FUEL GAUGE PROBLEM C220

[mercedesc220]

Hi All,

Newbie to the forum.

I have just bought my first mecedes C220 N reg (1996 auto), very impressed with the drive and smoothness.

After a couple of days i have noticed that my petrol gauge is behaving rather strange, at 1 moment its showing half a tank next it is sitting on the bottom.
after turning the car off and then on again it was showing 3/4 tank.

can anyone help me..........

thanks

 

[Spike]

Most probably the fuel tank sender.

This is a common problem and can be taken out, cleaned up and replaced which fixes the problem., however most people just replace it.

Sometimes this behaviour can be provoked by letting the tank get really low - if you are lucky, it might settle down after a refill or two.

 

[mercedesc220]

Thanks Spike,

Is the Sender easy accessable?
where is it located?

thanks

 

[panason1c]

I had a similar problem with my C200.
Sometimes, immediately after filling the tank, the guage would show empty and the fuel light would be lit, but, as Spike mentioned, the 'fault' disappeared after a couple of weeks before i had chance to 'fix' it!!.

 

[Spike]

The sender is in the tank.

Not technically difficult but messy and a little dangerous if you have to do it on the street.

I'd leave it for a while and see if it fixes itself. If not, a new oine costs about £70 IIRC and about half an hour to an hours labour depending if you are using real time or book time..

 

[mercedesc220]

I have just had a quote to have the work done and they are saying it will be about £250.

does this sound right just to change the sender unit?
:roll:

 

[landover]

That sounds a rip off mate .Take it to a small local garage.

Maximum for fitting the unit will be £50

If i lived near you i would fit it

TRY ABOUT FIRST FOR PRICES...

 

[mercedesc220]

Thanks.....

I felt like i was being ripped.

Can anyone suggest a garage in London that wont make me feel like ive been r*ped?

 

[panason1c]

When i enquired for prices i was informed that there were TWO sender units in the tank (one either side of the tank) and was quoted around £120 (total) for the parts.....
As mentioned previously, the problem resolved itself before i had chance to fix it.

 

[mercedesc220]

thats exactly how much i was quoted for the parts, but the Labour was another £150.

They said that they have to take the tank out to do the job.

Is that right???

 

[190]

I have just had a quote to have the work done and they are saying it will be about £250.

does this sound right just to change the sender unit?
:roll:

£250 Sounds expensive to me the part is less than £50 + vat from euro car parts and just get an independent garage to fit it for you. Click the link below they have branches all over the country.

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecommerce/Search_Results.asp

 

[mercedesc220]

Thanks 190. It makes me wish i was in Scotland at the mo.

Is it true that the tank needs to come out?

 

[Spike]

Thanks 190. It makes me wish i was in Scotland at the mo.

Is it true that the tank needs to come out?

Well it doesnt in my W124 so I dont see why it would need to in your C class.

 

[landover]

No mate the tank does not need to come out .

The tank is divided in two .There is a sender at each front end.

Yes two senders. remove each protection plate and you will see the gauges When removed they can be checked with a meter to see witch one is faulty....

Before removal check the wires are cleen and secure this might just be the problem It is hard to diagnose a problem without seeing the car


Good luck m8

 

[jimsinessex]

I have a CLK which has a similar fuel tank to the C Class and the fuel gge exhibited exactly the same symptoms after filling to the brim but only about once in every 5 fills, as soon as some fuel was used the gge returned to normal when next switched on.
This lasted for about 2 years without getting worse, then a year ago the fault disappeared and has been fine ever since. I would do nothing until the fault doesn't clear itself after using a bit of fuel. I set the trip to zero after each fill up as a backup.
If you wish to change the gges (2 off) the procedure is fully described in the C-Class Haynes Manuel.

 

[mjtray]

Had a similar problem in my C280 which went away after I had filled the car a couple of times with Shell Optimax.

Somebody recommended doing this as Optimax has better detergents compared to Supermarket fuels which apparently gum up the fuel tank sensors

After the sensors came back to life I stopped using Optimax (price!) and went back to using standard unleaded, albeit branded rather than supermarket.

 

[mercedesc220]

:lol:

Thanks guys for all your help.

I think I'll take your advice and see if the fault clears itself before i take it to the garage to get the senders chaged.

Can you tell me how many miles i should be getting on a full tank around town? :?:
just so i dont run out

 

[mercedesc220]

:?:

Any ideas on how many miles i can get out of a full tank doing town driving?

dont want to run out