Fuel Gauge

[Russ69Runner]

Did you ever get a new gauge. I would say you have had one hell of a time with this.

 

[Rumrunner]

I did not get a new gauge. I've tested it the way the manual says to and from the battery ground to connection under the kick plate and the gauge appears to work. that is, it goes up to full then drops back down when released.
Could the gauge read the SU but not correctly? I hate to throw more dollars after this on just a guess, but if this is possible?
About the RTE limiter, the old limiters if they go out could do a lot of damage to the gauge cluster. $50 is cheap insurance to protect this and it's a quick change out once you've contorted yourself upside down under the clutch pedal.

 

[69hemibeep]

Does the gauge make a full sweep when you ground the wire back at the tank? Just want to eliminate a problem between the tank and kick panel. Sounds as if the gauge is good!

 

[Russ69Runner]

Where are you getting the sending units from. Just don't know why this is giving you so much trouble. The sending unit works on the coil in it for resistance to ground. Never had to bend the stops on the float arm. Sure, hope you get it working like you want. I keep thinking some where you are not getting the right feed or ground to the unit.

 

[Rumrunner]

Thanks for hanging with me on this.

The sending Unit is such a simple item I don't see how they could ever go bad except if teh wire or striker broke. I have checked the resistance on the last three units and they read pretty much the same on Ohms.
When I ground the wire at the tank the gauge goes up, in a jumping manner, to full. Yesterday I put the SU in the tank and the gauge jumping, went up to empty. (Progress) Today I added five gallons and the gauge would only jump up to empty. I'm back to thinking the gauge isn't working properly. Next, I will re-check the wire from the tank to the battery ground then clean up the year of S--- I've accumulated behind the shop, pull the car out, take it down and fill it up. If the gauge works like it did out of the car, I'm going to put this to rest, until it starts bugging me, again.

 

[Carl Ray]

Put your ohm meter on the sending unit, outside the tank. Raise the float slowly, does the resistance level raise or lower smoothly? It's very possible the wiper on the arm is losing contact part way during the sweep.

 

[Russ69Runner]

After all the chasing on the sending unit plus dollars spent. For the heck of it I would have bought a new gauge. I bought one sending unit and it worked just had to adjust the pickup tube for the fuel in my tank it needed to be more towards the front of the tank where the bottom was flat. Instead of being on the rise of the tank towards the filler neck. That is all I did with the sending unit. The gauge is fed from the printed circuit on the back of the dash cluster. If I remember right. I would research where the power is coming from like the wiring harness. Had also bought a new under dash wiring harness. If the gauge has wire connectors, then could be the wire coming to it. The problem could be in the spade that hooks too the unit. Bad connections are your worst enemy. Hope it all works out for you. Keep us up on the progress.

 

[69hemibeep]

Be sure to give these gauges time to report the level they are very slow.

 

[69hemibeep]

If the gauge is not jumpy when grounded at the kick panel it tells me that you either have a bad ground at the tank or the wire from the kick panel to the tank is going bad or the connector at the tank is dirty.

 

[Russ69Runner]

I also ordered the wire that runs from the dash also or kick panel to the trunk. The wire that runs along the floorboard has been known to get damaged. It also runs up the inner wheel tube are at the back seat the through the trunk through a rubber gromet to tank. That could be a place where wire could be chafed or broken. The wire could be broken in the insulation, and you can't see it. I agree with what is stated clean connections.

 

[Rumrunner]

You'll love this.
As stated before, SU out of the tank float in full position, gauge read full and dropped to empty when float was moved to 3/4.
In the tank, filled up with gas the gauge reads 3/8 of a tank. When I came to a stop, the gauge would move up to 3/4 then slowly move back to 3/8 after stopped. Stopped at another gas station after driving a while and it would only accept another 1.2 gal. with gas pouring out of the filler neck.
FM
F------ Mystery.
The picture below is of me when I started working on this and how i am now!

 

[Russ69Runner]

That is a good one. When we are older don't have that many years left to be held up by parts that don't work right. Thought would never get my runner done. Never every put that many years into a project before. Of course, built a three-wheel trike but with a Harley sportster motor. It has been and off and on-again project. It is drivable but not finished. LOL. Hope you get that darn thing figured out. Mine read full when the pump kicks off. When driving it does not go up and down. Did drive the car till it almost showed empty and filled up. I had a few gallons left in the tank if you figure it is supposed to be a 19 gallon tank. Put 14 gallons of fuel in it. Fuel sloshing from side to side might make it starve for fuel if any less was in the tank.

 

[Carl Ray]

Ohm one of your spare sending units throughout the range. Takes gauge out of picture.