Fuel Gauge issues

[PeterCS]

My fuel gauge continues to give me troubles despite a new fuel sender and new wire connections to the gauge.
- it shows empty 90% of the time,
- seems to wake up occasionally and then go dead
- if i cross the wires, it is still inactive but the yellow empty light comes on
- all my fuses are good (but I do not know which one controls the gauge).

Any thoughts out there?

PeterCS
1982 315 Baur

[Jeroen]

Well if you replace the sender and wiring that doesn't leave much else than the instrument cluster, and especially the connector on the fuel gauge and the flexible circuit from connector to gauge. After the cluster has been removed a few times, and which one hasn't had this in so many years, that is a very likely possibility.

[PeterCS]

I am increasingly suspicious that my fuel gauge problem (always empty) is my new sending unit.

Can these sending units be taken apart?

Typical issues? Stuck float inside the cylinder?

Peter

[yatisr]

I bought a new fuel sending unit from a BMW dealer in Germany and it didn't work. I got a replacement from W&N, which worked. It is therefore entirely possible that a new fuel sending unit is not working as it should.
Yatis

[Jeroen]

Sounds like there could be issues with new examples as well then. Is yours from the dealer as well Peter? In any case, I'd take it back to the seller. BTW you could measure its resistance using a digital multimeter, compare measurements upright and upside down to confirm.