GDawgC220

Hey all,
Haven't had a problem on the ML for a while now and this comes up

I went to fill up the car last night, fuel gauge was just fine. Read full (all the way to top) and the trip meter reported fine.

My mom called a few minutes ago and said that the empty light came on (the needle was at the light area, not dropped to the bottom, so it was still functional) and asked, didn't you fill it up last night? I said ya. She managed to put $15 in the tank ( I spent $26 last night....how can it eat so much gas that quick!?!) and it stopped her from putting in more.

She goes to start 'er up and the gauge doesn't even work anymore. No empty light, no movement, just sits there.

The gauge itself a common problem on the earlier ML's? We've had the fuelpump sending unit replaced before because it was only reporting 3/4's full when filled up and that fixed it...hasn't happened since.

Can this be the sending unit again acting up or the gauge this time...oye vey.

sosh

Gage is not a typical problem. Could be the sending unit again or, a bad connection

GDawgC220

Is there anything I can do from home to try and revive it? such as possibly blown fuse? or hitting the cluster a few times to bring it back possibly?

I'm guessing if I don't have a jack or something, I can get to the fuel sender unit to see if the wiring is loose?

Thanks for the help man!

EDIT: Upon further inspection when the car came back. I shut off the engine and just stared at the gauge. When I turned the key into position one or two, it moves just a tiny bit, which signifies that the gauge itself isn't gone...i'm guessing the sender unit again? The empty light stays on and the trip computer flashes "FUEL". The car isn't gonna just stop and think it's out of gas, right? But then comes in the problem of when do I know if i'm running low or not :p

The car is out of warranty now...but I think this is a known problem from MB? Would they goodwill this job due to it's "known existance" of this problem?

LeeMI

My fuel gauge died on my '02 ML320 and it was a fuse. It happened right after a fill-up also. Should be a simple fix.

GDawgC220

I called my SA and asked him about it. He said if the gas cap isn't on tight, sometimes air gets in and can screw up the gauge as well, but he thinks its the fuel sending unit/sensor again. Booked an appointment for next friday, until then I will try some solutions to see if it fixes it.

I'll try your idea with the fuse, but the thing does move, so it is active (somewhat :p) --> what fuse do I pull (if you happen to remember).

i'll try the gas cap idea as well.

thanks guys.