Gas Gauge...I give up...

-
C

cooljjay

Proud Owner Of Christy
Joined
Dec 6, 2007
Messages
67
Reaction score
0
Location
vallejo, ca
I don't know but I feel like just selling my car, its a never ending problem. I went to get into the car yesterday to move it and no more fuel gauge. In July I just spent a godly sum to get a new float installed and put a new limiter on the gauge. All has been working fine. Now nothing. I looked at the limiter and the led is blinking telling me it is getting voltage and working fine. I don't know I give up...have no idea what the problem is now...anyone else experience this problem?
 
Did you check the ground strap on the sending unit? They break sometimes.
 
My gas gauge doesn't work at all in my 70 Dart, never has. The gas gauge not working seems like a minimal problem, definitely not one to sell your car over.
Also doesn't work in my 75 Ford, and with the 390 4bbl, I sure wish it did work!
Also only works half the time in my 65 Valiant, and it's a daily driver.
 
cooljjay said:
I don't know but I feel like just selling my car, its a never ending problem. I went to get into the car yesterday to move it and no more fuel gauge. In July I just spent a godly sum to get a new float installed and put a new limiter on the gauge. All has been working fine. Now nothing. I looked at the limiter and the led is blinking telling me it is getting voltage and working fine. I don't know I give up...have no idea what the problem is now...anyone else experience this problem?
Click to expand...



Make sure that the 3 (3/8ths) little thread cutting nuts (pic below) which hold the gauge onto the dash panel are clean of corrosion and fastened snugly.

av10669_color.jpg


You can see one of these nuts, the middle one, holding down the yellow wire in this pic. The other two are to the right and left. The right one is partially obscured by the picture edge.

typical%20chrysler%20application.JPG


Don't overtighten them, but do remove them, clean them up on some sandpaper and reintsall them securely.

NOTE: Remove the nuts only ONE AT A TIME, and replace. The nuts hold the fuel and temp gauge cluster in place and if it comes off completely, it can be a pain to put back in place...

I had a similar problem to yours in my '68 Dart.

I replaced the Voltage Limiter and the sender..but the problem would re-occur...Then a gent here told me about these little nuts and that took care of the issue for me.

I hope it works for you too...


--
 
After doing all of those things mine is still not reliable. My solution was to put in a speedometer with a trip odometer. I fill the tank and reset the odometer every time. I have an extra 120 MPH speedometer with the trip odometer if you want it.
 
I use a gas mileage calculator app on my Droid phone to track mileage...gas gauge goes to just under 3/4 when full and will ride on the E mark for a while before it is empty. just haven't gotten around to get it diagnosed and fixed, but it is most likely the ground strap on mine, or the sender, or quite possibly those nuts on the back of the cluster...
 
Sometimes the circuit board will malfunction also. My brother's Dart had the same problem so we wired the sending unit directly to the gauge & now it works. You may have to make your own ground strap as the factory piece was crap. I think we replaced those flimsy factory nuts with two real nuts & placed a eyelet for the sending unit between the two.
 
srduster340 said:
Sometimes the circuit board will malfunction also. My brother's Dart had the same problem so we wired the sending unit directly to the gauge & now it works. You may have to make your own ground strap as the factory piece was crap. I think we replaced those flimsy factory nuts with two real nuts & placed a eyelet for the sending unit between the two.
Click to expand...


You may want to rethink that one...You should have a voltage limiter there. It drops the voltage from 12VDC to 5VDC...

If you run a constant 12VDC to the gauge it could damage your fuel gauge and cause a short in your instrument panel...


There's some good reading here:

http://www.allpar.com/history/mopar/electrical2.html


---
 
I will play with the blots a little more, sure they may be the cluperate. I unscrewed them by hand and re tightened them but that didn't do it. I just wish you didn't have to disassemble half the car to remove the cluster on my mercedes the whole meter assemble just pops out...makes working on it sooo simple. I will jack the car up too and make sure everything is still connected on that end.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top