    63
    0
    Location:
    Chicago
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    When I started the trip last night at 9:30, I knew my last PIP was blinking for about 5 miles already. Not only I forgot to stop at gas station, my head lights on, and I even turned on a/c at 70 degree auto.

    Fifty nine miles later when I saw "1/2 mile exit" sign, all lights with all colors started blinking on my screen! I immediately knew where is the problem. Fortunately I was at 65 mph speed, so I turned on emergency lights and coasted half mile right into the ramp, then stopped. Luckily, my battery was almost full, so I started drive on battery alone. The ramp was almost 1/2 mile long, plus another 1/4 miles to get into gas station (although the gas station sign was right at where I stopped), and I had to keep the head lights on!

    I saw the battery level going down, down, down, very quickly. By the time I stopped at the closest gas pump, I had 2 bars left on battery meter!!!

    I end up filled it up with 12.47 gal of gas, the first time passing 11.5 gal in my entire ownership. Turn on the car, all lights went on blinking like crazy, then the engine kicked in, lights all back to normal.

    I am wondering, what if I only had 1 bar left on battery meter, will the car start? Will the battery gone bad?

    Based on how many gallons I filled in past, I somehow had the impression that when it blinks, it should have 2.5 gal of gas left. Looks like it is wrong, and we should keep on safe side.
     
    #1 AllenZ, Jul 15, 2012
    bwilson4web likes this.
  2. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2010
    4,539
    1,433
    9
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    With the Gen II bladder it is hard to predict how much fuel is left in the tank. It's best to be cautious with fuel levels in a Gen II
     
    #2 xs650, Jul 15, 2012
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,809
    49,001
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i ran out of gas in my 08, ran the battery down to zip, put a couple gallons in and was on my way no problem. 20,000 miles later, no ill effects i can detect. i think the car is protected from the nut behind the wheel.:p
     
    #3 bisco, Jul 15, 2012
    xs650 and HaroldW like this.
  4. NYPrius1

    NYPrius1 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2007
    1,181
    125
    0
    Location:
    Middletown, NY
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    As soon as I hit one PIP I fill up. When going on a long trip (more than 35 miles) I fill up at 2 pips. Why take chances.
     
    #4 NYPrius1, Jul 15, 2012
  5. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2011
    3,318
    1,103
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I understand a lot of folks like to push the Prius to get the best fuel usage ie: MPG or L/Kilometer. What I do not understand is why folks will try to drive the Prius when the gas gage is plainly showing you need fuel. If you simply fill the tank when it gets down to two pips, you should not run out of gas unless the gage is not working correctly.

    With the oddities of the bladder in the Gen2, it becomes a gamble as to when the fuel runs out after that last pip is flashing. Sometimes it will be nine miles as some has stated on this board. Other times it might be 64 miles as the OP stated. The point is this, fill the tank before you get to the last pip flashing ie: 2 Pips and you should not have the problem of running your Prius out of gas.

    I am aware that certain owner's on this board will do testing of this nature. Aside from that, you should never find yourself in a situation of being out of gas.

    As NYPrius stated, "Why takes chances".

    Ron (dorunron)
     
    #5 dorunron, Jul 15, 2012
  6. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2004
    14,816
    2,497
    66
    Location:
    Far-North Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    First of all, yes you were extremely lucky.

    If you ever run the tank dry and drain the battery a code is registered that can alert any Toyota Technician that the batteries were drained during a no-gas situation. They are extremely reluctant to service your batteries once they see that.

    Would your battery have gone bad? Hard to tell. There have been some here on the boards who have deep-drained their battery and seem to have suffered no long-term damage. On the other hand, there are some who have drained their battery once and it's never been the same.

    As for the amount of miles/gallons in the tank once the pip starts blinking: assume there's very little and stop at the first station you see. Seriously. Like others have said, there is no exact science for knowing how much gas is in the bladder at that point.
     
    #6 TonyPSchaefer, Jul 15, 2012
    dave77 and dorunron like this.
  7. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    3,159
    988
    0
    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I have run out of gas with two pips on the gage. Now that was totally unexpected but, I was w/in two blocks of a gas station (thankfully). Now I fill up as soon as I see two pips.
     
    #7 usnavystgc, Jul 16, 2012
  8. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2011
    3,318
    1,103
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    It has been reported in the past that certain user's have run out of gas at 2 pips. There is more information that can be found concerning the Prius Fuel Gage along with instructions on how to reset the "inclinometer". I have not attempted this, so I can not vouch for the application of the instructions found here on Prius Chat.

    See page 3-2 http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/Hybrid13.pdf for more information.

    Also take a look at post #8 by Rokeby Gas gauge didn't show empty | PriusChat for the instructions on how to reset the inclinometer.

    Hope this helps.

    Ron (dorunron)
     
    #8 dorunron, Jul 16, 2012
    usnavystgc and TonyPSchaefer like this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)