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  #1  
Old 06-13-2006, 02:48 AM
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Location: los angeles
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fuel sender or electrical?

i'm new here and also new to owning an MB (82 300TDT Wagon).
Today my fuel gauge jumped from 1/2 to nearly empty suddenly. Reserve light came on. to be safe, i added fuel (i run on veggie oil). when i got home, i tested it by filling up til full. sure enough, I fit in nearly 15 gallons (18.5 incl reserve tank). so it WAS nearly empty, but had been stuck on 1/2 full.
I have searched and read the posts re: malfunctioning fuel gauges and how to clean/repair fuel sender etc, which is great info.
But how do I know whether the problem is the sender or an electrical problem in the dash? i'd rather troubleshoot in the correct area!
my rpm meter doesn't work, neither does the radio. (although one day, they both worked. then neither did. so i'm figuring they're connected electrically.)
of course now i'm hoping the temp and oil pressure gauges are accurate.
thanks for any help

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  #2  
Old 06-13-2006, 08:04 AM
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gimme a low-tech 240D
 
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Location: central ky
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The fuel sender is easy enough to access under the medicine chest and will definitely need cleaning. Just be careful to avoid breaking fragile wires...... Or what the hell, start at the battery and trace electrical connections back to the fuel sender first. Sort of fun and ridiculous excercise that gets you to the same place. Never heard of the vdo fuel guage failing, its always the sender.
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  #3  
Old 06-13-2006, 11:12 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Aiken, SC
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Fuel Sender

I had the same thing happen had 400 miles and showed half tank, then reserve light came on. Put $5 in to keep wife happy and drove to dinner and back. Next day put 16 gallons in, My sender was nasty with mung and the black fungus stuff. I took it out and cleaned it and things worked out great. I also had an ocassional wagging fuel gage, turned out to be a dirty connection where the wiring plugs into the instrument cluster (and an oil leak).

Chuck.
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2000 C230 Kompressor "Frosty"

2007 PT Cruiser
2001 VW TDI Beetle
1999 Landrover Discovery II
1971 Corvette

Gone: 97 Cabrio, 83 240D, 93 VW Eurovan, 95 Volvo 850, 93 Chevy Astro Van, 77 VW Bus, 99 VW Jetta, 74 VW Bus
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Old 06-13-2006, 11:54 AM
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Location: los angeles
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thanks diesel dog and chuck. chuck, how do you get to the cluster? i'm waiting for my manual in the mail, still at the beginnings of learning how to work on the car myself.
thanks,
Stanya
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  #5  
Old 06-13-2006, 02:11 PM
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Location: San Diego, CA
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I have a wagon and the sending unit in easy to get to if you do not have the third seat. Just lift the back area cover, take out the black plastic storage liner thing and the sending unit is right in the middle of the tank. take off the plastic disc cover and remove the sender and clean it (remove from metal cylinder first). The problem is you need a 46mm socket to get it out. If you live in Los Angeles you can come over and borrow mine. Did the trick for me. Actually I had to clean it twice, as it only worked for long enough to read the level the first time.
Renewable energy is the way to go! Good for you and the earth too.
Liz in Los Angeles
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Old 06-13-2006, 08:04 PM
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Location: Aiken, SC
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removing cluster

On mine I had the bottom panel off the drivers side to replace the cruis module, so I just reached up behind the dash and pushed it out slightly. You need a 10mm to remove mechanical oil line, and then unplug wiring, and unscrew speedomoter cable. The cluster slides in as a pressure fit, no screws, no nothing.
Chuck
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2000 C230 Kompressor "Frosty"

2007 PT Cruiser
2001 VW TDI Beetle
1999 Landrover Discovery II
1971 Corvette

Gone: 97 Cabrio, 83 240D, 93 VW Eurovan, 95 Volvo 850, 93 Chevy Astro Van, 77 VW Bus, 99 VW Jetta, 74 VW Bus
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  #7  
Old 06-13-2006, 11:28 PM
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Location: los angeles
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thanks again everyone. very helpful.
liz, i AM in LA and i DO have the third seat. so maybe i'll give it try first on my own with some channel locks and if that doesn't work, i'll contact you here?
thanks! good to know you're nearby!
stanya
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  #8  
Old 06-14-2006, 10:35 AM
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good luck with the channel locks... thats why I now own the 46mm socket and the 3/4 to 1/2 inch adapter.
also the first time I pulled the part I still had deisel in the tank and the fuel was clear, the second time I had veg oil in the tank and it had loosened up a bunch of black crud that was floating around so I had to clean it the second time. Still works a month later.
Liz
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  #9  
Old 06-14-2006, 01:01 PM
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liz, good to know! i'll contact you when i fail with the channel locks. my tank is full at the moment, so i'm going to wait til it gets lower.
stanya

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