Problems pumping gas

Putting the nozzle only partially in will make the problem WORSE.
That little hole on the bottom of the nozzle is designed to sense
backpressure from the fillup completing, and if you've got it jammed
against the rubber collar it can't do its job.
.
_H*

 

I guess I have been lucky but I have not had a problem yet. As Hobbit says, I put the nozzle all the way in that it can go. I then put the heel of my hand on the top of the handle, facing away from the car watching the pump while squeezing enough to get a moderately fast rate, and sort of leaning on the pump handle pressing it downward. When it clicks off I will only go to the next quarter to even out the amount. Why it works for me I do not know - but it does. I DID have a problem with my Corolla clicking off when I went to a full-serve station and they would set it on fast. Happened regularly with that car.

 

update... after this problem occurring repeatedly during the last 2 fillups I got down to 2 pips yesterday. I stopped and filled up this time without a problem. Will continue to monitor and if it occurs again I will take it into the dealer. I agree with a previous post that this is definitely a safety issue.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AOV @ Aug 20 2007, 10:23 AM) [snapback]499104[/snapback]</div>

What exactly is this "Combo Meter Fuel Gauge"? Did they explain it to you?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AOV @ Aug 20 2007, 10:23 AM) [snapback]499104[/snapback]</div>

Please post back after filling up several times (that may take awhile ;o)) to see if the issue is really resolved. My Prius has done this but not consistently. Next time it happens I will try pulling the nozzle a little futher out to see if that helps. I may be wrong but I am assuming that each bar on the fuel guage is about 1 gallon so I generally have a close guess as to how much fuel I need to pump (seeing as how the shut-off doesn't work when nozzle is pulled out too far). Keep posting on this issue.

 

So, how do we fix the problem?

 

Uhm... My dealer actually told me about this. I have also heard from several other people who I know that have Prii that their dealer told them the same. What I was told was that from the fill valve before the fuel bladder their is a baffle or valve that must open for gas to flow into the bladder. If you immediately dump gas into the tank and the baffle hasn't opened yet the pipe backs up and shuts off the pump. What I and others have been told is to pump slowly (about 1/4 quarter depression of the pump handle) for about 10-15 seconds. This forces the baffle to open and then you may begin fueling at full speed. I have done this since I got my Prius a few months ago and have not had any problems. Also jiggling the pump handle might help, my old car used to shut off occasionally and I would just violently jiggle the handle and it then worked fine.

I thought mine was broken at first too when I filled it up and it only cost me $32.00. :blink: But, nope it was full. That's just how Prii are I guess, go figure

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dareniott @ Aug 28 2007, 03:27 AM) [snapback]502789[/snapback]</div>

Yes, I find that a major short coming of the model

 

I read this entire thread and don't see what happened to me. I filled up with about a third of a tank left, at Costco where I've fueled since getting my prius (probably only 6 times). It seemed to click off too soon, I backed off the pump and looked into the hole so I could see when the gas came up so I could quit filling. I kept filling slowly while looking in. The gas never came up the filler even after I thought it must be full, so I pulled out the pump and around 3 seconds later gas shot out of the filler like a geyser, must have been half a gallon shot out. I can't think of anything that could cause that. You would think after taking out the nozzle for a few seconds, and never seeing any fuel in the filler, the system would be at equilibrium. Where could the delayed back-pressure come from? Maybe I have a spastic bladder (Prius bladder that is). Also I'm on that same tank, have gone 390 miles and guess gage is at half. I don't think I'm on a 780 mile tank, so looks like the guess gage is really off this time.

 

This problem went away for me for a while and it's now back again. My last 2 fill-ups have not exactly been fill-ups. I simply cannot get the tank full. I've been to 2 totally different gas stations and at both the pump kicks off when I know the tank is not full. I waited till I had 2 pips left and at the pump was only able to put in about 2.5 gallons each time. In fact once I'm in and start driving I'll notice that I'm 2 pips down. Typically I can drive almost 120 - 150 miles before 1 pip goes out. With 2 pips out I'm down at least 200 miles or more. That's gotta be about 4 gallons shy of full. At the second station I even tried to pull the nozzle out a bit to see if it would let me continue, no chance.

I haven't talked to the dealer but another fill or 2 of this and I'll be annoyed enough to do so.

 

This problem went away for me for a while and it's now back again. My last 2 fill-ups have not exactly been fill-ups. I simply cannot get the tank full. I've been to 2 totally different gas stations and at both the pump kicks off when I know the tank is not full. I waited till I had 2 pips left and at the pump was only able to put in about 2.5 gallons each time. In fact once I'm in and start driving I'll notice that I'm 2 pips down. Typically I can drive almost 120 - 150 miles before 1 pip goes out. With 2 pips out I'm down at least 200 miles or more. That's gotta be about 4 gallons shy of full. At the second station I even tried to pull the nozzle out a bit to see if it would let me continue, no chance.

I haven't talked to the dealer but another fill or 2 of this and I'll be annoyed enough to do so.

 

I have an '07 Prius and have had the same problem once. It was a very hot day and the tank was about 1/2 gone. As I was filling it, the pump kept shutting off before the tank was full. After I was able to dribble in the 5-6 gallons I knew it would take to fill it, I started to remove the filler pipe and the gas gushed out of the tank neck and down the side of the car. When I got home from my trip, I called my dealer and talked to a service tech. His take on the problem was: On my car, there is no fuel "tank", instead it has a flexible bladder much like a fuel tank on a race car. The car relies on the pump pressure to "expand" the bladder and allow the fuel to enter. MOST pumps are set to "kick off" at a back pressure that is far too low to fill the bladder. The pumps are set this way, for safety reasons, due to most gas stations being self-service. To correct this problem and overcome the light shutoff, when filling your "tank" push down on the pump nozzle slightly to create an air gap between the nozzle neck and the filler hole in the tank opening. This will allow the air to escape faster and overcome the kickoff sensor. I do this now and never have had the problem again.

 

yep. i have been driving my '07 prius since FEB of '07 and i have had this problem since then. it is intermittent and is complicated by the bladder. it is possible to fill the tank up too full - but it doesn't start overflowing until after the pumping has stopped. apparently the bladder contracts with the cold gas. (i live in fairbanks, alaska.) i just made an appointment to have it checked out but the service manager insisted that this is not a common problem. i have a bunch of friends here in fairbanks with '07 prius's and i'm gonna ask them about it next. oh yeah! i have had luck with a crazy procedure in which i stop pumping gas, get in the car and turn it on, then turn it off again, then restart the pumping.