# fuel gauge not working right.



## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ories
so i just got a 02 225tt with 70k miles. paid 9k. im happy, but i just noticed the fuel gauge is effed. never shows full, and never goes empty.
i have since learned about instrument cluster issues with these cars. i found out in the car fax that the car had a new cluster put in it back in like 2006. 
so anyways, im thinking about sending it in to the ebay link for repairs. what do you people think or reccomend??


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## sims159915 (Jan 24, 2005)

*FV-QR*

before you do that. 
You might have dirty fuel senders in your gas tank. First try using Techron in your gas. Use it two tank fulls in a row. Follow the directions on the bottle. If that doesn't work take the senders out and clean them.
I use Techron every 3k miles and it has worked great so far. You can find it at any auto parts store.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: FV-QR (sims159915)*

thanks. i have had varnished senders in my race car's fuel cell before, but i thought OEM gas tanks wouldnt have problems with that because the sender is like a float attacked to a lever arm. Varnish wouldnt stop it from moving. 
ill still give it a shot though.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: FV-QR (speed51133!)*

i called the dealer, and records show that at about 40kmiles the cluseter and both senders were replaced. I am out of warantee for that and the recall is over.
SO...i gotta see if its the senders or the cluster. im going to try and get the cluster tested with vag com.


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## XXX 1.8T (Aug 10, 2002)

*Re: FV-QR (speed51133!)*

I had the same problem although my DIS was reading the wrong amount which means the sender was screwed.
So if your DIS reads the correct miles to empty then your dashpod is screwed. If the DIS is incorrect as well then its the sender.
One bottle of Techron fixed it all up for me but there are 2 senders 1 for first hald of tank and one for second half so maybe use 2 bottles 1 per fill up


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## roadyTT (Mar 28, 2006)

Check the "Miles until empty"...if it's right then the cluster is the problem...if it's wrong then it's your fuel senders.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (roadyTT)*

thanks for the tips, ill do that.
i also just found out the engine coolant temp gauge is not right.
it never reaches full temp (middle, straight up) but is like 2 hash maks below. probably the cluster, but ill check the miles till empty.
i also called the ebay people in the link. it includes a 5 year warantee and they only use new parts for repairs. you can get a new lcd also for like another 150$. they fix the gas, temp and speedo/tach, and also put in the newest chipset for the cluster with new software. also claim no immobilizer issues. for 150 seems like a steal.








here is a pic. this is right after a fillup and driving around for like 30min. the temp gauge wont go past that, and fuel wont go past that either.


_Modified by speed51133! at 10:24 AM 2-2-2010_


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## A4 1.8 Turbo (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: (speed51133!)*

My old 180 never used to reach full temp unless I was parked and sitting for a long long time withthe engine idling. now my 225 will stay dead middle whether i'm driving on the highway and its 20 degrees out, or if im idling. And i noticed that the 225 deff blows hotter heat. so i doubt your temp gauge is bad, probably a stuck open thermostat or something.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (A4 1.8 Turbo)*

yeah, i was wondering if maybe someone put a low temp thermostat or something???
anyways, im going to check the miles till empty, if thats wrong, cluster is gonna be taken out.


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## A4 1.8 Turbo (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: (speed51133!)*

if you do that ebay think, mark the screws with some discreet markings that only you would know about. This way you'll know if the cluster was "actually" taken appart and fixed! haha. and document the entire cluster with pics and all that. hell even mark the parts they claim to be replacing. this way when you get it back you know some work was actually done!
I paid for a full tire rotation once when i had my car in, and i still had autox markings on the tires, and noticed the shop never even rotated the tires and when i confronted them about it they just played the whole "must have been a mistake" game. lol


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## bauch1425 (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: (speed51133!)*

Check the coolant temperature on the climate control. Press the recirc and "up" arrow, then turn the temperature dial until you get to "49C" and press the recirc button again. This will give you the temperature read out. Should be around 90 deg C... if it's reading the correct temperature there but your cluster still reports a lower temperature, it's probably your cluster.
If they're both reading low (such as around 70 deg C) it's either your coolant temperature sensor or a thermostat stuck open. I've had both issues happen to me... luckily it's never actually been the gauge.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (bauch1425)*

thanks man, i really appreciate it.
edit,
do i hold down the recirc and "up" arrow ar the same time?
which arrow is the "up" arrow?


