ONLY 270 MILES ON A TANK OF GAS

The Prius has a small tank.

My truck had a 26ga tank and only went about 280-300 on that tank. LOL

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(srichardson1958 @ Aug 22 2007, 09:09 PM) [snapback]500720[/snapback]</div>

Welcome to Priuschat - I see you joined yesterday 3 posts all describing annoying problems

Not to worry many friendly expertise here although I'm not sure if any are experts on a 2007 Prius with option 9 <_<

42 MPG is pretty good for a new car, not sure why you have to fill up after 270 miles though? How many pips are left on your gauge?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prius 07 @ Aug 22 2007, 08:46 PM) [snapback]500737[/snapback]</div>

Good question, I would have assumed Palm Springs, 111F right now, would effect the bladder in the positive direction? I filled up in LA (Valencia) 90F +-8.39 gallons mid-July. With about 370 miles on the tank, blinking pip, all-freeway, all A/C

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(srichardson1958 @ Aug 22 2007, 09:09 PM) [snapback]500720[/snapback]</div>

You need to disengage the flux capacitor.

Berylrb seems to be on the right track but may be too polite.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(srichardson1958 @ Aug 22 2007, 08:09 PM) [snapback]500720[/snapback]</div>

I have found that the Prius tends to kick the fuel nozzle off prematurely. In other words, the tank is not always full when the fuel nozzle automatically shuts the pump off. You may have thought that you filled the tank, but didn't.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jhp8 @ Aug 23 2007, 09:24 PM) [snapback]501305[/snapback]</div>

Yep, my guess too. Don't try to fill past the automatic click though -- you will eventually end up with fuel on the ground. When my car was new it's first winter, I had to fill the tank by manually *barely* pressing the gas handle trigger, because even low automatic flow from the pump was enough to trigger auto-shut off.

This has not happened in a long time though, so either fill flow is slower at the gas stations I frequent, or my gas tank's bladder has become a bit more flexible.

I second Evan's advice to calm down, and suggest that you use the low flow setting on the gas fill handle. It's a great car, with an occasional quirk.

 

If it's your first tank, then give it a couple more tanks. If this isn't the first tank that it's happened on, then make sure you calculate the gas mileage by how much gas you put it by how far you have driven. If you really are getting around 40 MPG then you just aren't filling up the tank enough. There are plenty of threads on the bladder in the Prius as tank. I'm sure they will help you out a lot.

 

So drive to a gas station and fill up!

 

The OP is very angry, I don't know what he expects us to do about it, I have not experienced similar miles per tank, I average between 450 and 500 depending on how many gallons the pump pumps in and how fast I drive.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mgipe @ Aug 24 2007, 02:32 PM) [snapback]501642[/snapback]</div>

The OP did just that soon after the post and hasn't been heard of since then ... perhaps still taking on gas ... expanding the bladder

Would love to help ... only if we got more detailed info

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(EricGo @ Aug 23 2007, 09:13 PM) [snapback]501337[/snapback]</div>

You know sometimes that's a sign that the station tank is almost empty, per attendants her in CA.

Alexstarfire wrote

I don't understand, do you mean if he's only getting 270 miles on a tank, he's not filling up the tank enough?

 

Perhaps. IDK since I've never had a problem like that with my car, though I did have a problem with a pump once. My point was that if he really was getting 40 MPG that there is no way a full tank would only go 270 miles. Therefore, logically, he must not have filled up the tank enough.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prius 07 @ Aug 22 2007, 06:46 PM) [snapback]500737[/snapback]</div>

Call me cynical, but I'm calling troll here <_<

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sonny Jim @ Aug 27 2007, 12:36 AM) [snapback]502605[/snapback]</div>

The OP still hasn't returned so we don't know ... (maybe took a vacation)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prius 07 @ Aug 27 2007, 05:21 AM) [snapback]502650[/snapback]</div>

Or just went back under the bridge.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(srichardson1958 @ Aug 22 2007, 10:09 PM) [snapback]500720[/snapback]</div>

Wow, you are getting 42 mpg in 111 degree F heat - That is fantastic!

You might have a kink in the gas tank bladder though. It will work its way out.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alexstarfire @ Aug 26 2007, 10:26 PM) [snapback]502599[/snapback]</div>

Well, actually you can get only 270 miles on a completely full tank if you live in a small, hilly town with lots of stop signs like I do. I also make many short trips (under the five minute mark) going to and from work, and have the air conditioner going full blast no matter what time of day because it has been horribly humid for the usually dry, desert Southwest along with hgih temps. It happened once this summer, but I'm not dinging the car, I know it is because of my overuse of the air conditioning, short trips, terrain, and the huge number of stop signs...oh, and unsynchronized stop lights!

The mileage is finally getting better as the humidity decreases along with the heat and I don't use the air conditioner.

Edit: I certainly am not getting 40mpg even though the average may say 45mpg (I don't reset the mpg for every tank unless I know I am going on a long trip. The 45 mpg is the result of a trip down to El Paso and back--uphill the entire way--where I got great mileage for the roundtrip with the use of air conditioning the entire time and highway driving for most of the 361 miles--53 mpg.). Maybe the OP isn't looking at the actual mileage for the particular trip?