The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Fuel Gauge Hook Up Mistake

Members, I am knee deep into re-wiring Jaunita... got the engine compartment wired and have the wires under the dash ready to wire the gauges. Got all new gauges,so while I was waiting for them I cleaned up the benzels and housing and then repainted them. Put them together and fought like the dickens to get them in and fastened. I'm not that big 6'2" about 207 lbs...I had a hell of a time crawling under that dash to see what I was doing...brake levers, stick shift, clutch pedal..hands with all thumbs and little tiny washers and nuts.
Finally got it all hooked up and I was concerned about a wire so I called Classic Chevy to talk to a tech guy....Well while we chatted he just happen to mention that I had to make sure that the fuel gauge was grounded to the housing...huh.... He stated that the back of the fuel gauge has this bare metal plate that grounds it's self on the housing. It needs to be grounded or it won't work....I ask about painted housings and he said that if I didn't have metal to metal contact the gauge won't work. So I asked the dumb question...So do you mean I have to take the gauge cluster out of the dash and remove the fuel gauge and ground the back and the tabs that make contact with the dash.....He said Yes...I said that I just spent the last hour fighting with it to get it in and wired...There was a pregnant pause ( I think he was laughing at me ). I tried to lie to myself and say that I tightened it so much that the paint squished out and I have metal contact and it would work...After pacing around the shop and getting the opinions of all the voices in my head the vote came out to remove the whole shabang and do it right.
Short version...completed...Just wanted to share that if you clean and paint your gauge housings make sure you leave bare metal for the fuel gauge and the tabs you tighten to the dash. You learn something new everyday.
Thanks

good info
Guess I should remove the paint from the 4 mounting tabs also so the housing can ground to dash

I had an issue with an 12v replacement fuel gauge. Never got it working.

thanks for posting

It's always something, Jimmy. You aren't the first to have to redo something after hours or days of work. Hang in there.