OK folks, I have spent a half an hour in the archives and cant get any solid info so here goes: I have had my 07 for 20 months and have driven 47000 miles. This past week I started having difficulties getting fuel in the vehicle. The tank was on empty and I went to a station to fill up. The pump clicked off about .20 into the fill up as though it was full. I played this clicking off every .20 game for about 4.00 (which is less than a gallon here). I got mad figuring it was a pump problem and left the station. I have since been to 4 different stations and not been able to do any better. I am spending 15 minutes getting 4 gallons. I should add that my father and grandfather owned gas stations, so I am verry versed in working a nozzle(if you know what I mean). It is not technique, it is not the pump, it is not the temperature. It is the car. If you have a good idea what my vehicles problem is, or what the fix is, pleeaassee help. Thank you.
this is just a guess. when you insert the nozzle is it wicked tight? when you start pumping gas air has no way to escape, pressure builds up, and shuts off the pump. would it be that you simply need to make sure the hole where air is allowed to escape is free from obstruction? i do not know much about gas tank systems, but i did notice the nozzle fits in tight on my 08. air has to be able to escape somewhere while you are filling it up. that is my two cents. it is plugged somehow in the air hole.
No, its not tight. Air can definitely escape. Its as if there is an obstruction not allowing the fuel to get into the tank. It is as though the fuel starts to come back up so the pump clicks off. The fuel isnt spitting back out though. I'm going to take it into the dealer tomorrow morning. The warranty book says this is covered 80 months or 80000 miles. I was hoping to solve it without dealing with drop off and pick up. Thanks for the thought.
I've had this happen, especially when I had a Corolla. A station manager told me it had something to do with putting the nozzle in too far...as best as I can recall he said that there's some kind of screen that is supposed to keep the nozzle from going in too far in all cars and for some reason I was able to get the nozzle past the screen. Once I pulled back the nozzle slightly, the pump worked fine. I just remembered from that point on to not stick the nozzle in as far as it could actually go and I have not had a problem since. (I certainly may have misstated what the cause of this was, but I do remember that pulling the nozzle back a bit solved the problem.)
Here's a diagram and description of how refueling is supposed to work: I posted this before in a discussion on why you should turn off your Prius when filling your tank. You might have a faulty Fuel Cutoff Valve.
First, I assume your turned off the Prius before refueling. As Bill points out, there is a lot of valving that switches into the correct mode for refueling when powered down. There is an anti-siphon screen in the fuel filler pipe. It's possible, but not likely, that it has become plugged. Most likely you are going to need to see the dealer and have them look for logged codes. There may be a problem with the fuel system. Tom
Y'know ... I've always left the car powered up over fueling events, and have never had this problem, winter or summer. I really don't think that matters. Vapor recovery is supposed to be handled by the charcoal canister and unless you're in an active purge cycle, i.e. runnin' down the road with the engine on, the fuel system is ready to accept more either way. . _H*
I often have this clicking game problem as well. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not. I usually just fight with the nozzle and pull VERY lightly so that it doesn't click off. Therefore it takes 10 minutes to get a few gallons. So I usually don't fill up, just wait til the next time I get below 3 pips. I never figured it was a big issue that needed to be taken to the dealer. I usally only fill up 1-2 times per month, so if it does it next time I do, I'll question the dealer.
fathale - i feel for you. knock on wood, i havent had these problems. sometimes the nozzle and pump clicks off before it's really full, but when i wait a bit and SLOWLY pump again, it's usually all good on my 2nd attempt. with all this help here, please keep us posted on what fixed your situation. i and i'm sure a lot of people here would like to know what happens. goodluck!
I have had the same problem - twice in a year. It happened the 1st time I refueled the car after buying it. I called the dealer and they said that it has been reported by some people and they think it is the sensitivity of the pump. They recoomend a different pump/station. I pretty much use the same station all the time and have not had this happen again until last week. After taking the nozzle out and reinserting it MANY times...it finally worked fine. No idea why??
If you stick the nozzle in too far, past the anti-syphon screen, the pump will click off. I had this problem constantly with a Corolla at one particular station and the station manager told me what was happening. Once I pulled the pump back slightly the problem was solved and I knew from that point to just not stick the pump in as far as it could go. I've never had the problem again after the station manager clued me in.
