Mercedes-Benz Forum banner

Fuel sending unit ??

5K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  A1EK 
#1 ·
Hello all.

I drive an 01 CLK55. My fuel guage has recently failed me. (reads whatever it feels like). I have been told that this is pretty common place for the W208's. Also, most have said that the fix was the fuel sending unit. I am no longer under warranty and need to get this repaired. Any help would be appreciated.

I contacted MB of Sacramento and told him to price me out on the fuel sending unit. He asked me which one? Stating that my car had a left and a right??? I'm an old school Chevy guy at heart, so am only used to one. Anyone that has had problems with this: Could you post up here and tell me the details of what fixed your car? Do it yourself? How much at the dealer? etc.

Thanks guys...
 
#2 ·
Fuel guage erratic,------- A few months ago we bought 01 CLK320 fo my wife.Car is in like new condition,brillant silver,completely stock. One problem I have discovered is at times the fuel guage gives erratic readouts. So a few weeks ago I am at the local BMW dealer & I am talking to an old friend who is the assistant parts manager. I mentioned about the "flakey"readout,---- he leaves & comes back wth a bottle of BMW Group fuel system cleaner plus.Besides cleaning fuel systems it "cleans & protects fuel guage sensors". Part #82 140 413 341, bought the cleaner & dumped it in.------ He said they have my complaints with fuel guages from excessive sulfur in the gasoline that causes corrosion of the variable resistor contacts of the fuel guage unit.----- It took about 2 weeks & now the guage is reading normal. It takes time for the chemical cleaner to remove that corrosion. Hope this may help! Ray ----- 95E320,---01CLK320
 
#3 ·
I emailed my local BMW dealer looking to pick up a bottle. I'll try anything once. Twice if its fun. Anyway, I dont' have high expectations for this, but hey, stranger things have happened. Thank you for the tip. Anyone Else?? Please? :surrender:
 
#4 ·
I took the suggestion of ray95e320se and went down to BMW and bought some of the Fuel System Cleaner for $16 a bottle. Then I went over to Napa for some other stuff I needed. I was looking at the fuel system cleaners at Napa and I noticed that Chevron had a fuel system cleaner that came in the exact same bottle as the BMW stuff. Hmm...... It cost $10 a bottle. What do you think are the chances that it's the same stuff?
 
#6 ·
A long time ago when I had my first MB (87 190E, 6 cyl) which stayed with my ex ;-(, the MB dealership put in Chevron Techron at regular intervals. I have been using this product in every car I've owned since then. It does wonders in keeping your fuel system clean and trouble free. Go to Autozone and pick some up. It's cheap and can't hurt to try.
 
#8 · (Edited)
OK all, here's my update from my previous reply. As it turns out the BMW fuel system cleaner IS Techron. I've just finished running 3 tank full of it through my system and guess what.....the fuel guage is back to normal. It totally cleaned all of the sensors and the fuel gauge is working normally agian. And, BTW, my fuel guage had been getting worse for about 2 years and had finally gotten to the point that is was so bad that something had to be done soon.

So, here's the deal. The stuff from BMW costs $16 a pint, from Napa it's called Techron from Chevron and it costs $10 a pint and if you go down to Walmart, you can get it from them and it's $6.50 a pint.

You know what this means don't you? It means that all that Chevron advertising about their fuel being better for your car because it has Techron in it is FOR REAL. Damn, I can't hardly believe it when I find out advertising is actually true.

Anyway, I just saved big bucks and I wanted you all to know that you don't have to run down to the MB dealer throw $1000 bucks in their pocket for something that MB ought to stand behind anyway. On that note, one of the things that bugged me the most about this problem is that in my entire life, of all the cars I've owned I've never had a car have fuel guage problems like this and I've had some real old cars. This clearly seems like something MB should warranty as these fuel sending units are clearly not ready for prime time.
 
#10 ·
Unfortunately my gauge has gone hay-wire as well and is not giving accurate readings. I've tried the fuel cleaner twice but to no avail, so I rely on resetting my mileage every time I fill up a new tank. Anyone know how much mileage (approximate) a full tank of gas with normal city/highway driving can give me for a 01 clk55? I fill up my tank when I reach 150-160 miles. How far can I push it before filling up?
 
#11 ·
Depends on Hwy/ City. When I had a problem I just set 200 miles as my limit. For what its worth: I continued on with filling up ONLY with Chevron and after a few months mine went back to normal. I know it sounds odd, but true. I havent had problems with my guage in months and months. :surrender:
 
#12 ·
OK, here's another follow-up from my earlier reply's. It turns out that the techron DOES fix the problem. But, if you go back to using fuel with out techron in it the problem will eventually come back--bummer. Ultimately I had to replace the fuel sensors in the tank because the Chevron gas station was really inconvenient for me to use regularly.

BTW, one or two of the other fuel companies also use an additive that's either the same or equivalent. I believe that Texaco is one of them, but not 100% positive.
 
#13 ·
That's funny - my CLK430 had the same issue with the level sensor about 12 months ago. Dealership said the sensor AND FUEL PUMP had to be replaced because they are one unit. $1500 or so. Lucky I was under warranty.

9 months later - one day I return to the highrise carpark in the CBD (where I work) to find my car in a MASSIVE puddle of fuel.

Mechanic reckons the fuel line at the rear failed.........I haven't been back to that garage since. Fuel systems are life and death.
 
#14 ·
I'll just add my bit.! I have had an issue with my fuel gauge and like others I managed to fix it and it has stayed away for over a year now. I simply bought a bottle of injection cleaner for £10, ( $20) and after a couples of days it started to behave better and was perfect by the end of the week.! I remember when the problem started as it was when I filled up from a Supermarket Petrol Station (eg, ASDA, Sainsburys , Tesco etc). I researched the net and found that some of these petrols have high levels of sulphur that can leave a film on the metal contacts inside the fuel sender unit. The better petrols like Shell, and BP, advertise LOW sulphur fuels in the UK and since my problem I have stayed away from cheap fuels and not had an occurance since !

Good Luck.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top