[WARNING] Running out of gas (Gen III)

I like the sound of 'test pilot' better than 'crash test dummy'.

 

It is if the fuel gauge lies to you. See the GII for an example of that. Save the snarky responses for something you understand.

 

What are you waiting for????

 

1. Running out of fuel is a terrible way to "purge" old gas, because it tends to draw dirt and "dregs" into the fuel and injector system.

Far better to drain any water and "dregs" from the fuel tank occasionally from underneath the car. Is there a fuel tank / filter / sump drain plug to use?

Also, if the "old" fuel is so poor that it cannot be mixed with fresh, then you certainly should not burn that fuel in your engine to "purge" it from the tank. An engine tuneup or repair costs a lot more than several gallons of gas..

 

I have never run out of gas either but I can't say that I never will. Of course, I hope I won't. I can see a couple of situations where it could happen...

1) Getting stuck in a 20-mile traffic jam when you're fuel is already low.

2) Forgetting to fuel up before driving through some wilderness mountainous area, such as the Rockies, and getting lost.

Never letting your fuel gauge go below two bars will probably prevent running out of gas even in these type of extreme conditions, but probably a majority of people wait until they get down to one bar or even the warning beep (which is loud and always scares me half to death when it goes off).

But in the second situation, even if you had two bars left, and let's say that there are still 2 gallons left after the last pip, at say an average of 40 mpg going up and down hill, that's only 160 miles until you run completely dry.

 

Yeah...of course in my prior drive (Subaru Forester), I had some tanks that were not much more than 160 miles.

 

I just ran out of gas.
I was confused because i thought the tank is 12 gallons, but I had only driven 400 miles so I figured I had a couple more gallons left and the warning light goes on premature. I always need to test the boundaries and I found out the warning light isn't lying. I was able to get to a gas station within a mile so I'm hoping I didn't do too much damage. I discovered when filling the tank it stops at ten gallons, so figured I still had two gallons in it, but this time I kept pressing to fill more and was able to get two more gallons into the tanks. So it did fill up past 12 gallons for the first time. My prius is still confusing to me.

 

I say baloney (not the Oscar Meyer kind).... Anything in the tank that can go into the fuel system will go - regardless of amount of gas.

 

Re: [WARNING] Running out of gas

I can't find that info. Anyone know the page? I'm not finding much info on fuel in general in the manual except what type of gas to use and how to take the gas cap off.

I happened to be on the blinking light twice on my holiday road trip. the first time it took forever to get to a gas station and my Miles to Empty was on 0. I never heard a beep/alarm and assumed there was not one. I've since looked in the manual and have not found any info on it. Can anyone describe what it sounds like and when it goes off? And a manual page number if you have it. Thanks.

I thought "B" mode was engine braking? I'm confused.

Good to know. I was panicking when my Miles to Empty jumped from 8 straight to 0 as we were trying to get to the next town 4 miles away. Luckily within a mile we found a gas station and I coasted to the offramp then pressed the EV button and drove 2 blocks to the gas station. Now I know I didn't have to be so worried.

Thanks for running these tests Bob, I appreciate the info!

 

Bob,

As always your posts are most informative. I guess you love "experimenting" more than some, and it's appreciated by most of us, I am sure.

Now when it comes to "Low Fuel" indicator, I will take that with respect and ensure I don't duplicate your experience.

I never have in 30 Years of driving ran out of gas. And based upon YOUR experience, plan to keep my Prius "gassed up" soon after hitting the last pip!

Thanks as always for your thorough knowledge and information sharing...I do appreciate it.

 

+1

 

Maybe the Prius could have used a bigger tank - some people may think that 2x MPG = twice the distance between fillups, but in reality it doesn't work that way...

I came from an 02 Accord with an 18gallon tank, which got about 26mpg and could go 400 miles comfortably before a fillup. My Prius is getting about 45mpg real-world and would probably go 470 miles before the light started blinking - less than a 20% increase in distance, despite a 75% increase in fuel economy. (i.e.: It's a major difference in how much I pay per refill, but I have to fill up almost as often)

That said, the "miles to zero" doesn't count the last 1.6gal so you have fair warning even before the light flashes (i.e.: "miles to zero" = zero when the light starts). And you're likely to go farther with the light flashing in a Prius than other cars, so again, fair warning.


Joining AAA ($48/yr) is a lot cheaper than replacing a burnt-out traction battery, so if you're prone to situations (self-inflicted or not) which may result in a dry tank, you might want to sign up.

 

Re: [WARNING] Running out of gas

Mike - I have the US Gen III manual, and I can't find this warning. Where do you see this exactly? Having to refuel with %25 basically limits how long I can drive without fueling up, which is a bit restricting.

Michael

 

The fact is that virtually all gas-powered vehicles now use an in-tank electric fuel pump, and the fuel is used to carry away waste heat from the pump. Depending on the manufacturer's design & operational margins (lower margin, cheaper part), it may either be very important or not very important to keep the tank at least 1/4 full. Driving a car a lot with less than a quarter tank in hot conditions will kill a fuel pump.

 

Thanks for the response. My last car I owned ('99 Honda Civic) I always used to wait until the very last minute (.5 gallons left or so) to fill up since I got tired of filling up so often. Did it at least 40-50 times during the lifetime of the car without any problems. So was a bit surprised to hear this, unless it was a Prius-related issue.

 

Bob,
My wife just brought up an intresting point when I told her how many mile she still has after the blinking warning. Our dealer included, free of charge, a 1 year Toyota Auto Care Prepaid Maintenance Classic Plan that includes roadside assistance.
Just think, if your dealer provided the same, then you could call for free assistance (gas) when you run that puppy bone dry... .
Tom

PS. my wife thinks we're all a little, no make that a lot, nutty on this site, with yours truly being the chief nut.

 

so the message of this thread is that running out of gas in a Prius isn't a good thing?