The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Gas Gauge wont go past E.... please help.

Hi...
I'm having a problem I don't know how to solve...
The gas gauge in my '60 c10 was pinned past full.

I tested the connections between the gauge and float and it shows continuity.
I have a new float to install, and to test the gauge.
I also have a new gauge from bowtie bits to replace the original gauge.

I took out the old gauge and moved the indicator to it's unpowered "rest" position.

When hooked to the float unit for testing, neither gauge will go above "empty" When power is supplied to the gauge, it only jumps to Empty and stops. When the float is moved up or down, the gauge just stays on empty.

The original gauge number is 5643018 and the new gauge number is 564454. They look identical but could this be the problem?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hy QuestarNLinda, how did you ground the gauge and sending unit for your out of vehicle test?

Hi,
I grounded the sending unit... Where is the ground on the gauge??

Ok... I did more testing and tried grounding both the gauge (brass dot between hot and sender contacts) as well as the sender but nothing changed. I did find that that if I ground the gauges "wound coil" near the "sender unit" connector (not the "hot-side coil")... the gauge works correctly and follows the sender units E /F instructions.

I also found that the wound "thing" on the lower back of the gauge gets very warm. Is this a heat sink?

Will the gauge work when installed without shorting the coil?

Why does the coil need shorting to ground?

Is there something wrong with the coil? HELP!!!

These conditions are the same on both the original gauge as well as the replacement gauge.

QuestarNLinda, How I grounded my gauge after I already had it in the cluster was before mounting the whole cluster was just take a separate wire with alligator clip on both ends and clip it to the cluster and the other end of the wire to a bolt on the pickup. As long as you got a gound for it.

Thanks for the tip Billy N.

I did more testing and tried grounding both the gauge (brass dot between "hot" and "sender" contacts) as well as the sender but nothing changed. I did find that that if I ground the gauges "wound coil" near the "sender unit" connector (not at the "hot-side coil")... the gauge works correctly and follows the sender units E /F instructions.

I also found that the wound "thing" on the lower back of the gauge gets very warm. Is this a heat sink?

Will the gauge work when installed without shorting the coil?

Why does the coil need shorting to ground?

Is there something wrong with the coil? HELP!!!

These conditions are the same on both the original gauge as well as the replacement gauge.

You wont have to provide a seperate gound once you install the entire cluster into the dash because once you install the entire cluster, it will be grounded by the mounting bolts and nuts when you have it tightened up into the dash. FYI, I have received a slight tingle from not grounding it good when I was just testing it. Thats when I then used a separate wire with the alligator clips.
As far as the winding on coil, I would think this is normal for it to get warm since the voltage is going to that winding coil. I wish I knew for sure but thats my feeling bout that unless someone else on this forum has a better answer.

Hy QuestarNLinda, as BillyN said you won't have to provide a separate ground once you install the entire cluster. When you are testing outside the vehicle you will have to provide ground circuits to both the sending unit and the gauge. The gauge functions by the varying "strengths" of the two electromagnets on the back of the gauge unit. When the fuel tank is full one electromagnet is stronger than the other, and your gauge reads full, as the fuel level lowers the strength of one electomagnet diminishes and the reading lowers on the gauge, hope that helps.

Thanks... I'm installing today so I'll keep ya posted!