Today I tried to fill up my tank at a Shell Gas station. This is only my fourth tank. After 4 gallons, the pump stopped as if it were full. I know for sure I needed about 10 gallons. So I proceeded to pump, but the pump kept stopping prematurely like every 1/4 to 1/2 gallon. Is there something that could be wrong with my tank or could this been an overly sensitive pump?
With my '06 Prius (I had an '05 as well), this is a continual problem. It is especially worse in cold weather. I discussed it with my Toyota dealer and they seemed to think that it is a very common problem with Prius. You just have to keep pumping with an educated guess as to when it is full--or else it will overflow which of course is a no-no in more ways than one! I wish there was an easy solution to this problem. Anyone else have a solution? :blink:
I have this problem also. It is much worse at some stations than others, apparently due to the air pollution mechanisms. I find I have to frequently give up after a gallon or two and find another station.
This happened occasionally with my old Grand Prix, but has never happened with the Prius. Turns out the nozzle was not properly seated fully inside the fuel inlet. Once I reseated the nozzle, everything worked fine... except for one particular pump. Turns out it was actually bent slightly from a previous customer and other patrons were having the same problem with it. All that by way of saying there are a variety of causes for this to happen (to any car).
I normally fill up at the same station and even use the same pump. I've found that if you pump slowly it works better. I also push down on the handle slightly. Now that the bladder has expanded (due to age and weather) there isn't as much of a problem.
Happens to me, too. And, as others stated, mostly in cold weather. No amount of nozzle positioning makes it any better so I just stop pumpimg and wait for the next time I need gas! Maybe our Prius' KNOW something about the gas going in to the tank and it's trying to protect itself!!??
Same problem here just yesterday. I've only filled it up 9 times and had the problem twice at different stations. I hung in there with it yesterday, pumping slowly and tilting the nozzle up and down until it filled up. I figured I needed 8 gallons, it seemed to stop at 5, slow to 6 then picked up speed until it was full. I agree with the comment above that is might be the pollution control on the nozzle.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Karnac @ Jul 12 2006, 07:22 PM) [snapback]285278[/snapback]</div> I was somewhat concerned about this before I got my 06. It turns out I just put the nozzle in lock it on the highest flow and it fills the tank, usually between 9.5 and 10.5 gallons. I've had 13 fillups from 8 different stations and never an issue. Wonder what the difference is.
I've had this problem with both my 05 and 06. In 90 degree summer weather, if I pump at full speed, I'm lucky to get 6 gallons in the tank. In the winter at 0 degrees, I'm lucky if I can fill 5 gallons. Try pumping at medium or slow speed from the start. This works much better for me and almost fills the tank (occasionally I can fill around 10 gallons).
Doesn't anyone use the search function? There are several previous posts on this subject. This is from one of them. "I believe this is different than the cold bladder problem that may reduce the volume of a complete fill up. There are two suggestions that I recall. One was to lift the hose to be sure the vapor recovery portion did not contain overfill from the previous user. Supposedly, lifting the hose drains any residual gas that might cause early shut off. The second was to turn the nozzle over while filling. I have had this problem occur exactly twice in about 18 months. The first time I was clueless and just spent 10-15 minutes to short pump 6 gallons in an empty tank. The second time, I did both of the above and was able to fill the tank without further problem (except struggling to keep the nozzle inverted). I haven't had the problem for quite some time so maybe bladder seal in the fill tube loosens over time, reducing the problem."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jburns @ Jul 12 2006, 09:18 PM) [snapback]285366[/snapback]</div> The difference is you are very lucky!!!!
This used to happen to me all the time on my Mazda6 (all gas stations). I just started putting the nozzle 2/3 of the way in instead of the whole way and it never happened again. I'm only 4 tanks into the Prius though (~2000 miles) and it hasn't happened on it. I do still only put the nozzle 2/3 of the way in, although with the Prius it's because the nozzle is too hard to get out when fully inserted (it keeps getting stuck).
I had this problem the first two times I filled up, but never since. As someone else mentioned, the secret is to pump relatively slowly (don't pull the handle up too far) - it doesn't take much to pump it, and it only takes like 15-20 seconds longer (shorter if you count the many stops and starts required to pump it faster).
