How much gas is in the tank when the fuel warning comes on? I have just bought a used 05. Twice the warning has come on and I've only been able to put about 9 gallons in the tank. Doesn't the tank hold 12 gallons? Do I really have 3 gallons left in the tank? There is one way to find out, but I understand that you have to put 3 gallons in it if you run out of gas before the car will restart. That would make it tough to carry in a one gallon can. Thanks, Bruce
Really not an answer, but it may lead to one: excellent photo show of a gas tank disassembly at
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I'm wondering if the "low fuel" warning is activated when the "everything tank" is no longer full of fuel. It looks like the bladder is essentially a reservoir for that smaller tank.
I've heard of cars hitting the OOG (out of gas) christmas tree lights/ engine stall at anywhere from no blinking last fuel pip/add fuel warning, to over 150 miles later...
at 1/4 tank remaining (2-3 bars), start looking for a gas station (convenience, price, etc.), like the owner's manual suggests.
at 1 bar remaining, you really should stop at the next convenient gas station...
at 1 bar flashing/add fuel warning, stop at the next gas station!
OOG/warning lights - coast to a safe area, like the side of the road or preferrably to a gas station if you can make it there. Refuel with as much gas as you can (a 1gal can from you walking to a gas station or from a vehicle road service company should do), and restart the car and go to the closest available gas station and fill up completely. You only have about 3 restarts of the car/engine once you hit OOG before the hybrid battery is too depleted to be able to start your car again that you may need a trip to a dealer for special servicing, should you not be able to get the 3+ gallons needed to reset the fuel gage.
Then again, I never understood the concern of Prius owners over getting the cheapest gas station... The most local varience I've seen is about 10 cents a gallon between stations, and considering that most Prius fillups won't take more than 10 gallons that's only a $1 difference for a fillup. I see people pay way more than that on a morning cup of coffee daily and never complain.
A call for help in the alt.autos.volvo forum recently reminds me of another good reason not to wait to the last moment. The poor fellow was looking for help on getting the gas cap door to unlatch. Hate to do that with only a gallon or so left in the tank.
Besides the fact that you're putting in only a few gallons and that extra 10 cents/gallon is virtually meaningless, there's the fact that the cheapest gas to buy is frequently the most expensive gas to run on a cents per mile basis.
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