Bladderectomy

I ran out of gas twice when I first got the car. The first time I had gone only 420 miles and was getting 45mpg so when the light flashed I "knew" that I could go at least 500 miles or so so it was no big deal.. That is till I ran out of gas.

Next time my wife was driving and the light started flashing, she was only about 15 miles away, I told her just come home it's no big deal. When she only had about 1 my left the car ran out of gas.

The car ran out of gas 14 miles after the low fuel pip blink. That is just wrong. That's why now I always fill it up at a min of 2 pips.

 

z

 

I have no problems putting in 40+ liters(11+ gal) every time I fill up. When it clicks, i just pull the nozzle out enough so i can see the last gallon or two of gas go in. It's easy to tell when it's full since the fuel stops draining as quick into the tank.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Presto @ Sep 15 2006, 07:17 PM) [snapback]320347[/snapback]</div>

Does yours have a bladder?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tomdeimos @ Sep 9 2006, 06:25 PM) [snapback]317193[/snapback]</div>

I came close to having gas on my shoes today of the bladder burp. I did notice the gas flow was fairly strong. Any way to avoid the bladder burp from happening again? Shoud I stop halfway, let it burp and then continue to fill the tank?

 

NOT A GOOD IDEA. The bladder tank, in addition to being part of the anti-pollution control system, is also a key safety item. Because the bladder collapses as fuel is removed, there is no volume of air/gas mixture inside the tank, eliminating a potential explosion hazard in the event of a crash. Race cars use bladder tanks for this reason.

In boatbuilding, the axiom is: don't second guess designers who have lots more experience and knowledge than you do. Same thing here. The Prius is perhaps the most finely engineered car on the road and the bladder was put there for reasons you might not either know or appreciate, but it's likely that trying to replace the bladder with a solid tank will cause problems.

B

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bulldog @ Sep 8 2006, 09:23 PM) [snapback]316844[/snapback]</div>

My experience too. I have an 06 (Jan), and just fill it on fast fill, stop when the pump shuts off. All pips lighted, 8 or so gals, and I'm off for another (nearly) 400 miles. I don't get what everybody is whining about.

 

Please don't remove the bladder from your fuel tank. I think it would be better for everyone and everything involved, including yourself, if you just sold the car!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Jan 8 2007, 01:05 PM) [snapback]372667[/snapback]</div>

Noooo.... Don't sell the car.... that will just further hurt the resale value of the car... And then Intellichoice will say it is a C--py deal!... and then no one will buy the car... and then the whole planet will get toasty....

!!!!!!!!

Just carry a 2 gallon gas can in the trunk... that will solve all of your problems.

 

Why not base the gas gauge on weight and figure 6 pounds per gallon?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bob Allen @ Jan 8 2007, 01:55 PM) [snapback]372523[/snapback]</div>

You know the Prius's sold in Europe include no bladder, and somehow they haven't all exploded when crash tested. I think you overestimate the 'safety' provided by the bladder and underestimate the annoyance.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ Jan 22 2007, 11:23 PM) [snapback]379383[/snapback]</div>

Absolutely true.

My take? The bladder amounts to unnecessary and often annoying engineering.
The reason why I have not fallen victim to the changing volumetric capacity of the bladder is because there are no shortage of complaints and I dully learnt from other folks experience. So I always fill-up when it reaches the third bar.
I just wish this issue, along with the primitive "maintenance minder" get improved on soon.

Environmental: If you take the two cleanest vehicles in North American roads, the Prius and the Civic Hybrid, you'll notice NO SIGNIFICANT difference between the ratings the two get. YET, the "crappier" and often ridiculed Civic does not have a fuel bladder!

My conclusion: The environmental benefits are not significant.

Safety: Again comparing the Prius to the "crappy" Civic Hybrid is quite revealing particularly when reviewing the safety focused engineering and the ratings Safety Agencies attribute to each car. Actually, comparing the two leads to some hilarious conclusions which I will purposely not reference.

My conclusion: The safety benefits are not significant.




Cheers;

MSantos

 

After touring toyota and seeing the bladders for the cars they have here, GOOD LUCK! I most certainly wouldn't want to try to do something like that.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MSantos @ Jan 24 2007, 03:14 PM) [snapback]380188[/snapback]</div>

Spot on.

The problem I have with the volumetric capacity of the bladder is directly related to my geographic location. More specifically, we don't have self service gasoline. So I don't get a chance to 'squeeze' any extra gas into the Prius, and I sure as hell am not going to make an attendant do it.

Additionally, because I can't do the 'squeeze', my tank capacity shrinks dramatically in the winter. If I fill with one bar in the winter, I can usually get in around 9 gallons of gas. In the winter, a little over 7. 2 gallons of gas doesn't seem like much, but it's annoying as hell when you have a moderately long commute.

I had a gas station attendant ask me about the mileage the other day.. the convo went like this:

Att: "What kinda mileage do you get on that thing"
Me: "I do a lot of highway travel, but I still get in the low 40s on average"
Att: "Guess you don't fill up very often"
Me: "Well, you'd think that. But the car has this moronic bladder system which shrinks the capacity of the gas tank when it gets cold out. So I'll see you in 3 days"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(John in LB @ Jan 22 2007, 08:00 AM) [snapback]378932[/snapback]</div>

[/b]

A no-no on Tpk and Interstates in NJ!!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(John in LB @ Jan 22 2007, 08:00 AM) [snapback]378932[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(genalex @ Jan 25 2007, 02:24 AM) [snapback]380508[/snapback]</div>

I think the comment was tongue-in-cheek, but in case not, it's a no-no from a safety standpoint anywhere.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimboK @ Jan 25 2007, 04:53 AM) [snapback]380534[/snapback]</div>

It was ABSOLUTELY a joke - please don't put a gas can in your car...

John.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(John in LB @ Jan 26 2007, 07:47 AM) [snapback]381025[/snapback]</div>

I knew you were kidding. But, for history buffs, the NJTpk was posted with no gas can signs during the "73 gas embargo. People could never be sure they could find enough gas to get home from a trip.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hdrygas @ Sep 11 2006, 09:40 PM) [snapback]318095[/snapback]</div>

It's a problem if I can't put in enough gas to get the tank from 1 pip to 2 pips. Not everyone is trying to push the limits and get 11.9 gallons in. Some days I'd be happy if I can get five gallons in the stupid thing.

 

Click click click click click
REVERSE story: The new pumps at the Irvine CA Costco can run at such a low level (I'm guessing that's the reason) of output that you can fill until the car VOMITS gas like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. Do I have to count the half gallon on the asphalt toward my life time average?