RA003E

Yesterday, my '02 A4 ran out of gas and stopped in the middle of the road.

It wasn't my fault. The fuel guage was clearly showing that there was still 1/4 tank of gas left!

Anyways, how easy/hard is this fuel guage fix? Will my dealer know how to fix it properly?

P.S. The check engine (MIL) light remained on for the next 5 hours or so, and then went off. Should I be concerned about it?

Cat-Man

how about the center display? did it say there were more miles till fillup?

docjan_uk

shouldnt run the A4 untill empty, it could damage the engine, and the catalytic converter due to unburnt fuel, could be costly to repair, since this is a fuel gauge prob, you should maybe get them to check out that above mentioned "for free", as it could have been damaged through no fault of your own.

audichrisl

It is normal for the mil to come on when the car runs out of gas. The computer assumes that there is gas in the tank so when the car runs out of gas it thinks that for some unexplained the engine is running too lean ie: not enough fuel. So the mil comes on. The 98-2000 A6Q had a BIG fuel guage problem, mulitple recalls. Hope this is an isolated case.
Chris

docjan_uk

indeed, however, modern cars should not be run on empty... theres a small chance the catalytic converter could be messed up... and that babies expensive!

RA003E

no low fuel warning light either... of course...

Bob Petruska

Why the engine is lean, not rich mixture?

audichrisl

if you run out of gas...... there is no fuel but just as much air, ergo lean mixture

audichrisl

converter damage will typically occur from a rich mixture ie too much fuel, a lean mixture will not damage a converter unless the condition lasts for a long time, as in 20 to 30 hours of running time

calberto

Ergo?