The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay testing a gas gauge

I don't own an ohm meter. I got a new gas gauge.(All 12v)I put it in and the needle doesn't move.I checked the feed,it has power. The sending unit is grounded well. Can I touch a grounded wire to the sender side of the gauge to see if it works at all? Or will it burn out a good gauge? All I have for testing is a 12v test light and a jumper wire.---Jack

What year truck?

For AD
Check that the needle is not pinched

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In the pAst the new gauges had a needle that set higher

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Dd you paint the inside of the gauge cluster?

Not to give you a hard time but if your going to drive these old trucks certain things are required to keep them on the road. You own a tool box full of tools, right? The tools handle the mechanical end of these trucks. There is also the electrical aspect. You need to be able to troubleshoot electrical issues as they arise, and they will. A VOM (volt/ohm meter) can be had at a number of places for less money than a good wrench. I use an analog meter (Simpson 260) most of the time and love it. The DVM's drive me crazy with numbers jumping all over the place. As with any tool, learn to use it correctly and it will serve you well for many years.

If you ground the sender post on the gauge, it should jump to either empty or full (not sure which on these).

The sender unit in the tank merely controls the amount of ground, which is calibrated to the gauge to show the appropriate level. Full ground is either empty or full.

The gauge in the cluster usually needs to be well grounded itself as well.

At least, as far as I know.

-Michael

I don't take offense at sensible advice.I know I need to get a good tester. I just don't want to buy a cheap piece of junk and I can't afford a good one at the moment.Is there a decent multimeter for not too much money that you know of?---Jack

51 3100. No on pinched needle,no on paint. I just wanted to know if I could test it by grounding it without burning it up.I'm pretty sure I need a new sender.---Thanks---Jack

The cheap ones are actually very useful. I carry one in my truck all the time.

Jack, if you want to save money, buy an analog meter. Very cheap, and work well. Can also check higher rated capacitors that a digital cannot do.

You can go to radio shack and get some ohm resistors and test

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Here's testing the sender before installation with a cheap meter

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Make sure the back of the gauge cluster has a good ground
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I'm not sure is you can test the sender without a meter.

Make sure you don't put power to the sender post. Could damage the gauge

I was wrong. It looks like the needle on my new gauge is pinched against the rim of the face piece. I took the gauge cluster back out and examined it.I noticed that the center of the metal piece with the names of the gauges on it had about 1/4" of clearance to the glass.I just bent it outward until it just hit the glass and that gave clearance for my gauge needle. Put it all back together and I now have a gas gauge.Does someone make a gauge that really fits?---Jack

Sometimes pushing the bezel out a little will clear it.