Help!! Fuel gauge no workie

[griesel72]

My fuel gauge in my 69 k10 hasn't worked since i got it, and i'm tired of running out of gas. I wondered what i should check first to get it rolling again. It is stuck below the empty line. I have tried to unplug the power wire (from the fuse box), and it doesn't move at all. Would this mean the gauge itself is bad? Should i check the sending unit?

Thanks for any help
David

[rage'nrat638]

well this can be like a dog chasing his tail.
a new sender is only about 60.00
if it's the stock one .i would bet it's not doing very well.
check the wire that run's under the threshold to make sure it's not pinched
you might want to do a check on this wire with the meter
and new gas gauge can be gotten very cheap as well
good luck..mark

[cdowns]

check to see if there is power at the plug that connects to the sending unit then you disconect your ground wire from the tank to cab clean it bright and shiney reinstall and see if that works// if nothing there then pull the sending unit and see if it has a float attached to it or if the float is there and filled with gas

[domino52761]

take wire that goes to the sending unit and ground it. Best why is to run a long wire form battery ground and touch it to the sending unit wire . If the gauge go's to full bad gound on senging unit . Or bad sender . I would try ground the senging unit . first.If that don't do it find the wire that go to the sending unit form the gauge on the back of the gauge and use the ground wire to gruond that on the back of the gauge .If it goes to full the wire form the gauge to the sending unit is bad .if it says on e the gauge is bad just my two cents

[Longhorn Man]

ground wire from tank to cab?

There's a few things that it could be, but most likely, that brown wire you unplugged, is cut somewhere.
Slide the seat forward, reach back there and disconnect the brown wire from the tank/sending unit.
Turn on the ignition switch, see if the guage moves. It shouldn't. (the guage is in the unplugged wire position right now)
Now, ground that wire. Touch it to the tank, a bolt that holds the tank...what ever. The guage should run clear over to the full, or even beyond. I'm betting that it won't move.
If it doesn't move, do a continuity test on said brown wire. It is the same one you unplugged from the vuse box.
If there is no continuity, then you've found the problem. The wire is broke.

[68 Stepside]

From what I've experienced on GMs, if the ground wire is not making connection, the gauge will read way over full... So, I'm guessing it's either a problem with the brown sender wire, or the sender itself. Trace the wire, check it, and see what you've got. Keep us posted.

[69TowRig]

Well he said he unplugged it from the fuse block and the gauge is still below empty, so that rules out the entire wiring back to the sender for now. It should peg full like that.

Get up under the dash, unplug, clean and dielectric grease the dash harness connector, and plug it back in first.

[Premium72]

sounds like yer wire...just run a new one. if it stayson emytp when the new wires on but moves when the wires off(after you replace it) check your float also. i had one go bad on me before. good luck. w.

[RicksTrucks]

If it is the sending unit, you can find them cheaper. The last couple that I bought I only paid $39 each.