The fuel gauge on my son's '96 Eagle Vision TSI (3.5L, 90K miles) occasionally loses sanity and shows "empty" when it is not. I am guessing that this is likely caused by a dirty or defective fuel sender. The FSM seems to show this is relatively easy to access through a cover behind the rear seat in the trunk.
Before I open this up, I was hoping to get a few simple answers from someone who may have already had experience with a fuel sender on this vehicle.
My questions:
- Will I need a new access cover gasket or can the old gasket be re-used?
- Can the fuel sender unit be cleaned/repaired or should I plan to acquire a replacement in advance?
- Can the fuel inlet strainer be cleaned or is it a replaceable part?
- What other work is appropriate when the fuel sender module is removed?
Thanks in advance for all responses since I'd like to plan before executing since at this point the intermittent fault is just an annoyance and does not affect drivability.
Bob