Hi all,

L322 2012 TDV8 4.4

Having issues with fuel gauge.

Remaining fuel has been showing approximately 280 miles range. That is correct. Car fully refuelled recently and all ok.

Today range went from 280 to 88, 58, 33 or similar. Needle dropped to approximately quarter tank. Pulled over. Switched off. No obvious fuel loss etc.

Restart. Back to range of 280. All good.

20 minutes later same thing. Restarts are making no difference. Showing a range about 90 miles.

Your thoughts as always greatly appreciated,

Steve 4.4 TDV8 Sumatra Black + Ivory Leather

https://www.fullfatrr.com/gallery/albums/u...6294~1.pdf

Before you even get that far with trying to affect the fix on the technical bulletin, just try and clean the contacts as that’s free.

I had exactly the same issue and just by trying to clear the corrosion from the plug pins, my fuel sender signal is now fine. Check out the post here with more details. https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/post660069.html#660069 The big question is which fuel sender is causing the problem as one is much easier to access than the other!

If, however, that doesn’t resolve it, then Rambles is right and you’ll need to try the fix in the TB, or possibly get a brand new fuel sender. Andy

2010 4.4TDV8 Vogue SE in Santorini Black with Ivory interior
2017 Audi SQ5 3.0 V6T Quattro in Volcano Red
2001 Audi Allroad 2.5 TDI manual with low-range in Highland Green. Currently SORN whilst undergoing some serious restoration!

Thanks for the replies.

I am due to do a long trip into Scotland early July. Obviously I am trying to get it booked into my local indy to run a diagnostic and rectify the issue as soon as possible.

How long have I got with this fault?
What are the implications if I can't get it rectified before Scotland trip?

Steve 4.4 TDV8 Sumatra Black + Ivory Leather

Steve, you could run it like this indefinitely as long as you kept a track of your miles and filled up whenever you might be getting down to ¼ or so to not run out. I’d imagine 400 miles would be easily achieved from full and without concern as long as you’re not driving like a loon or only doing city miles. 400 miles would be approx 17.5mpg so you could theoretically do a lot more before getting close to empty.

However, before you start spending money, you could easily try and fix this yourself for no cost and only an hour of your time! Worst case, you having a go doesn’t solve it and then you can take it to a garage and let them troubleshoot properly. Best case, you save yourself hundreds for no more effort than disconnecting and reconnecting the wiring plug a few times to clean the contacts. It’s really not difficult to access the sender connection in the tank that is likely the cause of your problem. Have you read through the suggested threads above? Andy

2010 4.4TDV8 Vogue SE in Santorini Black with Ivory interior
2017 Audi SQ5 3.0 V6T Quattro in Volcano Red
2001 Audi Allroad 2.5 TDI manual with low-range in Highland Green. Currently SORN whilst undergoing some serious restoration!

Hi Andy. Thanks for your help with this.
Yes I did look through the material. I’m pretty hopeless with all things like this. But I will re read and might have a go.

One way or another I will get it fixed. My main concern was with the overland trip into Scotland ( and the adventure bike festival on 22,23,24 June and whether the readings might affect the management system telling the car it’s out of fuel.

But you have convinced me I can run it indefinitely so that’s great. I won’t do that, I will get it sorted!

Thanks Andy

S 4.4 TDV8 Sumatra Black + Ivory Leather

The big problem with running it like this is that when the faulty sender gives up and reads zero the car will go into limp mode then shut down totally to protect the high pressure fuel pump from running dry and destroying itself.
When mine failed I got an adjustable resistor and wired it across the terminals on the sender until I found time to fix the problem properly.

It's literally a half hour fix - at least that's what it took me having not done it before.

Unbolt seat brackets, pull up carpet and tie it up out of the way. Unclip wires and fuel lines, remove sender, cut wires, solder and heatshrink. Reverse process.

Just better if the tank is actually low so you don't drip fuel everywhere when pulling out the wires. Ed

Thanks for the replies thus far.

Wow there really is so much conflicting advice on this.

(It’s being looked at on 15th June during an unrelated warranty job)

But I have had as many people say it doesn’t matter, just keep it fuelled and it will be fine. Others say the opposite…..

That the car will shut down etc.

A very reputable dealer has told me not too worry, just keep it fuelled (but get it sorted if it bothers you)

At the moment it’s reading correctly. I drove to my nearest LR main dealership on Wednesday. The range to empty was reading 90. The assistant asked me to drive into their swanky undercover area for inspection. I kid you not, as I drove in, the gauge to empty went up to 285 miles and the needle returned to approximately 3/4 full! 4.4 TDV8 Sumatra Black + Ivory Leather

If the sender fails and decides to read empty your car WILL shutdown. Many cars wont but if anyone tells you that a 4.4 TDV8 doesn't then they haven't had a 4.4 TDV8 with a faulty sender unit that failed with an empty signal.
You could drive it forever and not have an issue or you could get stuck somewhere very inconvenient.

I got reassured it would be fine when my gauge started reading wrong . The car shutdown 120 miles into my journey towing a caravan all very inconvenient.
I repaired it myself , it was the loom connector on the tank with mine , the faulty crimps had already been soldered before me .
So don’t chance it like I did would be my advice. 2011 tdv8 4.4 vogue Santorini black

This is so frustrating.
How can there be entirely opposite advice on this?

Both reputable independent garages and users of this forum have completely polar opposite views 🧐🧐🧐🧐

What’s the ACTUAL 100% outcome of this, if I don’t get it seen to?

(PS…..it is getting seen to shortly)

S 4.4 TDV8 Sumatra Black + Ivory Leather

What's the conflicting advice?

If you have an erratic fuel gauge then you have a dodgy connection to the sender / dodgy sender. Simple as that.

Experience (and LRs own advice) is that it is almost always the connection in the fuel tank, this can be fixed by deleting the connection and replacing them with soldered joints. The instrument pack gets the fuel kevel by smoothing out a resistive measurement from the sender, it can't tell if that reading is because of a genuinely low tank or because of dodgy wiring.

To the poster who said the fix didn't work then I'm afraid it was done badly, how do you think electrical connections are made inside the tank if not soldered and/or crimped? Adhesive heatshrink tubing like I used is not susceptible to being broken down by diesel and with the glue inside once set after heating is extremely unlikely to let fuel even near the soldered joint. Ed

EOD Steve wrote:

This is so frustrating.
How can there be entirely opposite advice on this?

Both reputable independent garages and users of this forum have completely polar opposite views 🧐🧐🧐🧐

What’s the ACTUAL 100% outcome of this, if I don’t get it seen to?

(PS…..it is getting seen to shortly)

S

Thanks once again for the help chaps.
I am very grateful.

Cass; your advice is very clear, thank you.
However others, either face to face, over the phone, or on here, is also very clear.

My dilemma was trying to decide which school of thought to embrace.

I am getting it seen on 15 June. Last few days it has worked correctly.
Drove to work last night and just as I got there, it went back to about 1/4 tank, from 3/4.

This morning back at 3/4…..

I agree with those who are saying that should the sender indicate no fuel per se, then it will do what it’s designed to do and prevent any damage.

I have a 1000 + mile overland trip soon including the NC500 and I am a bit worried. I can’t get it seen any earlier.

Kindest regards

S 4.4 TDV8 Sumatra Black + Ivory Leather