The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Fuel Gauge Issue

I finally got my '67 Chevy PU completely re-wired. I put in a new gas sending unit.

As soon as I hooked the wire up to the sending unit, it showed what I thought to be the proper amount of gas on the gauge.

Only problem was, I didn't even have a key in the switch, so the switch wasn't turned on.

Isn't the gauge s'posed to read Zero when the switch is off?

If it's working properly, then I am totally pleased.

If it's not, what else do I need to look for?

It sounds like the hot wire to your gauge is not connected to the switched side of your ignition switch. It seems to be connected to an always hot terminal. It should be switched so it's off when the key is off.

Thanks Tiny. I sort of figured that. I don't know much about electrical stuff, so I hired out the rewire job. Maybe I can get David to fix it.

I assume that if it's "always hot", then it's putting a drain on the battery when switched off?

I don't care if it works all the time, as long as it works, and doesn't put any kind of drain on the battery.

Thanks again buddy.

No problem my friend. It shouldn't be enough of a load to be a problem unless the truck sits for a while. I don't know how much current the gauge pulls. You'd probably be better off to get it wired correctly.

Davey, It seems to me that some GM vehicles ( i don't know if yours is this way) the fuel guage will remain at its last reading when the switch is turned off. But this realy dosn't apply to what you have posted.

Thanks Toyvo & Tiny. I let it sit for a few days to see what it would do. It didn't seem to drag the battery down that I could tell.

If this is the way it's s'posed to work, then that's fine with me.

After all the money I spent on this re-wiring job, I just want it to work like it should.

I'll keep an eye on it, and once again, thanks for your advice.