The instrument panel on your dashboard houses instruments that are designed to keep you informed about the state of your vehicle at all times. You learn to rely on the information you see in front of you, so it is quite alarming to realize that the fuel gauge is broken and not showing you the truthful amount of fuel available in the tank.
The Toyota Prius fuel door/gauge/pump problems can be quite serious. When you are using the gas engine to power your car, you will need to know the gas can get from the tank to the engine and how much gas is in the tank to prevent unforeseen running out of fuel.
Read on to learn how to diagnose fuel gauge, fuel door, and fuel pump problems you may encounter while operating the Toyota Prius.
Toyota Prius Fuel Gauge Not Working Problem
The most common problem if your Toyota Prius fuel gauge is not working is a faulty sending unit. It is supposed to monitor the fuel level in your tank continuously, but it is prone to wear and tear. Other problems include faulty wiring, a burned-out fuse, the gauge itself being broken, or the whole instrument cluster housing the fuel gauge being faulty.
Five causes prevent your Toyota Prius fuel gauge from working properly. Defective sending unit, faulty wiring, bad fuse, defective gauge, malfunctioning instrument cluster.
Observe the gauge needle to diagnose why the fuel gauge is not displaying the correct amount of fuel. If the fault lies in the sending unit, the needle will stop along the gauge and not move, irrespective of the amount of fuel in the tank.
A loose, corroded wire will prevent the needle from moving, probably showing no fuel in the tank.
A burned-out fuse will show the same symptoms as a loose wire. To diagnose, check the fuse box. If the gauge needle has stopped halfway between full and empty, there may be a fault with the gauge circuitry.
It could also be a part of a malfunctioning instrument cluster that affected the functionality of the fuel gauge.
Toyota Prius Fuel Gauge Flashing
When you fill-up your Toyota Prius tank, the gauge will light up with a solid light as a part of the instrument cluster on your dashboard. As your tank’s fuel level decreases, the gauge slowly gets closer to empty. Before you reach that stage, the gauge starts flashing, mostly to attract your attention so that you see your fuel level is getting low and can do something about it.
When you see the Toyota Prius fuel gauge flashing, it means that you are getting low on fuel. Sometimes the gauge can also start flashing when the fuel floating sensor gets stuck.
Once you refuel your vehicle, the fuel gauge should stop flashing.
Toyota Prius Fuel Door Won’t Open
The fuel door is one part of your Toyota Prius that you don’t often think about or take note of until it fails to open. When that happens, it can become an emergency because you need fuel to drive the car, and if the fuel door is stuck, you cannot open the gas cap to fill up.
The common reasons for the Toyota Prius fuel door not opening are broken fuel door release, exterior damage near the fuel door, and a damaged fuel door hinge. The only way to fix the fuel door is to get professional help from a certified Toyota technician.
If you are having problems with the fuel door in your Toyota Prius, the best and fastest way to fix it is to call the nearest dealership and let them help you get the door open and fixed without causing further damage to your car. Some dealerships will make a house call so that you don’t have to drive to them to get the fuel door fixed.
Toyota Prius Fuel Pump Failure
It goes without saying that when the fuel pump fails in your Toyota Prius, you cannot drive your car. The fuel pump’s sole purpose is to push fuel from the fuel tank to the fuel rail and into the engine.
The most common symptoms that your Toyota Prius fuel pump is about to fail are a whining noise heard from the engine while driving, spluttering when accelerating, and the engine won’t start.
Replacing the fuel pump can be difficult because, even though the part itself is inexpensive, the labor to replace it can take a good couple of hours. The pump is situated almost inside the gas tank, making it very difficult to get to it.
Toyota Prius Fuel Tank Not Filling All The Way
When you fill your tank, the gas displaces the air, and it needs to go somewhere. In the olden days, the air would just be pushed out through the opening where the fuel was pumped. It would disperse straight into the atmosphere. This process pollutes the air, and modern cars do not allow the air to escape directly from the tank.
The evaporative emissions control system (EVAP) collects fuel vapors from the tank and moves them to the manifold for combustion. Unfortunately, when it is faulty, it does not disperse all the fuel fumes and prevents the full amount of fuel from entering the tank.
Suppose you are experiencing problems with your Toyota Prius fuel tank not filling all the way. It may be because of a clogged or faulty evaporative emissions control system (EVAP) that collects fuel vapors from the tank and moves them to the manifold for combustion.
When the EVAP system is clogged, you will need to clean out the hoses or if that does not work, replace the EVAP canister.
Copyright protected article by Know My Auto and was first published on Oct 21, 2022. .
How To Reset Toyota Prius Fuel Gauge
If you have determined that the fuel level readings that appear on your fuel gauge in your Toyota Prius are inaccurate, you may have to reset your fuel gauge. The gauge will also need to be reset when the combination meter has been replaced recently.
To reset the Toyota Prius fuel gauge, you may have to reset the fuel gauge inclination sensor due to the unique bladder design in your vehicle.
For your convenience, here is the procedure for resetting the Toyota Prius fuel gauge.
Park the vehicle on a level surface. Turn the car “on.” Place the odometer in “ODO” mode. Turn off the ignition.
Press and hold the “ODO/TRIP”button while turning on the ignition. Hold the “ODO/TRIP” button for two more seconds.
Release and press the “ODO/TRIP” button three more times within the next five seconds. Release-press, release-press, release-press, and hold for at least five seconds until you can see the leveling information on the odometer.
Release. Again, depress and hold the “ODO/TRIP” button until the odometer reads 1, which indicates that the reset has begun. Once the reset is complete, the odometer will return to normal. You can turn off the ignition.
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The copyright owner of this article is Knowmyauto.com and was first published on Oct 21, 2022..
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