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I have a 2008 Prius and the gas pump repeatedly "shuts itself off" due to a faulty mechanism within the gas tank. Certain pumps are too high pressure and they t

I have a 2008 Prius and the gas pump repeatedly "shuts itself off" due to a faulty mechanism within the gas tank. Certain pumps are too high pressure and they trip the shut-off very easily, other pumps if I hold it at just the right angle, the gas will flow through. It's super tough on some pumps, it took me 30+ tries to get it to continue flowing at the last fill-up.

keanebean86 6y ago
My old car's charcoal evap canister had turned solid after 20 years. This would cause pressure buildup in the tank that would trigger the shut-off when putting gas in. It was really frustrating just adding $5. This also illuminated the SES light and, more importantly, would have resulted in a failed emissions test. Instead of spending $250 on a new one I hit the old canister with a hammer to break up the charcoal and it was all good. Edit: Service Engine Soon
- taxcoder 6y ago
  Probably not the Safety Restraint System (SRS) light. Perhaps the Service Engine Soon (SES) light, which is often the same as the Check Engine Light (CEL). The hammer idea is new to me. I spent several years working on cars and still like to wrench on the side.
  - keanebean86 6y ago
    It was a typo. SES aka service engine soon.
    - taxcoder 6y ago
      10-4
- tomonocle 6y ago
  SRS light is for the Supplementary Restraint System (airbags and seatbelt pretensioners) so unlikely to be related to the filter. Might trip the MIL/Check engine light though!
  - keanebean86 6y ago
    Typo... Service engine soon (SES)
LeifCarrotson 6y ago
Seems likely you've got a defective (crimped, bent, or obstructed with eg. a bit of a rag) fuel filler neck. The mechanism in the pump depends on a free flowing, successfully venting filler neck. If a bit of detritus got into yours and is reducing the flow, it will do exactly that. Seems more likely than that every pump handle you visit is defective...either that or the small gas tank/bladder on your Prius can't accept a high enough flow rate to work with normal pumps, though I'd be surprised if Toyota missed that. Dropping the tank and replacing it or the filler neck is a pretty easy DIY project.
- bookofjoe 6y ago
  >Dropping the tank and replacing it or the filler neck is a pretty easy DIY project. Um, no.
mcv 6y ago
Do you think it's about the car? Because I also occasionally encounter a gas pump that automatically shuts off while the tank is still empty. I don't see how the car has any influence on that, so I assumed it's the pump. But as it happens, I think my Prius is also from 2008.
- toast0 6y ago
  It's the interaction between the dispenser and the car. I've driven a few vehicles that would have trouble at some dispensers. With my vehicles, I was able to make it usually work by holding the handle up a little and avoiding stations with dispensers that didn't get along with my vehicle. It seemed to me that sometimes the angles would mean the gas splashed off the filler tube in the wrong way and confused the dispenser. There's a bunch of different ways to run a filler tube, and different dispenser handles, so I adapt. In my case, my first vehicle was older than me, so you don't exactly complain to the manufacturer that it has trouble filling at some stations. When newer vehicles acted the same way, I already knew how to jiggle the handle to fill up, so I just wouldn't get to wash my windows at the same time as I filled up, if I went to the wrong station. I wasn't ever one to buy stuff inside while the vehicle was filling, so not a big loss of functionality.
jcrawfordor 6y ago
Another poster mentioned it's a good idea to check your evap canister. Also a good idea to check your evap canister purge and vent solenoid valves. If the vent valve is sticking closed you'll get positive pressure in the fuel tank during fueling that tends to trip the filler shutoff.
rexf 6y ago
I also have this issue with my Prius, but I thought it was the Costco gas pumps that were the issue? Now I'm not so sure.

keanebean86 6y ago

My old car's charcoal evap canister had turned solid after 20 years. This would cause pressure buildup in the tank that would trigger the shut-off when putting gas in. It was really frustrating just adding $5. This also illuminated the SES light and, more importantly, would have resulted in a failed emissions test. Instead of spending $250 on a new one I hit the old canister with a hammer to break up the charcoal and it was all good. Edit: Service Engine Soon

taxcoder 6y ago
Probably not the Safety Restraint System (SRS) light. Perhaps the Service Engine Soon (SES) light, which is often the same as the Check Engine Light (CEL). The hammer idea is new to me. I spent several years working on cars and still like to wrench on the side.
- keanebean86 6y ago
  It was a typo. SES aka service engine soon.
  - taxcoder 6y ago
    10-4
tomonocle 6y ago
SRS light is for the Supplementary Restraint System (airbags and seatbelt pretensioners) so unlikely to be related to the filter. Might trip the MIL/Check engine light though!
- keanebean86 6y ago
  Typo... Service engine soon (SES)

LeifCarrotson 6y ago

Seems likely you've got a defective (crimped, bent, or obstructed with eg. a bit of a rag) fuel filler neck. The mechanism in the pump depends on a free flowing, successfully venting filler neck. If a bit of detritus got into yours and is reducing the flow, it will do exactly that. Seems more likely than that every pump handle you visit is defective...either that or the small gas tank/bladder on your Prius can't accept a high enough flow rate to work with normal pumps, though I'd be surprised if Toyota missed that. Dropping the tank and replacing it or the filler neck is a pretty easy DIY project.

bookofjoe 6y ago
>Dropping the tank and replacing it or the filler neck is a pretty easy DIY project. Um, no.

mcv 6y ago

Do you think it's about the car? Because I also occasionally encounter a gas pump that automatically shuts off while the tank is still empty. I don't see how the car has any influence on that, so I assumed it's the pump. But as it happens, I think my Prius is also from 2008.

toast0 6y ago
It's the interaction between the dispenser and the car. I've driven a few vehicles that would have trouble at some dispensers. With my vehicles, I was able to make it usually work by holding the handle up a little and avoiding stations with dispensers that didn't get along with my vehicle. It seemed to me that sometimes the angles would mean the gas splashed off the filler tube in the wrong way and confused the dispenser. There's a bunch of different ways to run a filler tube, and different dispenser handles, so I adapt. In my case, my first vehicle was older than me, so you don't exactly complain to the manufacturer that it has trouble filling at some stations. When newer vehicles acted the same way, I already knew how to jiggle the handle to fill up, so I just wouldn't get to wash my windows at the same time as I filled up, if I went to the wrong station. I wasn't ever one to buy stuff inside while the vehicle was filling, so not a big loss of functionality.

jcrawfordor 6y ago

Another poster mentioned it's a good idea to check your evap canister. Also a good idea to check your evap canister purge and vent solenoid valves. If the vent valve is sticking closed you'll get positive pressure in the fuel tank during fueling that tends to trip the filler shutoff.

rexf 6y ago

I also have this issue with my Prius, but I thought it was the Costco gas pumps that were the issue? Now I'm not so sure.