Had a curious thing happen. We had the car parked for about 6 weeks between 1/2-1/8 tank of fuel. When we returned to the car and went to fill it up, we were only able to get a few gallons in, and even then it was pump, click pump, click for a long time to get any in at all. The next, and all other tanks have been fine. It sounds like it is a good idea to store your prius with a full tank to prevent this. Any opinions or experiances? Icarus
More than likely it was the pump, not the Prius. I've encountered many pumps that are disagreeable, and not just with the Prius but with any car/boat/gas can.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Nov 6 2007, 08:20 AM) [snapback]535521[/snapback]</div> I dropped two detrol tabs in the tank! Worked great. Seriously, I don't think it was the pump. It was also fairly cold during it's storeage period~30f on average. Icarus
It is always best to store any vehicle with a full tank of gas. It prevents condensation from forming. If stored for very long periods it is also a good idea to use a gasoline stabilizer.
Yes, the bladder will stiffen at those temperatures. It will not shrink. When you fill it with fuel, the fuel will warm it up slowly, as it comes (usually) from an underground tank, at a temp. of around 50F or higher. The bladder shrinks to fit the fuel in the tank. So in your case, it was already small. You had to enlarge it, and it was still stiff from the low temps. It usually takes longer to warm it up than we are willing to wait.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(icarus @ Nov 5 2007, 04:23 PM) [snapback]535073[/snapback]</div> My Prius goes for long times without being driven... a week or two.. and I have had it do exactly what yours has done.. The last time it would not fill up, I drove across the street to another gas station thinking it was strictly the gas pump cut off pressure set too low.. It did it again at the other station also.. I drove it for the next 3 days, and then tried refilling it.. and it was normal... Don't know what the mechanism is that causes the pressure.. Will have to dig into the FSM and see how the tank holding the bladder is vented.. The pressure definitely has to vent there to allow the bladder to expand..
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BuddyL @ Nov 7 2007, 06:13 PM) [snapback]536366[/snapback]</div> Condensation in a partial tank is not an issue with the U.S. version of the Prius. The same bladder that is causing you problems eliminates the free air in the tank where condensation forms. Even without the bladder, modern auto fuel tanks are less prone to condensation than in the old days, since the new tanks are sealed systems. Old fuel tanks, and those on boats, are vented to the atmosphere where air breathes into and out of the tank as the temperature cycles. Each intake brings fresh moisture which can condense which has the potential to condense with falling temperatures. Tom
