One bar flashing fuel light

The definitive thread for GenIII is: [WARNING] Running out of gas (Gen III).

The full story is buried deep in the thread, but the first post has the 'typical' numbers you may be looking for. But beware that your results will likely be different.

 

I would just add my take - when the light starts blinking, I reset a trip, and use its mileage to figure 1.5 gallons. That's when I start to look for a station. I get ~45MPG, so I fill at 70 miles+ (sometimes 90 depending). Net net - you spend around 15% less time going to a gas station...

 

It's an analog sensor that's then converted to a digital display. You might have anywhere from 1/2 gallon to 2 gallons of gas remaining. Some call the Prius "gas" gauge the "guess" gauge.

 

Yesterday, I hit the flashing pip while cruising around 65mph, continued for another 20-30 miles, and fiiled-up (several pump clicks) with 10.5 gal...

 

Do not beleive it !!! You won't have 75miles ....

I did the same "calculation" with my GenII second tank ... stop cold on Cross Island Parkway in Long Island in an early winter slit storm under an overpass could hardly push the car off the road ...

With GenIII car stops real cold no pushing anywhere real dangerous !!!

With the GenIII you will have in a good driving around 25 miles ... I did this a few times when i knew where the gas stations were. At first flash car tells you you have 40 or 50 miles ... then about 10 miles later it says you have 25 miles left then about another 10 miles it shows 5 miles .. no kidding I tried a few times ... NOW when it was 5 I stopped at the next station ... but it was my neighborhood where I know a stations within a mile ....

My average mpg is 51 !!

 

I thought you weren't supposed to go past the first pump click.

 

From everything I've read and experienced (at least 100 tanks) - you never have 1/2 gallon. I always calculate for 1.9, and always get that equivilent rang......

 

Says who ??

Come on that is a technique to try to do reliably equal tanks for MPG calculation .... if you do not care about that noone stops you to really fill up the gas tank ...

Note that different pumps even at the same station will have different sensibilities so could click at a different "full" point ... so people who keep record "try" to use the same place same pump but of course on the long run it will even out ..

People who try to compare mpg(s) on a tank by tank bases tries to do this ...

 

My 2012 mdl II, I drove to about 422 miles the first few timse and filled up, averaged 47.4 mpg. The flashing light comes on around 410 or so. The display said the max I could go was about 427, I kept pushing it. I drove to 521 miles, now the display says I can go 521 miles on a tank. I used 10.8 gal on that fill up. Where before it said about 427. so the system adjusted itself based on my mileage on fill up.

""" People who try to compare mpg(s) on a tank by tank bases tries to do this """

As with my post here, you see me doing that. But at the most you may be off 1-2 pints of fuel on error. and on these cars it makes a difference, 2 pints could get you another 10 miles.

 

Well it's all over this forum and in a lot of stickies, plus I've heard that throughout my life, not just on the Prius.

Anyone else wanna chime in on this one?

 

It was a real issue with GenII which had a bladder that could be damaged by over fill ... but GenIII-s do not have this issue as far as I can tell ... nothing much can happen but wasted gasoline ....

Those clickers are not a 100% things anyway long time ago when the stations had those little catches (whatever thingy) quite often gas spilled all over ... not sure I can not see those anymore in my state. Maybe banned ...

So yes, GenII you can damage the tank inside liner (the bladder) with over filling.

But if somone knows any similar issue on the GenIII please let us know.

 

This is interesting ... Can anyone confirm this ??? I do not want to push this knowing that GEN III simply disable all driving ... (and do not want to carry gasoline in the car either)

I often fill up when the computer shows less then 20 miles left to go but I NEVER put in more the 9.35 gallon (just looked at my record which is 75 fill ups)

Of course maybe my gas pump is just too sensitive or missing more then 1-2 pints to real full !!!!

See above I am not totally sure of that ...

 

So if the capacity is 11.9 gallons and you never put more than 9.35 in, worst case is that you have 2.55 gallons in reserve. At 50 mpg you still have 127.5 miles left in your tank until you are bone dry. You could go from your house to The End (Montauk Point) and still have a few miles left.

The most I have ever filled up was 11.03 gallons, which would still have given me about 45 miles left.

 

I am serious ... I never put in more then 9.35 .. more then 10 times computer was showing 5 miles left to go.... ( I stop on the first click trying to have the same "full" level)

I have been stranded on this type of calculation and my wife was driving and panicking I was saying more then a gallon is in the tank no worries. If she would be with me again on this shenanigan I will be in even bigger trouble ... She tells this story all the time that I did not believe the prius !!! and then run out of gas ...


But as I said I am not comfortable either to carry gasoline in the car nor get stranded out of gas ... but I am thinking next time I just try .... I do have a can in the garage .... just have to make sure my wife is somewhere else...

Cheers

 

I wouldn't dare call this a worst case, as there are several issues at the top and bottom of the tank that could give you less than 11.9 useable gallons.

 

Why are so many people concerned with driving past the blinking light & tempting fate? I usually fill up at 1/4 tank on all my other cars so why go to empty & beyond on the Prius? I never can understand why people drive the car with so little gas & then run out & seeing them walking toward their car with a gas can.

On my Prius I usually fill up at 2 bars left, no fuss...no muss. I figure that it's not a contest to see who can go the farthest on a tank of gas.

 

In other posts I have described past incidents and scenarios involving long distances when / where fuel was either not reasonably available, or available at all, so won't repeat them here. Suffice to say I'd like a more reasonable idea about the car's fuel range than is provided by these extremely inaccurate gauges. If aircraft pilots can know their fuel range to within ten minutes, I don't see why I should tolerate a car having an uncertainty of more than two hours.

Is that 1/4 of the actual tank, or 1/4 on the gauge? There is a vast difference on my other car, such that E on the gauge is actually higher than 1/4 of the real tank.

On this issue, I don't treat my Prius any different than my previous cars, and I wouldn't ask you to treat your Prius different than your other cars.

 

Why? Will the other cars get their feelings hurt?

Seriously though, I've heard it can be much worse running out of gas on a Prius that it can on a regular car (which is also bad).

 

With both 2011 and 2012 Prius's I always have about 2 gallons. I let it go down to flashing one pip every time. I will drive another 30-50 miles after the flashing pip and I only average around 44 mpg.