_Modified by speed51133! at 2:12 PM 2-2-2010_


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## BigBlackTiTTy (Sep 25, 2009)

this is a great thread, subscribed ..
how hard is it to change the fuel senders if they are dirty ?
and sounds like your thermostat is F***ed up,, (stuck open) do the thing bauch1425 said . that way u dont pay for a new thermo and its your gauge . and vice versa. 
im always worried about my gauge cluster, if you get the guys on ebay to fix it. please post on here your experience and inform us.. as i was thinking of using them too. and i will do the same , if my time comes first


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## A4 1.8 Turbo (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: (speed51133!)*


_Quote, originally posted by *speed51133!* »_thanks man, i really appreciate it.
edit,
do i hold down the recirc and "up" arrow ar the same time?
which arrow is the "up" arrow?

_Modified by speed51133! at 2:12 PM 2-2-2010_

yes the recirc and up arrow at the same time. The up arrow is on the right side of the climate control. The side that has up, vents, down.
I knew about this trick for the tt's, but i never thought to cross ref. that to the gauge readout! 
And your climate unit needs to be in the on position, you can't do this if its off.


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## sims159915 (Jan 24, 2005)

*FV-QR*

here is a tutorial:
http://www.wak-tt.com/climate/climatecodes.htm
ps: you should all bookmark this page:
http://www.wak-tt.com/











_Modified by sims159915 at 8:01 PM 2-2-2010_


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## tolovevwistohatevw (Nov 22, 2008)

*Re: FV-QR (sims159915)*

those links are very helpful , ive been using the speedometer on the ac system for about 2 months now till i can afford a cluster


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## A4 1.8 Turbo (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: FV-QR (tolovevwistohatevw)*


_Quote, originally posted by *tolovevwistohatevw* »_those links are very helpful , ive been using the speedometer on the ac system for about 2 months now till i can afford a cluster









Its in km/h, you know that right?! haha. otherwise you'de be driving balls slow all the time.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (bauch1425)*

according to that link above, its code 51


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## bauch1425 (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: (speed51133!)*

51 is not correct. That's a VERY rounded value. 49C will give you the accurate readout.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (bauch1425)*

but what about the ross tec page about??
49 Malfunction counter for speedometer (vehicle speed) signal 
edit:
ok, so i warmed the car and drove around with it set to 49 like you said.... lone and behold the temp gauge was working fine, and the lcd read anywhere from 87-92....
i dont get it...gremlins?
in other news, the lcd says i have 243 miles left to drive. the tank is full, and the gauge reads i have 3/4 full.
according to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG...shtml
the tt has 284 miles to a tank.
so the cluster is about right for a 3/4 full tank....
must be the senders???/
am i correct here?


_Modified by speed51133! at 7:14 PM 2-2-2010_


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## BigBlackTiTTy (Sep 25, 2009)

so now your temp is fine ...on your cluster? or using the climatronic unit ?
and your gas is fine too, or it still says 3/4 full when you know its 4/4 full tank ??
try running it until your gas light comes on , then put in some octaine booster or some liquimolly cleaner additive , 
my gf 05 mk4 gli did this ,but i think its because ****ty gas was in the tank and it sat for a realllllllly long time , i got some additves to put in to maybe help out the fuel sender.. thinking that might be it. it started out 3/4 full. then its slowly showing more and more each fill up.so who knows...


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (BigBlackTiTTy)*

the cluster was showing a reading matching the climatronic. the needle was straight up and down and the climatronic was right around 190.
the needle WAS incorrect earlier today though, as I was driving all around town and it was never straight up and down.
the gas gauge is still wrong. showing 3/4 tank, and it is full.
the car may have had crap gas in it for a while. it had been in a dealers lot since november.


