'07 Trouble Filling Up at Gas Station

yes, it gets flaky in the cold. pump as slowly as possible and try different stations and pumps. and each car is different as well, some have more trouble than others for whatever reason. there are other threads if you need more help, all the best!

 

when i fill up, i usually pull back the part that goes over the neck of the gas tank - this allows more air or fumes to come out - you do have to be careful as gas can come out

 

Try letting the system vent before filling. Loosen cap 1/2 to 3/4 turn, then go inside and prepay or take the time to check the oil under the hood. Let the system vent for at least one minute, preferably longer. Then fill with the slowest speed on the handle. If that doesn't help, try a different pump. Remember the guess gage won't register LESS than three gallons of fuel added. Also try to fill up BEFORE you get down to the last pip. By then the bladder is almost collapsed. Being that it is cold, the bladder is stiff and unfolds slowly if it is collapsed. Be patient, don't wait until the last pip flashes, and remember to vent. That should help you. It made a big difference on my end when I started venting and filling slowly. No problems since then summer and winter.

 

It won't matter if you take the cap off or just loosen it, the point is to vent it.

Use the first notch on the auto fill on the handle. That is the slowest setting. Don't try to fill wide open, that causes problems.

It is normal for the gas cap to click once when you tighten, and then NOT click when you loosen it. It simply unscrews like you said.

 

I have had my 08 for a couple years in the frozen tundra of Minnesota . When the temperature gets to around 0 degrees Fahrenheit it is hit or miss as to whether I am able to get more than a few gallons of gas into it when my fuel level it's down to two or three pips. I have actually been able to only get a gallon or so into the tank, fiddle and finagle by slow pumping until it clicks off pretty quckly, get sick of this and drive a mile to another station. Here the car would fill up to what is my normal cold temperature capacity. I can go back to the same "problem" pump the next 0 degree morning (we have WAY too many of those here) and it will again get me to my cold temperature capacity with none of the problems that I had before. Thank goodness I can go 45 miles on a gallon of gas.

 

I too have had this difficulty. Have tried venting it, running the gas in slowly, etc. Sometimes turning the handle of the nozzle to change the angle the hose is at has made a difference.

 

I have read in this forum that the filling cycle actually assists in re-inflating the bladder somewhat. If you take a look at the filling port, notice there is a seal where the nozzle is inserted and no ready escape path for vapors. There is a small orifice directly above the nozzle port which might serve this function, although venting to the atmosphere is probably restricted. There have also been reports in this forum of explosive venting of fuel upon withdrawal of the nozzle which tells me the bladder is probably becoming over expanded. Just my thoughts on the subject.

 

The same thing has happened to me. Though it may depend on the gas station, I also think there might be an issue with my car. Sometimes I cannot even fill it with gas without the auto shut-off clicking off right away.

 

I started having problems with incomplete fill when low-vapor nozzles were implemented in California stations several years ago. Did a little research and concluded that the problem was caused by pressure buildup in the tank during the fill process. The solution for me was to fill up with the pump nozzle fully inserted, but with the nozzle seal (rubber) pulled back slightly from the tank filler opening. Using this method, I haven't had any more problems.​

 

There are about a million posts about the Gen 2's gas bladder and how it can be affected by environmental changes as well as sometimes just age.

You might get all the feedback you need here. BUT I'd suggest doing a search. There seems to be a lot of advice and applied ritual to filling the bladder when it starts to exhibit "flaky" behavior.

Having a Gen 3, I can't really attest to which ritual or application might be best for you.

 

My '07 and my '13 both did/do this. I solved it by holding the pump upside down, with the handle above the filler neck... Now, it never clicks off early. I have no idea why, but it works!

 

Your 13 should NOT have a gas bladder.

So odd that it would demonstrate the same behavior.

The general consensus is that The Gas Bladder in the Gen 2, can start to have issues related to age, and/or environmental conditions that cause it to hold less, or become less elastic.

The Gen 3 does NOT have a gas bladder. So I'd suspect something wrong with the pump you were using if the pump was turning off prematurely with BOTH a gen2 and gen3 Prius.

 

I know. I don't know what the deal is, but every station I go to clicks after a few gallons, so I just started flipping the pump like I did with the Gen II and I never have a problem... Weird, right!

 

some pumps are just weird. I once had to pay rental car company gas prices because I couldn't fill up my rental car at the only station within reasonable distance of the airport. It just wouldn't pump any gas, I think I ended up getting 50 cents in the car. It doesn't really surprise me to have to turn the nozzle to keep the pump from turning off.