Fuel sender unit

Merlin5

Merlin5

Merlin5

Soldato
Joined
17 Aug 2009
Posts
18,592
Location
Finchley, London
On my 307 2.0 litre 90 HDi, the fuel gauge has not been working properly for a while. Most of the time the needle doesn't go up and just stays at zero. But sometimes it works, and if I put £40 of diesel that shows just over half a tank. The reserve fuel light always comes on after about 260 miles or so. But now, after putting £40 in, the needle is showing considerably less than over half a tank and the reserve light is coming on after only 180 miles.

I believe it's a fuel sender unit I'll need to replace? I'd do it myself except I don't have a clue or proper tools. Is it going to be expensive to get it fixed? I found a used one for £25. Would this be ok?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PEUGEOT-...3a17a8:g:H4sAAOSwQSxZk~xZ:rk:11:pf:0#viTabs_0
 
I had the exact problem with my Audi A3 a few months back. Like you I managed to get a replacement sender unit from a breakers for £18 delivered. Took me about an hour to fit and has been fine since.
 
toyotacelicagt4 said:
I had the exact problem with my Audi A3 a few months back. Like you I managed to get a replacement sender unit from a breakers for £18 delivered. Took me about an hour to fit and has been fine since.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'm going to have a go and fix it myself like you did. I've gotten advice now from a pug forum about my car. I quote:

"Sender unit is easy accessible under the rear driver's [offside] seat. Open plastic cover under seat and you will see the fuel tank/sender position. You have to unscrew the large plastic retaining ring and lift the sender out. Run the fuel right down in the tank first to make life easier. Make sure you make the ring really tight after replacing the sender or you will get leakage.

You would normally buy a complete drop in unit as per your link so no swapping of the gauge mechanism, just remove old one and drop in replacement unit. But be careful when inserting it that you dont bend the wire holding the float.

Your car probably will not have an in-tank fuel pump, but best to check. If you have a priming bulb in the engine bay above the fuel filter then you dont have an in-tank pump, and the ebay link is the right one for you."

I don't know what a primer bulb looks like. But putting my details into that ebay page says my car is compatible.
 
I found what I think is my primer bulb, circled in yellow.



And I found the plastic cover under the rear offside seat which I was able to get my fingers under, and I guess I have to pull off where the bigger of the four arrows is to reveal the sender unit and plastic retaining ring. I'm going to order that part now.

 
I had a B5.5 Passat TDI which had a similar issue. Had an electronic fuel sender unit. Took it out and found that 1 wire out of the 4 was broken. Fixed it, was good as new until the day I sold it. The local VW certified garage wanted £250 just to investigate the problem 'cause they didn't get an error code (they wanted to strip down the whole fuel transport system...!?)
 
Yeah, I watched a video of someone who removed his sender unit from his citroen and it was a broken wire which he soldered back on. I mean that might be the issue with mine. But I've received the replacement now, I bought the one in my opening post. I'll have to see. I might need to order one of these tools because apparently it's difficult removing the locking ring and also not breaking it, and just as difficult tightening so there's no leaks.

91-Gxx9s-IQl-L-SL1500.jpg
 
Merlin5 said:
91-Gxx9s-IQl-L-SL1500.jpg
Click to expand...

Unlike the photo, There is typically very limited clearance between the retaining ring and the edge of the access hole in the floor. Unless you have hands like a child it is easy to cut the back of your fingers on the metal edges. Why they dont just provide an extra inch or so clearance, I really dont know ~:(, but then Motor engineering seems full of jobs that would be so much easier if only one had an extra 1/2" of room. There typically seems to be no logic towards not providing that extra clearance apart from willfulness on the part of the designers to make things hard! :mad:
 
Agreed, I'm not looking forward to this job. I wish it was still summer, would have made it more bearable, it's pretty damn cold now.
 
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