Ever run out of gas in your Prius ?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(janetjanetbobanet @ Jun 1 2006, 04:22 AM) [snapback]263930[/snapback]</div>

running out of gas should not mess up your fuel gauge. don't offer them an excuse to not take care of the problem under warranty.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(goodsam @ May 31 2006, 08:24 PM) [snapback]263823[/snapback]</div>

Most cars don't have a fuel bladder, which may prevent you from filling up completely. Some people have gotten several miles with the flashing pip, others don't.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Karnac @ May 31 2006, 09:08 AM) [snapback]263417[/snapback]</div>

My story is quite similar to yours: I was a new owner, the last pip had started blinking, but I couldn't stop to get gas at the time. So I continued to drive the car for about 60 miles. Right before I ran out of gas, I tried to get gas at a local station, but it was too crowded and I didn't want to wait for a pump (I was in a hurry trying to get to work). I figured I had enough gas to make it to the next gas station. Which was on the other side of a hill. You can guess what happened next: about a third of the way up, the gas ran out. I was able to make it about half a mile up the hill before the system basically told me "Dude, no battery power for YOU! Go get us some gas." A quick call to AAA, 30 or so minutes of waiting, 2 gallons of gas, and I was back on my way... Straight to the gas station to finish filling up. Needless to say, I was late to work that day.

It was embarrassing, but a valuable lesson learned. I now tend to fill up within 20 or 30 miles of when the last pip starts blinking. I find that at that point the gas tank will take between 9.75 and 10 gallons. In theory, I have another gallon or two of gas available to me, but I don't want to push my luck that much again...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ May 31 2006, 11:23 AM) [snapback]263495[/snapback]</div>

When I ran out of gas in my Prius, and was forced to run on the battery only, the car did a pretty good job of protecting the battery pack. It gradually reduced the speed I could travel at as the bars on the battery meter continued to drop. By the time it got to 1 violet (or pink or red, depending upon your color view) bar on the battery meter, the car had come to a complete stop and refused to go any further. Never did the battery meter fall below 1 bar. Now, this is only 1 data point, but from my perspective it did everything it could to protect the battery pack from discharging below the 40% mark.

I know that the car will operate fine when the battery meter is only showing 2 bars, as I've hit that circumstances multiple times, usually while going up a long and steep hill, but ocassionally when in stop-n-go traffic. The only difference between having two bars versus one bar in those circumstances, other than the missing bar, is that the gas engine is usually still working normally when 2 bars are showing.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(devprius @ Jun 1 2006, 01:42 PM) [snapback]264110[/snapback]</div>

From the posted stories, this sounds like the most pragmatic advice, i.e., only count on having another 20 miles to find a gas station when the last pip starts blinking. Blowing it off, ignoring it completely, or counting on being able to drive more than 20 miles to get more gas is done at one's own peril.

Frankly, this sounds about the way any car's fuel system used to be designed to operate. It seemed like even in old cars that didn't have a warning light, once the needle got solidly into the 'E', there was still around a gallon left in the tank, which should get you maybe another 15-20 miles, depending on how much of gas-guzzler your vehicle was. I read somewhere once that gas tanks were specifically designed in this manner. The problem is with the tightness of space in modern cars, gas tanks can take some very odd shapes, negating what used to be conventional wisdom on how much distance could still be traveled once the gauge read 'empty'.

I was recently up to 455 miles before I was able to refuel (the last pip hadn't been blinking that long) and, from the sound of it, might have had another 15 miles to go before I actually ran out. As it was, the gas tank took 10.6 gallons so I 'might' have had another 1.3 gallons left, but with the elastic, weather-dependent properties of the fuel bladder, who wants to take the chance?

 

yes, the car stalled, was sooo close to the gas station, like few hundred feet away, but it was a hill, so didnt reach it...
bought portable gas tank thingy, fill the car up with like 3 gallon of fuel, waited like 4-5 hours, finally the car started up again
60miles after the blinker blinked

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mini2prius @ May 31 2006, 01:57 PM) [snapback]263634[/snapback]</div>

well, first... 11.howmany gallons? you're forgetting the filler neck: http://www.plusaf.com/prius/prius.xls -- column D...
for actual numbers from my prius and me.

and i ran it out of gas once, driving cross-country with a trailer. i over-estimated the miles-to-refill after the last pip came on [and hey, mine beeps at ME when it gets low on gas... is my '04 unique???]

http://www.plusaf.com/coast/coast2.htm#outofgas

is the story...

happy motoring, and i suggest filling up when the SECOND to last pip goes out....

 

We ran-out just the other day. Driving on the highway the car was on one pip for about 10 miles when the gong sounded and it began to flash. Two miles later the engine coughed and the dashboard lit-up. We were able to restart the engine and drive another 1.5 miles before it quit again. We made it to an exit and gas station with just 2 battery bars remaining! BTW, the car will go 52mph on battery in that situation.

