Long drive...

None of my manual transmission cars (I haven't had a regular automatic in thirty years, spouse never has) would change engine speed under cruise control, unless I intentionally downshifted.

Old style automatics would change engine speed when slip rates changed, but the newer lockup-types might not.

 

I drove from TX to WA over 5 days. Did several hundred miles a day in a loaded Prius. No issues. Ran the engine almost the entire time and no issues.

 

True - but how far can you travel without having to change speed - traffic, towns etc?

 

You certainly wouldn't expect to see problems in one trip. Although it was unstated I assumed that the discussion is about long term wear, which in the case of Prius is measured in hundreds of thousands of miles.

How do you know it doesn't have feelings
Some people expect to possibly keep their Prius 100,000 miles or even much longer (my Gen 2 has 135,000 miles and just had its first "major" repair, a new water pump). Other people keep cars for maybe five years or so then move on. Each philosophy is perfectly fine, it's an individual choice. Of course the former type of owner will be more interested in these type of discussions than the latter.

 

On I-5 or I-90? Hundreds of miles, longer than my bladder can hold out, when we get the timing right to avoid rush hour traffic jams through Tacoma, Portland, or Spokane. No traffic lights or stop signs, just a significant but very brief slowdown for a tight curve in southern Oregon at the base of the Siskiyou mountains.

But I tend to stay closer to legal truck speed. If wanting to drive 75-80 mph, then no dice. One may even have to come to a full stop to give an autograph.

You post from a different hemisphere, so you might not be familiar with our Interstate Highway System. No slowdowns for small and medium towns (they are bypassed), just minor slowdowns to legal truck speed for the few largest places.

 

Nope - our interstates aren't like that - and, they're littered with RADAR Police $$$ collector$ - big fine$ for even a few km/hr over the limit.

 

At half a tank, I think it's probably one of those accidental clicks when the nozzle doesn't get a complete seal. It just happens sometimes.

That's why I don't blame the attendant. I blame Oregon.

 

I agree, in eleven years of driving my Gen 2 I have never had it stop halfway. And I know this because I always continue after the first click

Before I am accused of being a tank overflowing scofflaw let me explain. I use the autofill feature on the pump nozzle, i.e. the little lever that you can move to hold the trigger for you (not all states allow this feature). Normally I clean the windows while it is filling, if not I stand several feet away while it is filling as I don't think its good to breath the fumes (the nozzle seals in Georgia are a joke, they don't seal at all). After the autofill clicks off, I give it two more clicks. That only adds a tiny bit more, I am mainly doing it just to make sure that the autofill didn't click of prematurely.

One time I did find with some careful experimenting that after the first click, I can get another quarter gallon or so in the tank by clicking about 15 more times. Obviously that would be extremely tedious, not to mention dangerous to do that every time, but I think it confirms that I am safe using my three-click method. However when going past the first click you need to make sure that you pull the trigger all the way, if you only pull the trigger slightly, the fuel will pump at a much slower rate and can cause that it doesn't trigger the shutoff.

 

Perhaps nozzle technology changed but in the past I dutifully read the caution label at gas stations and abided to not adding more gas after the first click. I rarely had issues. With both my Gen 2 & 3, I've more often than not added another half gallon or more to the tank after the first click. I really feel the gas nozzles are more sensitive now. Either that or blame the Prius, certainly not going to blame the user.

Despite doing the above, I often drive away with 9 pips or the 10th goes away in a couple miles. Blame the bladder in my Gen 2 if you like but my PiP doesn't have one and it occurs more often in that.

 

I've only done that a few times when I KNEW that it had only put in, say ½ tank, when I knew it should have put in another 10 litres - almost always I stop at the first click. And almost always it shows close to full on the gauge.

Unlike the early days of charcoal canisters which would vent to the atmosphere if overfilled, I believe today's canisters don't - which is why they warn of filling past the first click. The last thing you want is to force liquid petrol into the canister by overfilling - it's designed to absorb vapours when the fuel heats/cools etc.

 

Am I the only person here who looks at the car's fuel gauge, the aftermarket ODBII engine monitor's fuel gauge (ScanGauge-II for me), maybe the trip odometer too, and predicts how much fuel the car will take for refueling?

I sometimes (not regularly) experience half fills from premature shutoffs. This isn't solely a problem of poor vapor recovery seals, as it also happens at deeply rural stations that lack such systems entirely.

My predictions are only rarely off by a whole gallon. Larger premature shutoffs are very easily detected instantly, allowing prompt correction before returning to the cockpit. Smaller premature shutoffs that might slip by are of essentially no consequence.

 

I don’t know if it’s different in the UK but I typically go to three clicks to make sure it’s full.

The hire car company that we use at work asks for it to be filled to three clicks before handing that car back to prevent a fuel surcharge.


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That's certainly the best way to do it. My Gen 2 with the infamous bladder, that method doesn't work as well. The Gen 2 fuel gauge seems to be accurate for fuel remaining, which of course is the important thing. However the bladder prevents a good prediction of how much fuel can be added before shutoff, it seems to vary by about a gallon. Lucky for Gen 3 and above owners that Toyota did not continue the bladder idea.

 

Stop every 2-3 hours, walk around and stretch. You don't want to get a blood clot from sitting too long. I usually fill up on a long road trip around the half way mark because you never know where the next station will be.

 

My goodness resting the engine? This is a car it can run for days and days - lets just say humans need a break long long before the car will.

Don't overthink it. Its a car.

 

Nothing wrong with overthinking. It's underthinking that gets us in trouble. It was a valid question because the OP didn't know. Now he knows, having received several replies with explanations.

Yes a car, not a toaster. More complex than most people realize. With varying opinions on many subjects even by experts. Just think oil change interval, tire pressure, or even "parking brake"

 

Yes a car, not a toaster. More complex than most people realize. With varying opinions on many subjects even by experts. Just think oil change interval, tire pressure, or even "parking brake" [/QUOTE]

For me oil changes are done as per UK service manual (10k for Prime) and I never check it in between, tire pressure are whatever they are when the car comes and they don’t get checked unless the sensor goes off and never set the parking brake!


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So, not a 'perfect' role model then?

 

See here,
Road Trip | PriusChat

No issues.

 

For me oil changes are done as per UK service manual (10k for Prime) and I never check it in between, tire pressure are whatever they are when the car comes and they don’t get checked unless the sensor goes off and never set the parking brake!


iPhone ?[/QUOTE]
That's right, you bought a Prime! Please update your profile. It still says Other non-Hybrid.