'96 C220 Stalls @ 1/2 tank of Gas
07-11-2003, 06:20 PM
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C220
'96 C220 Stalls @ 1/2 tank of Gas
Anyone have any ideas on why my car just shuts off the engine even though my gas gauge reads 1/2 tank? Actually, a while ago it did this to me at the 3/4 mark, then it crept up to 1/2 a tank a couple months after. The first time I brought it to one shop, they told me its just the gauge, because they put fuel in it and it started again. Then as I said, a couple months later, it crept up to 1/2 a tank. At one point, it was @ 1/4! I brought it to a reputable Euro shop and they couldn't really find anything other than the spark plugs were worn, and the battery had no water in it. So they replaced all those stuff including the gas cap, and told me to drive it and see what happens, hoping everything will reset b/c the mechanic found many errors. Well, I tested it a day or two after, and it did the same thing @ 1/2 tank mark. Good thing I still had the extra gallon or 2 of gas with me for situation like this, and a gas station nearby. BTW, my car is nearing 130,000 miles! Maybe the other tank is not functioning properly in some odd way?
Thanks.
Thanks.
07-11-2003, 07:33 PM
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1994 C220
This started happening to my van in the middle of NOWHERE, well actually somewhere in Oaklahoma, when I was driving across the country ... not cool to be stuck out there. But anyway it shouldn't be tough to figure out if the gas gauge is screwy. Use your trip odometer to gauge gas usage instead of the gas meter. You do this by multiplying your avg. miles per gallon by the gallons in your gas tank to get the total miles you can go on a full tank. Reset the trip odometer when you fill up and check the gas gauge vesus your odometer as you drive. The gas gauge should match roughly the mileage you've driven (if you get 300 miles to a tank, and you've gone 150 miles, the gas gauge should show 1/2 tank left). Do this for a while, try to always fill up when you're 1/2 way through the total miles you can drive on a tank. If you have no more stalls and if the gas gauge doesn't match the mileage then you know what the problem is.
07-11-2003, 08:22 PM
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02 W163, 84 W123, 03 E39, 98 E39
Gas Gauge Problem
Had the exact opposite problem with my W-202. Just after filling tank, gauge would sometimes drop to zero and the fuel tank light would come on. Stopping car, turning it off, turning it back on would solve problem.
Dealer fixed problem by replacing both fuel level sending units. Don't know if this could be the cure for your problem. In the meantime, previous post to keep track of milage with your trip odometer and fill up at 250 to 300 miles makes a lot of sense.
Dealer fixed problem by replacing both fuel level sending units. Don't know if this could be the cure for your problem. In the meantime, previous post to keep track of milage with your trip odometer and fill up at 250 to 300 miles makes a lot of sense.
07-11-2003, 10:41 PM
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98 MB C280
i'm not too familiar with a benz since i'm still in search of one but could be the fuel pump relay or maybe lack of pressure in the fuel lines. maybe the rubber seal around the gas cap that is losing pressure and causing it to stop flowing fuel to the lines somehow. had these problems on my 99 VW.
07-12-2003, 12:51 PM
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Re: Gas Gauge Problem
Originally posted by sph17
Had the exact opposite problem with my W-202. Just after filling tank, gauge would sometimes drop to zero and the fuel tank light would come on. Stopping car, turning it off, turning it back on would solve problem.
Dealer fixed problem by replacing both fuel level sending units. Don't know if this could be the cure for your problem. In the meantime, previous post to keep track of milage with your trip odometer and fill up at 250 to 300 miles makes a lot of sense.
Had the exact opposite problem with my W-202. Just after filling tank, gauge would sometimes drop to zero and the fuel tank light would come on. Stopping car, turning it off, turning it back on would solve problem.
Dealer fixed problem by replacing both fuel level sending units. Don't know if this could be the cure for your problem. In the meantime, previous post to keep track of milage with your trip odometer and fill up at 250 to 300 miles makes a lot of sense.