You have to love the Prius gas gauge: 150 miles and it still reads full, but you pay for it at the other end of the range.

 

Maybe I'm missing something because I drive a gas powered SUV, but when my fuel gauge gets between the 1/4 and E, I fill it up. Whats so hard about that? :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Expedition @ Jun 2 2006, 07:02 PM) [snapback]264975[/snapback]</div>

Spoken like a true Ford Expedition-driving prick

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(beeri @ Jun 2 2006, 10:05 PM) [snapback]264977[/snapback]</div>

Seriously though, regardless of what car you drive I don't see how anyone runs out of gas. When it gets low, fill it up! It's not rocket science!

 

I am new prius owner ..3000 miles already on my 06 B Red. Well the miles can be accounted to my 1600 mile roadtrip.....it took me 3 tanks full to do that around 10.5 galllons everytime. However i would like to mention on one instance passsing through arkansas......40 W i almost ran out of gas......luckily made it to the gas station.......its amazing how fast the bars fall at times........i thought i was good with two bars to go and thought i am good for atleast next 70 miles........but it took just 30 miles to get the last one blinking......was fortunate enough to find a gas station 25 miles later as i had just passed one.......the fuel tank took in 10.8 gallons that time...........

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rudiger @ Jun 2 2006, 05:53 PM) [snapback]264889[/snapback]</div>

I'm pretty sure we've had a few posts from folks who made it less than 20 miles, sometimes by a significant margin, once the last pip started blinking. Personally, I prefer to refuel before getting to that point... usually when there are still 2 pips remaining. While I appreciate 500+ mile tanks as much as the next person, it simply isn't worth the risk IMO.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(electricity_guzzler @ May 31 2006, 04:35 PM) [snapback]263583[/snapback]</div>

There is a beep, as soon as it goes to 'blink'.. and if you shut off the car, when you power up, it will give you another beep. I do agree, that with such dire consequences, the blink should be larger, brighter color, something. I was tempted today, just for the fun of a 600 mile tank... but I filled up when it started blinking, at 560 miles. Like it's been said, it just ain't worth the consequences (56.2 on this tank MFD.. It took 9.9x gals)

 

Ditto. 2006 Prius, 2 weeks old.

I am unused to the "E" in a gas tank having ANY meaning, usually you have some large reserve left. In my Jetta Diesel (50 mpg) it is about 4 gallons. However, when I went dry on I-95 in my Prius I had to draft a semi and coast a long way and had the single purple stripe left on my battery charge when I finally reached a gas station.

The tank took only 9+ to fill up, apparently completely. I was so worried about getting started again that I only squeezed a little more in. But I did notice an o-ring seal in the filler spout of the Prius.

What's up with this o-ring?

No other car I have EVER owned had this seal. It doesn't reach the gas cap. It can only seal against the filler handle nozzle.

I believe that if I yanked this seal out of there, I could fill up MUCH more easily. This seal probably causes the rate of pressure increase as the tank approaches FULL to increase at an anamolously high rate, which triggers the pump to shut off FAR short of actually being full.

Anyone ever yank out this MISERABLE gasket and see if they can actually fill up their car NORMALLY?

Since elastomers are notoriously temperature dependant, this probably causes more severe problems in cold temperatures. Think Challenger disaster o-ring.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Karnac @ May 31 2006, 09:08 AM) [snapback]263417[/snapback]</div>

Did it twice in our 02 Prius. Going up a hill when the power was substanially reduced. Drove half a mile to the station and filled up. Guess I was lucky that I did not have water in the tank. No problems.

George

 

As soon as the car beeps at me and says "Add fuel" (ie. when the last pip starts flashing), I fill up. If for some reason I don't do it then, the next time I turn the car on it beeps at me again and Add Fuel stays at the top of the screen. How can you forget??

On long trips, we try to fill up about 40-60 miles after it gets down to the last pip, so we fill up about the same time as the last pip starts flashing.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Expedition @ Jun 2 2006, 07:11 PM) [snapback]264979[/snapback]</div>

There's some in the school that like to use it as close to the last drop as possible. Otherwise, it's like constantly hauling around a 2-3 gallon tank of gas in your trunk that you never use which is wasteful deadweight. Some just like to see how far the car can really go.

Also, the lack of a starter throws away the usual way to tell if you are really low. The Prius instantly starts up instead of a starter screeching for the final drops the fuel-pump could suck up to turn the engine over, so there's a lull of false security there.

 

I ran out of gas just recently. This has only happened once before some time ago.. I was able to get to the station. This time I was not, and when I returned to put in some gas, the Prius will not turn into ready mode, as if though perhaps the fuel pump was disengaged... I am not sure, I am thinking of putting a little more gas and seeing if that will do the trick. However the prius does turn on into the first two modes the radio mode, and the second orange mode.. but when i press on the brake and press power for the engine nothing occurs.

this is terrible.. any ideas?