I think I've read every thread on here and reddit about this. I see posts going back to 2008 on newer Priuses having the issue already. I haven't seen any solutions at all. I am only getting about 150 miles until my gauge shows empty. This is after pumping 1.5 gallons in slowly after the pump stops. So if I stopped when the pump stopped, I'd only get 90 gallons to a tank before the low fuel warning starts beeping. Right now I'm seeing how far I can get while carrying some spare fuel. I know the bladder shrinks but it can't be only 4 gallons could it? Resetting the inclometer did nothing. I'm thinking of trying it on an incline or a decline to try to trick it into being more accurate. What else is there to do? Replace the whole tank?
the only resolution i have seen is replacing the tank/bladder. have you tried all the tricks to pump more in?
Yes, trying to get 2 more gallons causes it to shoot back out. So now I add 1.5 gallons after the pump stops.
Why not just fill it until the pump stops and then drive it until it runs out of gas? If you're carrying 4 gals with you already then this should be a relatively easy way to find out what's going on. There's only two options right? Either fuel level indication is failing or the bladder has some serious issues. I vote for indication issue.
I would doubt that the bladder is that "stiff'. I might think that something is wrong with the evaporative emissions system. If air can't vent out of the tank around the bladder, then you can't get fuel into the tank. You would need to look in the service manua (section EC- emissions control)l for details on the evap system, how it works, and how to diagnose it.
If you drive my Prius until the tank is empty and are on a highway unable to immediately stop, won’t you deplete the HV battery completely and cause problems?
it will shut off before battery damage, but i would avoid a busy highway after known gas is gone until it runs out. i wouldn't just ignore the possibility and go about as if you know how much gas you have. and always stay in the right lane on any road.
On other vehicles I’ve ruined the fuel pump running the tank very low more than once as it requires the fuel to keep the pump cool. I wonder if this is similar in a Prius.
long term maybe, idk, but many here have run out of gas intentionally or unintentionally with no ill effects. i did it in my '08, and my neighbor is still driving it around 200k with nothing but regular maintenance. kinda wish i hadn't sold it.
Best method I've found for dealing with getting a rubber bladder to stretch out back to normal size is a really long drive with multiple full tanks in 100+ degree weather. The heat combined with all the bouncing around works great. But your situation sounds pretty extreme and replacing the whole gas tank assembly with a used one from a wrecker may be the best way to go. Probably a fairly easy swap if you or an honest mechanic who doesn't rip people off does it. Of course swapping out the combination meter, or at least confirming it's operating normally is wise to do first.
Yeah I'm going to see how far I can get. Previous owner confirmed that it does this and he goes by the odometer.
Well I'm at about 400 miles now so far on the same tank of gas. So it's just the gauge that's giving a bad reading. Are there any fixes for just the gauge?
If the gauge consistently reads full after getting gas but drops very quickly to empty, then it is likely that the sending unit in the tank is worn. You can confirm by pulling the rear seat base and testing the resistance of the sender at the tank connector (with the car harness unplugged). Details are in the service manual. When the gauge reads "flashing" empty, I expect that you'll find the sender to be much higher than the spec in the manual (probably open circuit). If so then the only repair for a US spec Gen2 is to replace the fuel tank assembly. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Thanks, I'll look into it. When I fill up, the gauge shows 90%. After 80-100 miles it drops to 80% then drops real fast after that to 0%. It reaches 0 after about 150 miles.
