I fixed my fuel gauge problem. I checked my new sender and measured it as automarc suggested; it read thirty ohms as it should. Sorry automarc I still used my jumpers for bench testing. I hooked a jumper to the positive side of the gauge which is the “E” side for those that don’t know, (I didn’t). I then hooked a jumper wire from the negative side “F” to the sender terminal. I remember someone stating on another fuel gauge problem post that there was a ground terminal (kind of) in between the two terminals on the gauge, this is the ground for the gauge. I hooked a jumper from this terminal to the case of the sender and to the negative side of the battery and the gauge started working. WooHooo!!! At least I now know I have a good gauge, it should be it is brand new 12V gauge.
Now to make it work in the truck;
I re-installed the gauge into the bezel and hooked the wires up exactly the same except for the ground. The ground from that center terminal grounds itself to the mounting plate of the bezel and then that gets grounded when it is installed in the dash. Since I didn’t have the bezel installed into the dash I used jumper wires to ground the bezel. It didn’t work, ugh. So I looked at the ground terminal on the fuel gauge and it didn’t look like it was making good contact. So I cleaned then mounting plate and I took my soldering iron and added more solder to the ground terminal in between the two terminals of the fuel gauge. Re-installed into bezel and still didn’t work. Took the gauge back out and soldered a wire to the ground terminal and grounded it manually and the gauge started working with my new sender sitting on the seat. Yea!!! So I installed the glass onto the bezel and it quit working, ARG!!!!! I took the glass back off and looked real close and saw where the bottom of the gauge needle, (the round part that is on the stem) was touching the backside of the faceplate. I carefully bent the faceplate towards the glass and it started working. I then hooked the gauge up to the sender in the truck and it works to. I now have a fuel gauge working and I have half a tank of gas. Uh huh, uh huh. Picture mw with my fists together in front of me in a circular motion.
Summary;
Make sure the center ground terminal is getting a good ground; make sure your gauge needle is not touching the faceplate at all. The gauge is not strong enough to move the needle if it is touching.
