Why does Prius gas tank have a bladder?
#1
Why does Prius gas tank have a bladder?
Some else has already asked this, I suspect, but I could not easily find the answer after doing a search. Kind of a pain in cooler temperatures, as I cannot get that much gas in the tank.
#2
Re: Why does Prius gas tank have a bladder?
The bladder is there to reduce gas fumes from escaping. Lots of people have trouble filling the tank fully, even in warmer climates. Some people try to 'burp' the bladder, while others wait a few moments for the bladder to 'stretch out' and then start pumping again. Both methods have their dangers in that a 'burp' may cause gas to come out, while pumping after the auto shut off valve kicks in is always dangerous.
#3
Re: Why does Prius gas tank have a bladder?
The new 2010 Prius no longer has a bladder. It appears that
Toyota got the message.
Obviously the bladder was not a good idea or an improvement. Hence
its absence for 2010.
Alster
Toyota got the message.
Obviously the bladder was not a good idea or an improvement. Hence
its absence for 2010.
Alster
#6
Re: Why does Prius gas tank have a bladder?
The intent of the bladder was to almost eliminate air in the fuel tank. The air would quickly contain fuel vapours which would have to be removed by the carbon canister as the air was forced out when you pumped in fuel. The bladder made the car easier to certify at the low emission level it has (I can never remember the letter sequence - PHEV or something).
It causes some difficulty when refueling in winter, but I haven't had any problems, and I live where there IS winter!
Some think aircraft use bladders for the same reason, but that isn't the case. In aircraft the wings usually contain the fuel, and it is expensive (weight wise) to have to put a hard fuel tank inside the wing. So they used bladders. This also made drawing the fuel out of the tank easier, as the vehicle could assume many different attitudes, making fuel pickup difficult.
It causes some difficulty when refueling in winter, but I haven't had any problems, and I live where there IS winter!
Some think aircraft use bladders for the same reason, but that isn't the case. In aircraft the wings usually contain the fuel, and it is expensive (weight wise) to have to put a hard fuel tank inside the wing. So they used bladders. This also made drawing the fuel out of the tank easier, as the vehicle could assume many different attitudes, making fuel pickup difficult.
#7
Re: Why does Prius gas tank have a bladder?
I have to say, the crazy gas tank bladder is almost a reason not to own the car. I like to fill the car at about a quarter tanks. Judging from the amount of gas I am getting, it seems like my gas tank at times shrinks to not much more than 8 gallons. Happily, warmer weather has arrived.
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