Fuel Gauge failure

[delisi2322]

I have had the same problem for the last 2 years. I took it to a shop to fix it through warranty but the warranty company would not fix the problem. i think the reason why is because sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I'm going to try again to fix it throough warranty only because i got a new warranty company. I'm so use to it but i stilll want the problem fixed because it's really annoying

[ryhi]

damn..my car just go posessed!!! except my fuel level stays UP!! at first, it was all the way down with the fuel light on....but now it just stays up.... has anyone figured anything? maybe disconnecting the battery? i would disconnect my battery, but i dont want to lose all the pics vids n settings on my headunit!! someone try it and let us know!!

[Rocky]

This is a common problem on these cars. It's pretty expensive to fix if i recall and it's not a DIY'er job. Needs some special tool or something and is located in the gas tank..a sensor or soemthing I don't remember.

[rad2000]

My fuel gauge started acting up at about....you guessed it....60K miles. Dealer replaced the sender unit free of charge. No more problems until about 105K, then the same damn thing. Both times:

--Happens after fillup
--External factors (e.g., temperature, battery condition, brand of fuel) seem to have no effect
--Begins working again at about 3/4 tank
--When turning key to "on" position (not cranking) with a nearly full tank, needle does a dance then either goes down to empty or up to full. If it goes to empty, sometimes I can turn it off, turn it back on, and it will go up to full. Once up to full, it seems to keep working for the remainder of the trip.

I guess I'll have to live with it. It registers correctly when it's important (<3/4 tank) and I reset the trip odometer after every fillup. The cost of repair is just too high.

Incidentally, I think there is no excuse for such a pervasive problem. MBs are sold worldwide, many in areas with worse gasoline than the US. I've driven other cars upward of 150K miles without any fuel gauge problems. Obviously, MB knows of this problem, otherwise they wouldn't have replaced the sender unit(s) out of the warranty period. Apparently, they did not redesign the part to avoid the problem, though.

Rad2000
1995 C280

[Rocky]

Word of advice. Never let your fuel low indicator light up. Always fill above 1/4 tank.

I have never..maybve once or twice let the low fuel light indicator come on..never had a fuel gauge problem.

[joboo]

If this is a re-occuring problem that we all have, it should be called back under a recall??? am I out of line?

[delisi2322]

your defintely right everyone is having this problem. It's not just a coincidence that everyone is having this problem

[Rocky]

Well.I see the engine wiring harness a big problem as well as the head gasket and maybe the MAS. I didn;t see them recall those items, I doubt they will recall the gas thing.

[kameraguy]

btw- with my new battery the first full tank had the exact same issue. I need a couple more fill-ups to be sure, but it seems the problem fixes itself quicker though. But at any rate, the new battery didn't solve the issue. Maybe helped it a little? Will keep an eye on this.

And yes, this is annoying.

Actually, does anyone know how to get a recall going? Is this something owners can get together to start? Because it seems like there are a LOT of MB owners with this issue. i don't care if it's because of "crappy" $2.50/gal super-unleaded gas. It's still a problem that's not our fault!

[joboo]

Yes, I vote for recall. RECALL!!! RECALL!!! RECALL!!!

[moebiusgold]

I've had my gas gauge act up twice after fill ups on the 36. I was reading in news yeasterday about high sulfur content in gas refined in La. that affected about 500 stations in the S and Fl. Shell and Texaco. It was corroding the sending units. So if you folks in Ca. have the problem, because you have by law very low Sulfur content gas, equivalent to Europe I think, it might be a mechanical issue with the sending units. The 2 times mine messed up I really tried to squeeze every last drop in drove 2 miles, and the next time I started it, was the problem. The second time it went to 1/2 full after about 20 miles then in about 25 more it shot up to full. Hm.