Hey guys,
Thanks for the all of the GREAT help on this problem. Looking through past post, I see this is a common problem on the gauges not reading.
Now, if I am not completly lost. One wire on the back of the gauge is a (+) positve from probably the switch. The other is a (-) (if you will)variable resistance ground and goes to the terminal on the sending and depending on where the float is on the sending unit it applies more or less resitance to the gauge to make the gauge read whatever the fuel level is in the tank. Now that would make sense to me, if it's right or not, I'll find that out!
I am assuming there is NO positive voltage going to the sending unit in the tank at all, for the simple fact in preventing a explosion if something were short out inside the tank. Being right behind my back, I'm glad of that, lol
I have checked the brown wire from the sending unit to the gauge terminal and it's checks good then I checked the ground wire at the tank and it checks out. Then I went and grounded out the wire going to the sending unit, with the ign. swith ON, the gauge did not move. I'm thinking the gauge is probably bad.
I arrived at an idea today at work to put a 6 volt battery out of my 8N back in the truck just to see if by chance that would cure anything, it did not.
I am going to take out the sending unit check that,(that is if I can find a clutch drive bit, I just HATE them suckers) I would just use an ohm meter and measure the resitance as I move the float up and down?
I am alomst 99.9 percent convinced that both my guage and sending unit is bad. Due to the higher voltage from the 12 volt battery on the guage and probable rust in the sending unit from sitting so many years.
I'm thinking that Chevrolet didn't start using 12 volts system until 1955 or 56, so can I still use this 1960 Chevy bus fuel gauge that I have and will look like the original and fit in my 54 cluster that is already 12 volts with a new sending unit? Will the two of them be compatable with one another? if not and since I am going to keep it on the 12 volt system, should I buy a rebuilt fuel gauge for a 54 and install a resistor on the Pos side of the gauge to drop the voltage back down to 6 volts?
John Niekamp
