The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors new gas gauge goes halfway and stays when tank is full.

How did you ground the cluster for your test?


Also I did not see a ohm reading for just the sender as installed in the tank?

Grounded the cluster housing to the dash with a metal hanger bracket ensuring good cluster to non painted area of dash. Also did not take a reading with sender in tank. For this part of the test do I just put the red test lead on the top center post on the sender and black test lead on the ground flange? I figure I should have a little over a half a tank of gas. So this test should read a little over approx. 20 ohms?

yes, you could check the sender position with a reading from the terminal to the mounting flange [with the wire to the gauge disconnected], and you also need to check ohms between that mounting flange and somewhere on the cab to insure that it's getting a good ground via the tank [lead color doesn't matter with resistance & continuity checks, no polarity involved]

Bill

Sender wire removed at sender, sender post to sender flange still grounded to cab reads 11.5 ohms and ground flange to ground at cab 0.2 ohms. I have been driving it a bit so I really need to fill it up again so I am at full to take that reading again because at full it should read approx. 33 ohms full with wire disconnected?

The sender shows you have 1/3 tank. Just over 5 gallons

If that is the case, and it seems like I should have a lot more that 5 gallons in that tank, I should be able to remove sender from tank with flange grounded and with gauge hooked up and grounded and manually hand sweep the float through its entire travel to make the gas gauge read empty to full right? With the information provided by me does it look like any of my readings would indicate a bad gauge?

If you have more than 1/3 tank. And your sender and it showed 11ohm that would indicate a problem with the sender. Either the sender or ground wire as suggested earlier.


Your earlier sender ohm test showed it was good

Check that ground wire from the sender as suggested earlier
Where is that wire grounded?

these things aren't precision instruments, it looks to me that you need to do some "field calibration" .... I'd suggest filling the tank and checking the reading, then bend the float arm to the position required to get a reading of full - carry a gas can with you and run the tank of gas completely out to see what the gauge reads when the tank is empty - you then have all the info the gauge was intended to provide

Bill

Confusion may be creeping in. The wire off/wire to ground is just to test gauge. It does not mean the gauge will read the sender properly. Ohming the sender just proves it's 30 ohms and seems to move in conjunction with float arm. The test that Dads shows with it all hooked up is THE only test that will prove sender arm down , gauge reads empty. Sender arm half way, gauge reads half. Sender up, gauge reads full. If a person can do this on the bench, as Dads shows and advises, then a person can move towards actual truck wiring/grounding issues because he knows it all works in the "lab". If it does not work on the bench, you need to leave it there and take the advise regarding bending, runtz or replace parts. Can you state that you have done the "lab" test so you can get back to a basic beginning? If it works on the bench with a 12 power supply and no resistor, then install it that way. The folks that have a gauge mounted and a sender in a tank which is mounted have much more trouble figuring out the gauge thing than those who can lab test. Maybe we are used to helping the installed fellow and don't realize you have the lab option. The original gauge/sender system is semi inaccurate, bouncy, sticky and not "real time" sometimes. If you dwell too much on making it work like a 2015 Chevy, you will go crazy, loose sleep, feet will swell and you will switch to hard liquor.

You can see here that I am causing confusion because of the hard liquor syndrome. I say hook up to "float" several times when I meant hook up to center tap on sender.

Ok got up this morning and back to it again. I removed the sender from the tank and hooked up my ohms gauge and with float in hand, the full sweep went 1 to 33 ohms. With the sender unit still out of the tank I hooked up the sender wire. I hooked up the flange ground to the negative side of the battery for good ground. I did another manual full hand sweep to see if the gauge would respond to the empty to full range reading as it is designed to do and it would not. I turned the cluster over and peered through the light socket hole and read the words 12v on the gas gauge so I am sure a runtz is not needed here. Should I have any continuity between the sender post and the hot post on the back of the gauge as it is reading 33 ohm out of the dash.

yes, across the gauge will read about 30 ohms, which is why the sender needs to be a 30 ohm one .... that last test was with the gauge out of the dash? if so, was the gauge case grounded to the battery or sender flange?

Bill

I went out and with the gauge removed and sender float assy removed, I hooked the gauge hot straight to the battery, and the sender wire to the sender and grounded the gauge house and the sender flange to ground creating my bench test right by the battery on the running board. I manually manipulated the float through its full travel (remember I had a good 1 to 33 ohms sweep with the float alone) but hooked up to gauge with good gauge/sender flange ground the needle on the gauge only goes from empty to half way. Is it possible the gauge is malfunctioning or needs to be calibrated if that is even possible. I don't mind a little bend to firm things up to exact, but not a whole half of gauge difference.

To answer your question the gauge was out of dash and grounded along with the sender flange.