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## A4 1.8 Turbo (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: (speed51133!)*

Another thing to consider is that the TT's gas nozzle hole thinger does vapor lock pretty quickly thus clicking off the gas pump. a full tank should put you around 14 gallons if your filling from empty.


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## bauch1425 (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: (A4 1.8 Turbo)*

Continue to monitor your climate control reading while driving around. My issues were intermittent as well. I'd start out replacing your temperature coolant sensor if you do find any misreadings, and if that doesn't solve it, the thermostat. 
As far as your gas gauge goes, I'm not really following... if your tank is really full, and your center display is reading ~245 miles until empty and your gauge is showing 3/4... then I'd say senders - try some techron to a full tank like everyone has already said. My own TT reads 1/4 above full, but the center display always reads the correct miles until empty - so in my case, it's my cluster. Also, you should be getting quite a bit more than ~280 miles per tank... I don't know what that EPA rating is from. I usually get around 380 miles per tank mixed city and highway driving - and I don't drive like a grandma (unfortunately judging by my 4 speeding tickets since June of '09...)


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## A4 1.8 Turbo (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: (bauch1425)*

another thing with that miles remaining readout, it is dependent upon how hard your driving. like if you fill the car an hop on the highway it'll say differently that if you fill it and are driving city/urban.


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## BigBlackTiTTy (Sep 25, 2009)

speed .... 
ok same thing with my lady's gli. . it sat on a lot for like 6 months we figure, plus they prolly didnt put great gas in it. and we/she have had it for like 6months now (weve put 2k miles on it) and its just starting act normal . i know its not the cluster. but its down to the
the tank cuts off your fuel filling premature, because we usually fill from an empty tank. 
and the fuel senders are prob dirty . 
just to see if it is.. fill up the tank. drive fora bit or wait a day. then go and fill up again. see how much more you put in the tank. if any.
i filled it from empty. clicked off, said only 3/4 full drove for a day then filled up again and i got a few more bucks in it, and its dead even with the full mark.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (BigBlackTiTTy)*

looks like the same here....
i put in 2 bottles of techtron or whatever its called in the tank with premium gas. after a few days the needle has gone up a LITTLE.
i then topped off the tank as much as i could and got 2 gallons in there.
its ALMOST full on the gauge now. i think ill just run it till half empty and then take out the pumps and really clean off the contacts of the senders with contact cleaner.
i just read all the issues about clusters with tt's and started thinking i was effed.


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## A4 1.8 Turbo (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: (speed51133!)*

good luck and keep us posted!


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## BigBlackTiTTy (Sep 25, 2009)

ya good luck


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## Minibabe (Jul 5, 2006)

*Re: (A4 1.8 Turbo)*


_Quote, originally posted by *A4 1.8 Turbo* »_Another thing to consider is that the TT's gas nozzle hole thinger does vapor lock pretty quickly thus clicking off the gas pump. a full tank should put you around 14 gallons if your filling from empty. 

really.....because when I fill my TT from empty i am putting almost 17 gallons in








my gas gauge is broken also.....my miles to empty is about +/-20 miles does that mean it could be the sender or could it be the cluster?


_Modified by Minibabe at 8:46 AM 2-4-2010_


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## skitzafit (Nov 17, 2008)

I'm having similar issues. I hope you get your's resolved. Does anyone have the part number for the fuel sender?


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (skitzafit)*

i have the etka. ill post screen shots of the fuel senders when im home from work.
fyi...there are 2 senders. one on left side, one on the right. only one side can you buy just the sender, on the other side you have to buy the sender/pump assembly.
the sender is about 100$ and the sender/pump is like 160. (new).
this is from a random car parts place.
i only have taken out the back bench and unscrewed the fuel plates. you need to unscrew a big plastic ring to get to each sender. They sell a special spanner wrench to do this, but with a screw driver and hammer ive done it before (on my vw).
ill try to take a bunch of iphone pics and post it when i do it as i dont see any writeup here.
here is a parts list:
you need 2 new gaskets once you unscrew the plastic ring:
http://www.partstrain.com/stor...v4ine
then on this page, you need one for the left tank and one for the right (note the engine code. i have a 225 tt so i need AMU engine).
http://www.partsgeek.com/gbpro...+Base
OR if you want to go through it try just buying this:
http://www.globaltestsupply.co....html
and clean the contacts real well on the sender.

