My 145000 mile 2001 V70 recently had to have it's fuel pump changed related to a cracked housing with a strong fuel smell and dripping fuel on the ground when running. I had a local independent shop do the work at a HUGE savings when compared to the local stealer (cost of the local shop installed equaled the cost of the local dealer for just the pump).

Shortly after that time, my fuel gauge began performing oddly. It will only read up through the 1/4 to 3/4 full ranges. I went to fill up my car showing an odd number of miles on the tank yet 1/4 full and put 19.4 gallons of fuel in my 21 gallon tank. No low fuel light came on. Thankfully I wasn't planning on going far that day

The car is back in the shop where the mechanic found the left side fuel level sending unit is bad. The mechanic hooked up a potentiometer and found the meter jumping all over the place. Quoted me $216 for total parts and labor using after-market parts (he is also a bosch distributor).

Before I get through this year, I'm going to have a like-new car..... new lower control arms, ball joints, PCV system, fuel pump, fuel sending unit.... hmmmm wonder what is going to break next. I think I'm catching up on a lot of items that persuaded the prior owner to sell this car to me last fall

 

Are they 100% sure they did not have the float tangled on the wiring and hoses from the pump assembly?

 

From the biker's world a suggestion. You have a working trip meter? If so, reset it every time you fill up. Your car should go XXX miles on a tank. And be conservative in range estimation. Pain in the a** but its free. Most bikes, at least until very recent years, have no fuel gauges. They do have "reserve" settings on their fuel petcocks (unlike Volvos) but the trip meter method has the benefit of being free.

Good luck to you. I know the feeling of dred when the fix or sell dilemma occurs.

 

They replaced the sending unit and all works great so far. Paying $264 total is cheaper than the worry I'd have about my wife and two daughters stuck stranded in the TX heat with a car that ran out of fuel while waiting on a tow truck.

 

It was explained to met that this was not very likely since the float is built into the new pump, and not sitting outside the pump.

 

Then someone made a new setup that I have never seen they always have the float outside. And there is 2 of them so the chances are one could have been hung up and not sweeping right.