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Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks  Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
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| | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | On my 1954 (different gauge) the reducer goes on the "input" side of the gauge, the post behind "Empty"). If it is installed reversed, the gauge gets fried. Originally, there was a red warning tag on the Full/Sender post on the back of the gauge. Here is a photo of the runtz-style reducer on a pre-54 fuel gauge. You can see the remainder of the red warning tag on the sender side/post. | | | | | Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,215 Moderator | | Moderator Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,215 | Tim, thanks for that pic. My gauge still has most of that red tag, same as what you show. I see that you have the small black wire with the resistor fastened to ground. Mine was on the terminal beside the tagged terminal. I guess that caused the short, causing me to drive around all year on E. | | | | | Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,215 Moderator | | Moderator Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,215 | Next question: The gauge is supposed to be isolated from the housing, right? It has two little papery insulators on tabs on the edges of the gauge. (I wish my pics turned out larger, will try to change them) | | | | | Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 | Yes.
the two tabs on the ears help insulate as well as the insulating paper on the back, as in tcledermans pic.
the metal plate on the back of your gauge is the ground for the gauge. So it need to contact clean metal in the housing. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | Tim, thanks for that pic. My gauge still has most of that red tag, same as what you show. I see that you have the small black wire with the resistor fastened to ground. Mine was on the terminal beside the tagged terminal. I guess that caused the short, causing me to drive around all year on E. That illustration does not show the reducer fastened to the ground. It is in-line with the power cable on the power-in side of the gauge. You fried your gauge by attaching the power/reducer on the sender side of the gauge. The ground is provided at the gas tank sender. | | | | | Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,215 Moderator | | Moderator Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,215 | That illustration does not show the resistor fastened to the ground. It is in-line with the power cable on the power-in side of the gauge. It looks like it is attached to the gauge housing bracket. So it's on the other terminal? | | | | | Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 4,263 | in the pic, the resister is attached to the power post of the fuel gauge. The E terminal
there is a small black wire with a red terminal coming off the resister and is attached to a gauge mounting post in the dash.
that is the ground for the resister. | | | | | Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,215 Moderator | | Moderator Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 4,215 | I got it now. Thanks to both of you. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | I apologize or my confusing post. I had never used a grounded Runtz-style reducer. This style does not get grounded. Maybe the difference is that the one with the ground wire can be used in either a positive or negative ground application? | | |
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