I can't think of a legitimate reason for putting fusible links inside a fuel gauge. External fuses do the trick just fine, and a fusible link would require the gauge to be opened up and repaired every time there was an over-current condition.

You new gauge may be reading open because it's transistorized. You won't be able to measure resistance across a diode. On the other hand, it might be faulty.

You can check it easily enough if you have the parts. Connect the gauge to a battery source and to a well grounded sending unit. (Make sure the sending unit has the right resistance for that gauge!) Then move the float mechanism up and down. The gauge should read as you would expect; full when the float is at the top, empty when it's at the bottom.

If you don't have a sending unit, you can probably get a rheostat with the right resistance at Radio Shack or any electronics parts store. Or you can buy a selection of resistors that would simulate various fuel levels from empty to full and connect them one at a time (between ground and the fuel sending unit connector of the gauge.

Paul Schmehl CI 6
geek@stovebolt.com
Stovebolt Staff: Geek