240D Fuel Level Sending Unit.....HELP
 

Fix one thing and another gives out.....

Have 82 240D Standard Transmission Sedan and have just repaired shifter/tranny on this car....

Fuel Level Gauge has been acting up....sometimes works...sometimes doesn't...and it sometimes only goes up to 3/4 full when tank is 100% full.....annoying as all get out, but I do have some indication of mileage and can read this on odometer to take a rough fix on diesel left in tank...but I could also forget to reset odometer and then find myself up the river.....

Checked out replacement parts online and new sending unit is $200-$300. And I'm told that using an old salvage unit is not a good idea in that these things are very tempermental to begin with....

Any thoughts on how to fix the part that I've got or is this a complete write-off now????? Thanks.

Search the forums - lots of threads on cleaning out the sender. Sounds like your problem.

Even if you break a wire removing the unit from the protective cylinder, you can repair it....as me how I know

:rolleyes:

I have pulled these out and cleaned them many times on all types of cars. The reaostat part of them gets rusted over and needs to be cleaned.

I don't know how hard it is to remove this particular one, but once it is out they are easy to clean up.

Just be carefull to not bend the float arm when you are taking it in or out and drain the tank as much as you can before doing this.

Pooka

Agreed.

Teddy, you gota get over this "run out a buy a new one" thing, allot of the parts on these cars are engineered to be fixed. do a search:)

fuel sender, ha easy fix. the sender lives under the first aid box. Take out the box remove the frame and look in the hole. that big nut with the wires is the sender. make a diagram of the wires, disconnect them get a big honking socket , (or a big pair of channel locks) and unscrew the beast. pull it out of its hole keeping rags or a drip pan under the end as it will drip and take it to your work bench. there is a very small nut on the bottom of the tube that holds it all together carefully remove the nut and gently separate the sender (pull don't twist). the thin copper wires will all be gunked up. this is your problem.
I used spray carb cleaner and a soft rag to clean the parts. careful with the wires they are fragile. clean the contacts on the float and the rest of the parts, reassemble in reverse order add a half pint to the first aid box and you are done

thanks one and all for the advice and directions....Merry Christmas to one and all....