PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - '83 240D

jay_bob · #6 10-13-2016, 08:48 PM

Yes fairly easy job. A couple hints:

Go ahead and take the back seat out totally, both the cushion and the backrest. If you spill fuel it will soak into the seat and it will make the car smell like fuel. Put down some plastic over the rear deck area in case there are drips.

Unplug and unscrew the sensor (use a 46 mm socket or a big pair of channel locks). Pull it up halfway and wait until you hear it quit dripping (best to do this when the tank is low). Have a shop rag ready to slip underneath as you pull it out.

The bottom nut unscrews. A small pair of snap ring pliers works well to reach into the recesses of the nut to unscrew it. Lay out the parts as they come off the bottom, they will all be caked in goo.

Finally the tube will slide off. Carefully remove the tube from the center stem.

Clean up everything in mineral spirits. Be very careful with the hair thin wires. Be sure to get the slider free from the bottom and clean underneath it.

Put everything back together and bring it to the car. Before inserting the sensor in the tank, plug it in and turn the key to the II position.

(Go under the hood and unplug either connector from your glow plug relay on the left fender before doing any troubleshooting involving the key in II without running the engine, or you have a good possibility of burning out a glow plug. BTDT.)

Anyway with the key on, hold the sensor vertical with the plug at the top. The gauge should read empty and the low fuel light should be on.

Now slowly rotate the sensor so that it is slightly above horizontal. The slider inside should start moving to the top, and the low fuel light should extinguish, and the gauge should rise towards full. If it checks out put it back in the tank.