Low fuel warning came on with 3 gallons still in the tank

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Sep 12 2006, 08:08 AM) [snapback]318245[/snapback]</div>

3 gallons is +/- 10 litres of gas, so can we do 150 km with fuel warning ???

My car is brand new, and when the warning appears, I usually go to next gas station....

Next time , I will start being more easy going on that. :lol:

 

How did you arrive at the conclusion that you had 3 gallons left?

 

The one time I ran out of gas, I was able to put about 10.5 gallons into it. The variables include the bladder and the individual pump nozzle you use. Because the bladder is affected by temperature and every pump nozzle is different, you NEVER know how much gas you have left!! BTW the reason I ran out was because I had heard of people going 100+ miles after the last bar started blinking. I ran out about 65 miles after blinking.

 

I don't believe it's good for the car to run too low on gas anyhow....but...

I usually fill up at a certain total mileage...right now I am running 44.6 mpg....so I fill up between 350 and 400 miles on the Trip...usually closer to 300.

I rarely trust gauges. i.e., trying to figure out how long I can wait before filling up.

terri

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Sep 12 2006, 09:08 AM) [snapback]318245[/snapback]</div>

I don't believe your number unless:

1. You ran your car until it ran out of gas and then calculated how many gallons you used between the time that your fuel warning light came on and you ran out of gas.

OR

2. You syphoned off the remaining gas when your fuel warning light came on and measured it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Sep 12 2006, 10:08 PM) [snapback]318245[/snapback]</div>

Please do not believe this 3 gallons number.
In Japan without the bladder, it is about 6.5 liter (1.7 gallons) max.
Yours with bladder is less than that.

Ken@Japan

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Sep 13 2006, 12:44 AM) [snapback]318339[/snapback]</div>

That scenario does not work here.
The Japanese tank spec is also 45 liters (11.9 gallons). We can put about 49 liters just after the warning.
45 - 49 = minus 4 liters in tank???
Anyway, ours can hold max about 60 liters when the surface is not flat.

Ken@Japan

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Sep 12 2006, 11:44 AM) [snapback]318339[/snapback]</div>

It has been said many times before, but it's clear that it's worth saying again:

You will NEVER fully fill your tank to 11.9 gallons. There are many, many stories on this board of people doing the same type of calculation as you did and running out of gas. Then, when these people fill their tank, they find it only takes 8 or 9 or 10 gallons. Because of the tank bladder, the amount of gas that you can put in the tank is highly variable and depends on things like air temperature and the specific pump you're using.

So, pay attention to your gas guage and fill up BEFORE your last bar starts flashing.

 

that's all you'll likely ever get into it at once. the most i've ever filled was 10.1 gallons, after running a little longer than was comfortable on the blinking bar.

normally it's pretty much dead on 8 gallons with 1 solid bar left when i refuel.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Sep 13 2006, 01:24 AM) [snapback]318390[/snapback]</div>

Have you ever read the Owner's manual?

Ken@Japan

 

the bladder makes the tank hold different amounts of gas at different times. People have reported running out of gas and refilling it and only getting 9 gallons, others have gotten the full 11.9 gallons.

to the OP: your numbers are believable, but the conclusion is wrong. There are many different variables that determine the amount of gas that gets into the tank, not just how much was already present. warm temperatures expand the bladder. A tilt in the surface may allow more or less gas in, depending on the direction of the tilt.

Additionally, the gas gauge can more acurately be called a "guess" gauge, as it's not linear in operation - if you had 3 gallons left when the pip started blinking, then that would imply that you use 3 gallons per pip... multiply taht by 10 pips, and you've got a 30 gallon tank.

treat the prius like a normal car - if you'r a "Cramer" type who likes to see how far below E they can go, go for, but be prepared to foot the bill when you damage your car, batteries, etc. A majority of the population starts thinking of filling up a normal car whe the gauge reads about 25%, so why would you go lower than that on the Prius?

 

Everyone who runs the last pip to blinking is playing a very expensive game. When there is no need to. When the tank gets that low the fuel pump is exposed (as it sits in the fuel). When it is exposed it runs much hotter than when covered with fuel. If you run the tank virtually dry the pump can run dry and BURN OUT which may or may not be covered by the warrantee. Just fill up at the last pip before it's blinking and do the math if you want to know your exact to the tenth of a mile per gallon.

 

well, you can count on your one experience, or the vast experience of the hundreds of other owners collectively saying that the bladder pretty much will not hold the full 11.9 gallons.