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When the fuel gauge blinks, fill up!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by mayall, Apr 1, 2007.

  1. mayall

    mayall New Member

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    I couldn't find a post that describes what happens when you are really low on fuel so here it is...

    The last indicator on my fuel gauge had just started blinking. I ignored it for one or two short trips. Then I took the car to the dealer and forget that they take it for a test drive. Needless to say, it must have been very low on fuel.

    Just before I drove to fill up, lots of warning lights came on. If I remember correctly:
    • Master warning light (big red triangle with an exclamation mark)
    • Malfunction indicator lamp (little engine with CHECK underneath)
    • SRS warning light (airbags)
    • VSC warning light
    And in the multi-information display, an icon of a car with an exclamation mark ("Take vehicle to Toyota dealer immediately").

    To say the least, it looks like something is wrong. :)

    In any case, it was only 100 feet to fill up. Surprisingly, the fill-up was only 9.9 gallons. I'm in a moderate climate and would have thought that there would have been more room in the tank. I thought that the bladder in the tank has more effect on tank capacity when there are wider swings in temperature.

    After all the lights came on, I talked to the dealer. They said that if the car seemed to be driving normally, not to worry.

    Apparently, the system resets itself after you drive the car for a few trips. After 4 short trips, the lights went off. They did not all go off at once. I don't remember the order that they went off.

    Hopefully this is useful to someone else who sees lots of warning lights come on. I'll be keeping the tank more full from this point on.

    Will Mayall
     
    #1 mayall, Apr 1, 2007
  2. Stev0

    Stev0 Honorary Hong Kong Cavalier

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Since the guess gage is more or less logarithmic, I always fill up as soon as it gets to one pip.
     
    #2 Stev0, Apr 1, 2007
  3. HappyPig

    HappyPig Junior Member

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    Location:
    Lyme, New Hampshire
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Color me a little less than concerned. In the three and a half years I've had mine, my gauge consistently reads empty at about 7 gallons gone/four gallons left (and even after the 2004 TRB "fix".) The repair manager at the Toyota dealership I go to said to me having four gallons left at empty "It's better than it being empty while reporting four gallons left" and refused to fix it. Uh-huh.
     
    #3 HappyPig, Apr 1, 2007
  4. Charles Suitt

    Charles Suitt Senior Member

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    Location:
    Dallas TX
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
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    Four
    :rolleyes: ditto SteveO

    Only twice in over 2½ years of Prius ownership {2004 traded for my 2007} have I waited for the "blinking" pip. The consequences of running my Prius out of fuel are too troublesome... never can predict with absolute accuracy where/when you run dry. When I saw the "blinking' pip, I fueled at the nearest station.
     
    #4 Charles Suitt, Apr 2, 2007
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