_Modified by speed51133! at 10:02 AM 2-4-2010_

_Modified by speed51133! at 10:03 AM 2-4-2010_


_Modified by speed51133! at 10:04 AM 2-4-2010_


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## A4 1.8 Turbo (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: (Minibabe)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Minibabe* »_
really.....because when I fill my TT from empty i am putting almost 17 gallons in








my gas gauge is broken also.....my miles to empty is about +/-20 miles does that mean it could be the sender or could it be the cluster?

_Modified by Minibabe at 8:46 AM 2-4-2010_

17?! damn, i've never put that much in, you must be running it very very very low!!!!







http://www.audiworld.com/model...shtml
that link has the fuel capacity for fwd and quattro tt's, not the 3.2 tho. 


_Modified by A4 1.8 Turbo at 1:58 PM 2/4/2010_


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (A4 1.8 Turbo)*

http://www.internetautoguide.c....html
http://www.4wdonline.com/Audi/TT/TT.html
they both state the mk1 tt has 62 liters...thats 16.3 gallons.
so you could possible top it off over and over again to get fuel pouring out of the filler kneck to get another .7 gallon....but you had to drive it to the station.....sooo....idk
_Modified by speed51133! at 11:20 AM 2-4-2010_


_Modified by speed51133! at 11:25 AM 2-4-2010_


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## bauch1425 (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: (speed51133!)*

You're getting screwed if you're putting close to 17 gallons in. The TT quattro tank is 16.3 gallons as other people have already stated... the most I've ever gotten in after driving around on "0mi" left for probably 10/15 miles was 15.6 gallons.


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## A4 1.8 Turbo (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: (bauch1425)*

15.1 gallons is my record. I dont like to let it get low. I can only imagine the crap it would suck. lol.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (speed51133!)*









you will need item #12 and 13
the gasket is #14 (need 2 of them)


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## A4 1.8 Turbo (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: (speed51133!)*

^^mmmmmmm vag etka! sooo nice. I forgot I owned this software, installing it now.


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## BigBlackTiTTy (Sep 25, 2009)

ok.. in that etka pic... i understand the bottom tank is the quattro one , , is the top one the FWD one,,, and does that just have one sender ?


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (BigBlackTiTTy)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BigBlackTiTTy* »_ok.. in that etka pic... i understand the bottom tank is the quattro one , , is the top one the FWD one,,, and does that just have one sender ?


100% correct. the tt has "two tanks" and a transfer pump to send fuel from the second to the first. really its the same tank but a LARGE hump in it for the quattro drive shaft makes it not flow accross, thus the transfer pump. it uses two senders and takes like an average of the two to display how much fuel you have on the cluster.


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## A4 1.8 Turbo (Feb 28, 2005)

*Re: (speed51133!)*


_Quote, originally posted by *speed51133!* »_
100% correct. the tt has "two tanks" and a transfer pump to send fuel from the second to the first. really its the same tank but a LARGE hump in it for the quattro drive shaft makes it not flow accross, thus the transfer pump. it uses two senders and takes like an average of the two to display how much fuel you have on the cluster.

And according to engineering principles of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid), this is why the tt's have so many damn problems with the fuel levels. The calculations the vdo has to perform just for fuel level is like 10x that of what a honda's whole ecu does! lol


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

*Re: (A4 1.8 Turbo)*

thats why on my VW i ripped out everything seen in the picture, and welded in an aluminum box with an external pump and one sender in the middle that has NO moving parts. never had problems.
http://www.fuelsafe.com/pdf/custom.pdf
of corse a fuel safe custom cell will probably be a few grand....


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