Guys its been really trying, to fix this problem, and I thank all that participated (reading or offering suggestions) but this is a lot of effort for such a simple circuit and for something that was suppose to work out of the box. The sender and gauge was purchased from the same individual and will be sent back to them to troubleshoot. I believe this is a gauge problem and nothing more. The original gauge that was in its place prior to the refurb of the cluster worked just fine. When I received the refurb gauge/cluster I got these same indications on the original sender. I replaced the sender with a new one and had the same indications again. Have checked hot and ground and by passed it all by taking everything out and bench testing it with the same results. Whew again thanks for all the help and your time, HUGH

I agree Hugh, defective gauge, return to sender

Bill

1952 235 Chevy truck converted to 12 volt. Gauges are refurbished to 12 volt. Paying attention here to this post as I hope there is still chance for success. Gas tank is always reading empty. Did the lab test. Sending unit is reading 31ohms when moved into full position . Gas gauge unit “between the posts” has a resistance between 23.5 and 23.6 ohms and that does not seem right.

Do I also have a bad gauge unit? Share your pain Hugh. Agree this is frustrating…and somehow common on simple connections.

Kevin

I have a spare 12 volt gauge and sender in the garage

I'll try a few things tomorrow on the bench and see if I can replicate this.

Been quite a few post lately with this same problem.

To many variables, but it worth a try.

Hugh, sounds like you have a handle on it and have done everything possible. Agree with you and Bill. Send it back. It would be appreciated if you could follow up someday and tell us what was wrong. Your contribution will help us all. As you can see on DADS video, first link on post #1087300, that it should work on bench.

Post #1087300 shows something I can not confirm without taking it apart- "My reconditioned gas gauge may not be grounded internally and hence to the dash properly." Thanks for this reference.

Cluster with gas gauge and sending unit sent back to Jeff at Bowtiebits for trouble shooting, will keep all informed of the results.

After all of what you have drug us through, you'd better get back with us! Lest we hunt you down and drag it out of you.
Good luck.
Carl

Seems to be a few Bolters over on the electrical forum that has experienced this same problem without any satisfactory conclusion, so you can bet I will let you guys know something as soon as Jeff lets me know, could it be an adherent problem with just some of the new and inproved aftermarket 12v gas gauges? Might be better to just go back to 6v and use the resistor, we'll see.

Success! Took gauge out of the cluster and found 2 grounding problems.. no ground in gauge cluster because painted and wound wire on sending unit was separated from point of solder . Soldered sending unit and sanded to metal section of gauge cluster and bench test now works. Thanks for all here and your advice. Kevin
1952 chev 235

Just curious
who refurbished your gauge? A shop?

Wow, hopefully Jeff over at Bowtiebits reads this forum.
I really wanted to inspect the inner workings of that gas gauge, but according to Jeff if you open one of his clusters it "voids the warranty", so I mailed it back to him to trouble shoot. I will contact him on Monday and have him check to see if this is the problem with mine. Hopefully mine is as easy to fix as yours. Thanks HUGH

Hey, great video Gus. It's really great to see a dad spending a
lot of time with his kid. He's got a great roll model.

I like your mod for the passenger seat, very nicely done.

DG

(thank you Denny, I appreciate your comments.
time flies, he is 7 now )


I was curious if the two members on this thread and the one in the electric bay got their gauges refurbished from the same source?

Sorry Gus, I don’t remember who I purchased my reconditioned gauge from. It was an EBay purchase from someone in Portland Oregon who was doing it for while and has since stopped. $185 which I thought was a good deal but a risk because no warranty. Internals looked like new papers over repaint. Good luck Hugh with bowtie bits. I bought my gas tank and sending unit from them. Quality they do stand behind. Also enjoy DADS50 Utube THX Kevin
1952 chev 235

Thanks

And thanks for the update.
Hopefully kahoys gets his working

I called Jeff over at Bowtiebits today to inquire the status of the gas gauge/cluster and in tank sending unit that I sent to him to trouble shoot. He stated that the sender unit was working just fine but the 12v gas gauge had a bad coil. He replaced the gas gauge and will send it all back to me for install. He also refunded my out of pocket cost for the return. Hats off to Jeff and his crew, they really worked hard to make this right. And special thanks to all of you guys/girls that helped me every step of the way to figure out and understand how to properly trouble shoot this problem. Thanks HUGH

Thanks for getting back with us! Now your problem/solution will be referenced for the 'next guy' for infinity, or at least until the insects take over and become the ruling class (it is their turn).
Carl

Very nicely done, Your You-Tube video
touching project.

Im on the same journey.
1951 Chevy pu - five window.


Thank you for sharing

David
Arizona