The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Another Fuel Gauge Question

I have replaced both sender and gauge. Both came from same supplier. When first hooked up to 6 volts, gauge is pegged on 'Full'. This tells me that the most likely culprit is the wire from sender to gauge. Here is what I have:
1. Tank is about 2/3 full (measured 19 ohms at sender to ground).
2. Wire is continuous from sender to gauge, not grounded out.
3. Sender checks good at 0 to 30 ohms.
4. Sender body has good ground to chassis.
5. Gauge cluster has good ground to chassis.
6. Neither post on gauge is grounded. From SND post to ground measures 30 ohms with sender wire disconnected.
7. 6v and sender wire are both connected to the proper posts on gauge.
Sounds like a bad gauge. Any thoughts? Thanks for any input.

a peg to full tells you that there is a bad ground

probably a bad ground between the top of the tank-sender and ground

OK Tim, thanks, I'll take another look at that ground.

One thing I forgot to post earlier: when the key is off, or when I disconnect the battery, the gauge stays pegged on 'Full'. When I first got it out of the box, before installing, it showed half-full (which I understand is typical for these aftermarket gauges).

You have to rule out a bad gauge.
If you have another sender or variable resistor it will save time otherwise remove the sender from the tank. Take it to the cab and clip a wire from the sender post to the gauge and a ground wire to the mounting plate. Move the sender arm slowly from empty to full, the gauge should follow. If it doesn't the gauge is bad.

Have you done any work to the gauge housing i.e. Paint the inside white?

Original gas gauges returned to E when the ign was turned off. The reproduction gas gauge in my '54 doesn't return to E. It kinda moves where gravity pulls it. Don't know if the reproduction gauge in your '53 is the same.

- Lonnie

If I read the original post correctly(a very big if) #6 sticks out. So here I go, with the sender wire off the gauge, you have 30 Ohms? That is a full tank(max Ohms)? Or do I have it backwards? Any way, the sender wire should read something different with fuel in the tank. Like the 19 Ohms in #1, or something very close to that value. Just a bit of wire between the sender and gauge. You can pull the seat back(some screws is all that holds the cushion to the frame), and remove the sender( no smoking please. Turn on the key and move the float. If the gauge moves you have found it to be good. I put a new sender in my 52 3100 and it stayed on empty...thought it was the gauge. Pulled the new sender out just to make a good connection, and the float had ruptured. Instant submarine. I have also seen the sender installed with the float rubbing the inside of the fuel tank. It cannot move and it looks like the gauge is bad. Don't be afraid to pull the sender just to check.

Nice truck.....by the way

Follow-up:

It was a bad gauge. I sent my original unit to Bob's Speedometer, in Howell, Michigan, and they rebuilt it. I put it in and now everything works as it should.

Thanks for the help and advice (and thanks Mike for the clue you sent via PM).

I may be looking for the same fix. What was done and what did they charge?

if the gauges you bought say "counterpart" there is a very good chance they will be faulty, I went through 3 temp gauges, none of which was good, I finally bought a 50 year old gauge from pre 68 dave, which works just fine, I had to get 2 oil pressure gauges before I got one that didn't leak oil all over the floor. Even all this was bad enough, but they were expensive as well. As bad as the counterpart branded stuff is, it seems to be about all there is to get new.