Got the fuel gauge to move!

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GermzD74

GermzD74

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Well the gas gauge hasnt worked ever since I bought the car...

Great news! Got it to move! lol
I am so close to being able to drive the dart to work once again!
I sure miss it!


But I have one problem with it!!!

I took out the instrument cluster, to check the gauge out...everything was okay, tightened the gauge lock nuts a little bit, along with the temp. gauge ones...the gauge now moves, but there seems to be a problem

The temp and fuel gauge needles go all the way up!!!

So I untighten the lock nuts a lil bit and the gauge's screws, tured on the ignition half way and the temp gauge stayed put and the fuel gauge seemed to stop where it should...so I turn the dart on and then the lights...and bam! The needles go up all the way again...

I dont want to mess it all up nor waste time, what am I doing wrong!? How tight should the nuts be, or...is something on backwards? A wire not pluged in all the way in?

Or maybe its the red and black amp wires...I put them back on, and hand tightened them only...IM SO CLOSE! :cheers:
 
Being both Gas and Temp I think your Voltage Limiter (behind your cluster) is not grounded correctly or shorting out.

The Voltage Limiter is a device that takes the voltage from the battery and turns it into a series of brief voltage pulses. The periods of on time is short and the off time is long. By pulsing the voltage, the sending units can remain cool. If the voltage limiter would fail, it could cause both gauges to completely fail and not move off the left peg or...

The limiter could also be shorted, this would cause the gauges to go all the way to the right at the same time the steady voltage would could over heat the sending units.

You could try a fix by trying another one or pull it off the cluster and put a piece of paper between the limiter's pins and cluster to ensure there's no short on the cluster.....however, make sure all pins are in contact. Also...ensure your cluster is ground!!
 
Where gauges are pegged in run the limiter is bad.
Full system voltage will fry the gauges. Can cause a fire too.
 
69signetv8 said:
Being both Gas and Temp I think your Voltage Limiter (behind your cluster) is not grounded correctly or shorting out.

The Voltage Limiter is a device that takes the voltage from the battery and turns it into a series of brief voltage pulses. The periods of on time is short and the off time is long. By pulsing the voltage, the sending units can remain cool. If the voltage limiter would fail, it could cause both gauges to completely fail and not move off the left peg or...

The limiter could also be shorted, this would cause the gauges to go all the way to the right at the same time the steady voltage would could over heat the sending units.

You could try a fix by trying another one or pull it off the cluster and put a piece of paper between the limiter's pins and cluster to ensure there's no short on the cluster.....however, make sure all pins are in contact. Also...ensure your cluster is ground!!
Click to expand...


Hmmmm, very interesting, and I very munch thank you!

Here is what I will try tomorrow...I read, that the ground for these clusters are the metal spacers on the back of the bottom 3 screw holes, which make contact with the dash...well guess what...I had no screws in there at all haha

I will try that tomorrow, and if the problem persists I will no longer turn in on until I check that voltage limiter...dont want to fry my board!
Whats a good way to know it is the Voltage Limiter thats bad? I read you need to take the voltage reading, if its 12v, its bad...
If I do need a Voltage Limiter, where can I get one?
 
Did you try the gauges with the gauge cluster unbolted from the dash?? If so it wasn't grounded and it will do the funky gauge dance to as it tries to find ground thru your senders.
 
cluster needs to be secured to dash to ground it. Don't let the guages "peg" too long, or they'll fry!
 
I have an extra voltage limiter i bought off ebay. I will be in your area this weekend prolly for fathers day. Let me know if you want it. I would only want what i paid for it minus shipping.
 
i got my voltage limiter from the paddock
 
So what did you ever find out about this? i'm having a very similar problem with mine...... temp and fuel gauges not working....
 
well my temp gauge problem was as simple as the $4.99 temperature sensor and tonight i'll try to tackle the fuel gauge.
 
My fuel & temp gauge didn't work when I bought my dart, I drove it for about an hour before i got fed up with it... I took my cluster to work and bench tested all the gauges to make sure they worked before i started buying parts!!

TESTING IS THE KEY!!!
It'll save you TIME and MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!
I learned that the hard way with all my other cars, It only took about 5,000 times of me hearing it before i actually listened to my dad!!!

Turns out my fuel sending unit was messed up and I finally found a new unit on the internet after days of searching with no luck...
I finally found it on the net the hour AFTER i had just fixed mine....

Go figure!!!

My temp guage still doesn't work though, lol!
 
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