2006 S60 Fuel Gauge Stops Working

jseah · Post by **jseah** » 25 May 2009, 23:33

When I start the car up, the fuel gauge in the dash registers the fuel level, however after driving for about 5-10 minutes, the fuel level on the gauge will drop down to empty (the low fuel light doesn't come on). If the fuel level in the tank drops below 1/4 tank, then the fuel gauge shows the proper amount of fuel remaining in the tank.

I do reset my trip odometer at every fill up, so I have a pretty confident feel of how much gas I have and don't really need to rely on the fuel gauge, but it would be nice for it to actually work.

Since it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, I don't think it is a blown fuse. Could it be a faulty fuel sending unit? How much can I expect to have to pay the dealer to fix this?

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 26 May 2009, 10:51

It wouldn't be a fuse - then the gauge wouldn't work at all. It might be the sending unit in the tank - if so, expect to pay several hundred dollars to have it fixed.

Post by **VCA** » 27 May 2009, 08:02

vegasjetskier wrote:It wouldn't be a fuse - then the gauge wouldn't work at all. It might be the sending unit in the tank - if so, expect to pay several hundred dollars to have it fixed.

It's either the sending unit or the REM (rear electronic module). I would bet that ohming out the sensor after the gauge drops will show extremely low resistance/a short. Problem on this car is that a final diagnosis will require a Volvo code reader, since it will log one or more CEM-4AXX and REM-4AXX codes when it detects a bad fuel level sender. There is a procedure for checking voltage between pins on the CEM, but I do not have the wiring diagram for your car so I do not know the correct pins on the CEM's harness connector--anyway, the voltage should be between 0.54 and 3.96V, with higher voltages the emptier the tank is.

EDIT: Oh, and you know the fact that the low fuel light doesn't come on? That's pretty much confirmed that the electronic control modules are substituting a zero value because they found a fault. There's almost assuredly a fault code or multiple codes logged.

jseah · Post by **jseah** » 27 May 2009, 19:40

Thanks for the info. Yeah, the low fuel light doesn't come on. The weird thing, like I said, is that once the fuel level falls below 1/4 tank, the gauge starts working properly again. When this first started happening about 3 months ago, the fuel gauge worked except for between 1/2 tank and 3/4 tank. Then it started when the tank was full. Then the period of time it didn't work stretched out down to 1/4 tank.

When I was at the Volvo dealer yesterday picking up a replacement fog lamp, I asked the guy at the parts counter and he suggested that it might be a software problem and I should have the service department check into it. I'm debating whether I should have the dealer look at it, or another mechanic.

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 27 May 2009, 20:24

Sounds to me like the sending unit is going out.

Post by **VCA** » 28 May 2009, 05:47

vegasjetskier wrote:Sounds to me like the sending unit is going out.

+1 (I can't believe I wrote what I wrote without saying that outright...I mustn't post when tired)

jseah · Post by **jseah** » 28 May 2009, 11:25

Called a local Volvo mechanic (as luck would have it, his shop deals solely with Volvos and it is less than 5 miles from my house) and he suggested that I go to the dealer and bitch and scream in the hopes that they might give me a break on the repair. He quoted me a price of $400 just for the part itself before considering the cost of 2 hours of labor.

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 28 May 2009, 11:53

jseah wrote:Called a local Volvo mechanic (as luck would have it, his shop deals solely with Volvos and it is less than 5 miles from my house) and he suggested that I go to the dealer and bitch and scream in the hopes that they might give me a break on the repair. He quoted me a price of $400 just for the part itself before considering the cost of 2 hours of labor.

I don't understand. Why does your mechanic want you to bitch and scream at the dealer? Did you have some work done by the dealer that might have broken the fuel sender?

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 28 May 2009, 12:09

You can buy the part for $77 here: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ ... eid=213784

or $66 here: http://www.tascafordparts.com

Search for part #8683142

Make sure you give them all the info about your car to ensure you get the correct part.

Then either install it yourself or pay the mechanic the 2 hours labor.

jseah · Post by **jseah** » 28 May 2009, 17:51

vegasjetskier wrote:
jseah wrote:Called a local Volvo mechanic (as luck would have it, his shop deals solely with Volvos and it is less than 5 miles from my house) and he suggested that I go to the dealer and bitch and scream in the hopes that they might give me a break on the repair. He quoted me a price of $400 just for the part itself before considering the cost of 2 hours of labor.
I don't understand. Why does your mechanic want you to bitch and scream at the dealer? Did you have some work done by the dealer that might have broken the fuel sender?

I've never actually used this mechanic before. My car is a 2006 and it has 60k miles on it, so the mechanic suggested that if I can get the dealer to repair it for cheap (or free) since the mileage isn't too far past the warranty period, it would be better than paying him "full price" for the repair. However, I bought the car used last year, so I don't think the original warranty would apply to me (even if I wasn't over on the mileage).