The resident newbie idiot needs to hook up a tach..

[BIG CTY]

Anyone want to give me a nice detailed walk through before I something else up? I put in my brand new used bench seat and my gas gauge stopped working. I put in my new steering wheel and my battery keeps dying So I figured BEFORE I started the tach (which will be followed by the 3 gauge cluster) I'd ask the experts for a walk through. The bucket can't take much more abuse!

[ChiefRocka]

Well...lets see if we can help you out. As far as the gas guage goes...The fuel tank has a ground wire that goes from the sending unit to the body of the truck, below the window. The sender is grounded this due to the fact that the tank has insulaters on its straps, the gasket under the sender, and the rubber fuel fill at the neck. Make sure this wire is intact, and correctly grounded. Next check the wire that leaves the sender and runs across the tank, along the door sill, and up to the guage cluster. That might of gotten pinced, or cut when you were working the seats in and out. If you ground this wire to the truck metal, the guage will move to full. This will check the guage circuit is ok.

Now you have a battery draw ?? Does everything else related to column work (signals,horn). Did you mess with any other wires under the dash, or in the column ?? The battery is good, right ? I know this sounds dumb, but sometimes two things go wrong a the same time. Disconnect your battery ground wire...connect a test light between the (-) post and the (-) cable...leave it there. When theirs a draw, the light will light. Now you can check the wires and find out where the draw is. If you find the problem, the light will go out. Make sure you don't have any shorts, alt. being energized with the key off, etc. Also, if you have a radio with a memory wire, temporaly disconnect that, because that will "light" the test light as well.

Now as far as the tack goes. Usally the "green" wire hooks to the (-) side of your ignition coil...to the "tack" terminal of an HEI dist...or to the (gray) wire (I believe) of an MSD box. Not sure what you are running. Then you should have a ground wire (obvious), a power wire that should be fused and hooked to a 12v source with key on circuit, and finally the tach should have a light for the face. This usually is hooked up the headlight switch, the dimmer/dash light output. Alot of guys hook this wire to the 12v power to simplify installation. The tack will light when the truck is on. Not to big of a deal, but I prefer it to be dimmed as well.

Well I hope this wil help you out.....Let me know I can help...

John

[BIG CTY]

Wow, thanks ChiefRocka! I think I know where the draw is coming from...I put on a steering wheel and tightened it down too far. After I rigged it up, the horn ALWAYS blew. So that little contraption for the horn is touching metal in there. I need to go back and pull the wheel off, as I just straight wired a horn. BUT I dont know how the he!! to get the adapter off that came with the steering wheel as no two bolts line up so I can use the steering wheel puller. Also I didnt put the signal light cancelling thing on the new wheel, so I have to turn them off myself.

As far as the gas gauge, it is currently all the way over on full. Now I took a wire and hooked it to the fuse box after I disconnected the brown wire that goes back to the sending unit. My thought was if something was wrong with the brown wire, I could disconnect it, run a new wire and it should work fine. No haps, that didnt fix it. Now when I touch the wire that I have hooked up to the fuse box fuel port to a ground, it goes all the way down below the "E." It seems like its something simple, but i have no clue what.

All I have is an ignition coil on my old bucket so I guess thats the way I need to hook the "tack" up. Thanks alot for your help! I'll be good to go if i can figure out how to get the d@mn adapter off for the steering wheel. I'm sure the fuel gague thing will just take a little time and patience....

[kwkenuf]

If your fuel gauge reads full (and your tank isn't and the sending unit isn't stuck) the wire that runs from the sending unit to the gauge is most likely pinched up against something or chafed and grounded out. Do NOT apply power from the fuse box to this wire. The fuel gauge works by getting power from the accessory circuit directly, and getting it's (variable) ground from the tank sending unit.

[ChiefRocka]

No problem man.....Just check the wire from the sending unit. Like I said before it might of been damaged or pinched with the seat.

Good Luck

John

[ChiefRocka]

By the way BIG CTY, I like your list of rides...the Impala and the Monte being my favorites.

OH, you got one hot ass bike too. I was walk'n thru the mag section of the grocery store, and a bike mag caught my eye. It was a full show, full custom Hyabusa on the cover....you know , full paint air ride, but most of all...TWIN TURBOS.....I was like "what the F..."


I couldn't even imagine the ride ?!?!

Later

JOHN

[BIG CTY]

Thanks Chief! Once I finally decided on a 69 Impala, it took me a LONG time to find just the right one. I love that car, shes all original, I have the window sticker and the whole nine. One family owned car. I had to it so here she is now:



I just got my monte a few weeks ago, bought it from a guy I work with that went with me down to SC to pick up the Impala. One Gobi Beige repaint, other than that SHES all original:



She's gonna stay like that, NO blinging!

And my mighty Busa...I have had some fun on that bike. 80MPH on one wheel (this wasnt going 80, but it is me before the repaint)



195+ on an air strip, running from cops...those days are OVER for me now. I've had the bike for 6 years and I might sell it next year. I don't ride nearly as much as I once did, but I still love the feeling! Here she is now:


Thanks for the compliments Chief, and the help!