Prius Fuel Over Fill / Over FLOW!

They say overfilling can mess with the fuel system.. I imagine once won't be an issue. I'd be more worried about getting that gas off the paint. I freak out if a drop or 2 hit the car as I take the nozzle out. But I've had a car that had a very cheap paint job and have always been kinda protective of the paint.

 

I would worry a whole lot. Just wash it off with water or windshied fluid at the station. When you get home wash and Wax the car. My prius belches out gas every time I fill it up. I also offer to clean my mess up at the station with kitty litter. Jim

 

CEL?

 

I should've figured that one out. My excuse is that it's the end of the work day, my brain is fried, and I'm ready to go home!

 

well blue, i can't guarantee that it won't. but i wouldn't worry too much.

i just read over a copy of the hybrid training manual that hubby borrowed from his prius tech friend. it may throw a dtc at you from the evap system but i think the likelihood is low. people overfill all the time. it happens and i'm sure the car will cope with it...

 

The only problem I've had with an overfull gas tank in the Prius was fear (that I would either spill too much gas and cause a fire, or damage the paint), and then travel 652 miles on the tank.

The bladder in the Prius can cause quite a spectical when you overfill... I thought that I had topped off when a few seconds later, fuel started bubbling out of the fuel fill hole... Not cool.

 

The problem with mine is that I have to pump extremely slow and I cant tell when its full until the mess happens. I agree that there is a chance of a fire hazard. Jim

 

I found when you go real slow at the end, if you listen careful you can hear a little gurgling before it overflows, so I stop when I hear the gurlgling.

 

Thanks for the hint but I am almost deaf from years of noise toys Jim

 

Evaporative emissions will flag a CEL if it can't hold a vacuume, such as not having the gas cap on tight. When you start the car and ICE kicks in, it puts a vacuume onto the fuel system to clear the charcoal canister. Then it closes the valve and checks if the vacuume stays. If not, then you have a potemntial vapor leak, which would cause it to lose the emissions rating.

 

There is no need to fill the tank all the way to the top!!! All you are doing is wasting the resource that you aim to conserve by driving a prius. And for what? So you can say I got 600 miles on my last tank??

Just like any car fill until the nozzle clicks off and be done with it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dupreesdiamond\";p=\"96395)</div>

Whoa, chill out. It was an accident. It was not planned. Besides, even if there was a few teaspoons that were wasted, the Prius still make up for that compared to some old POS vehicle.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dupreesdiamond\";p=\"96395)</div>

And that's only if the pump you are using has been calibrated... Most of the time when the first click happens on my Prius, I can still put 3 or more gallons of fuel into to tank.

 

I have read many people talking about their car "belching" and/or overflowing. Thankfully, I have not had this problem. I just let it go until it shuts off on its own & I don't try to top off. Is it possible that the fuel nozzles in California prevent whatever causes the belching?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Desdemona\";p=\"96416)</div>

Yes and no. They work the same way all pumps work... however, they are calibrated better than any pumps in the nation... Only because the MBUAPCD (Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District) worked really hard to get the vaporization capture mechanism working.

 

I'm in California and haven't had problems with belching, but do have problems with the pump clicking off constantly. I can't get the gas to go in and have to add a few tenths at a time...really annoying.

I guess I need to try a different gas station. Have tried different pumps at my usual station and they all do the same. I have to estimate how much to put in by the mfd #, because can't tell when the tank is full because the pump constantly clicks off. I'm worried I'm going to overfill, but have done OK with the estimating, althought I tend to underfill slightly (I only get about 70miles on the first pip, which is kind of low from what I've been reading here).

I have tried going very slowly, this helps some, but it means I have to hold the nozzle the whole time I'm pumping. The slow "auto" position on the pump handle doesn't work. It is really a pain! Takes way too long to fill the tank with the constant click off. I have tried repositioning the nozzle, but that doesn't work either. Any ideas before I give up on my favorite station? (By the way, this station doesnt have the rubber seals on the pump nozzles, like most California stations. It just has the plain nozzle, which I would think would make it easier, but apparently not.)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jdfoster\";p=\"96134)</div>

hmmm... maybe a change in your technique is in order here.

if overflowed excessively, its possible that it can get the vapor cannister that is located in the overflow tube wet. that may cause problems

then again you could live in a state where the pumps are rarely if ever calibrated. most pumps in my area were last calibrated in 2000.