Gasoline Gauge not filling up/not taking gasoline

welcome to priuschat! it does sound like a bladder problem. is this the first time it's happened?

 

I had that happen to me once. One blinking pip. I unhooked the battery for 10 minutes or so and after I hooked it back up it went back to normal. Maybe there is an easier way, like unplugging a fuse, I don't know.

 

Or may be the float sensor inside got stuck or electrical bad contact.

 

i think dpeverhart has the right idea. and when you fill up, try removing the gas cap and waiting a minute for pressures to equalize before putting spout in and pump as slowly as possible. it is weather related and should improve in spring. you can also try different gas pumps, some work better than others. all the best!

 

You can try to reset the inclinometer.

The procedure is as follows.

Some say this helps with the guess gage problems, others say it makes no difference.

1) Park the car an a DEAD LEVEL surface with the tank between 1/4 and 3/4 full. The level surface is critical because this is your baseline.
2) In IG-On, cycle the odometer to Trip A. (You don't need to go to "Ready" for this procedure.)
3) Power off the car.
4) While holding down the Trip/ODO button, power the car to IG-ON.
5) One the car is booted, cycle the Trip/ODO button as follows:
Release-Press-Release-Press-Release-HOLD.
If you did this step right, you will be looking at the odometer at the end.
6) While holding the button, the odometer will change to a bunch of seemingly random numbers and/or letters. (I think I saw 060606, others at PC report a different sequence.) You may see these numbers change, indicating that calibration is taking place. 10 or 15 seconds ought to be more than enough.

If I were working on your car, the first thing I would do is to disconnect the negative cable on the 12 volt battery where it connects to the body and leave it disconnected for at least a couple of minutes. Then I would reconnect it and see if the gage starts working. Sometimes it takes a couple of pushes of the power button while holding the brake down for the gage to register after reconnecting the 12 volt.

If the above two things don't help you and you are certain that you added more than three (3) gallons of fuel at one (1) time, then I would suggest you have Toyota look at it.

FWIW, the sending unit and the sensors for the gage is inside the fuel tank. The internal parts are not serviceable and if repairs are needed it is common to replace the entire assembly. This applies to U.S. models. Since your location is not in your profile, the above may not apply to you if you are outside of the USA.

Best of luck to you and "Welcome to Prius Chat"!

 

I see dpeverhart posted about the battery disconnect while I was typing. Sorry about the double info...

 

I too will echo what was said about filling up.

Vent the system before you fill. Unscrew the cap at least half way. Let it vent at least two minutes. Then fill it at the slowest speed using the auto fill on the nozzle. When the nozzle clicks off, hang up the pump and you are done.

The bladder does not have a large volume. The tank is rated at 11.9 gallons. Most Prius drivers note the fillups will range anywhere from six to eight and sometimes nine gallons.

Also the bladder volume will vary due to ambient temperature. It expands as the temps warm and contracts as the temps cool. In cold weather, the bladder can get stiff.

If you have difficulties with early shut off, try a different pump or different station. Not all pumps will operate the same and pressure's will vary from pump to pump.

 

Fuel Gauge Calibration Instructions | PriusChat

 

One comment I did not see dwelt upon. The Gen 2 never sees 1 gallon of gas ever. I think the minimum amount is 3 gallons. Try to do fill ups, not top ups.

I live in Mississippi with high heat and high humidity, and I was able to put 10.5 gallons in my Gen 2 in the afternoon in the summer. This time of year, 8 gallons.

 

Or you can just drive it for a bit. Right now you know that you have at least 6 gallons. Just to be safe plan on driving no more than about 200 miles. I had something similar happen last winter - the gauge was stuck close to empty even after a fill up. It worked itself out after a few days. It is worth a shot, especially until you can get a warm day to mess around with the car.

 

Don't fill up when it's -20°! The bladder tends to stiffen up and restricts intake of gas!
The best advice is warmth! Thankfully bladder control problems are rare in Los Angeles!

 

I've had my 2007 for 4 months and have never put more than 7 gallons in while filling up. My last tank took 5 gallons and the tank miles were 220. Outside temp was 10 F below. I always fill up when I hit 2 bars. Bladder probably gets a bit rigid at 10 below. But I think it's somewhat rigid when below 40 F as well. I'll find out for sure when it warms up here (in June) It's not inconvenient to fill up every 200 - 300 miles because that's every 10 days for me. After filling up - the bars tick up quickly until it indicates full. I do go down a bar for every 30 miles. I envy you guys that get 500 miles out of a tank. But not enough to move back to California. Oddly Vermont has the highest per-capita Prius count in the country. They're everywhere! My wife has a Gen lll with none of these issues, but I think my Gen ll is more fun to drive. Love the car!
I would try some of the suggestions - these guys really know their stuff.
Good luck with yours!
Cliff

 

Please let us know what the final resolution was. That will help the community as a whole.