Fuel Gauge Help

[48richard]

I took out my instrument cluster this afternoon to install and connect up my clock. After I put it back, when I turned on the ignition the fuel gauge needle moved round to the 4 o'clock position and remains there. It has always worked correctly until now. Everything else in the cluster works (including the clock).
Any ideas?

Thanks,

Richard

[Devil Pup]

Your gauge is grounding out somewhere. that will cause it to always read full like that. Considering you had the cluster out i would check there first and if that doesn't turn up trace it all the way to the sending unit. Its shorting somewhere.

[VetteVet]

You have lost the connection between the sending unit and the fuel gauge. It is a tan wire and runs from the center terminal of the sender to the fuse panel and from there to the cluster plug at the no.4 pin. If you ground the fuel tank sender wire the gauge should go to empty. The same should happen if you ground the fuel terminal on the fuse panel.

[Devil Pup]

Originally Posted by VetteVet

You have lost the connection between the sending unit and the fuel gauge. It is a tan wire and runs from the center terminal of the sender to the fuse panel and from there to the cluster plug at the no.4 pin. If you ground the fuel tank sender wire the gauge should go to empty. The same should happen if you ground the fuel terminal on the fuse panel.

If u ground a fuel gauge it will ping full. You r correct he has lost signal, that wire is grounding causing it to read past full. If u find where it is "shorting persay" when u move it from where it's grounding the gauge will respond and go back to empty.
Posted via Mobile Device

[dmack91]

No offense to Devilpup, but go with Vettevet's advice. He has helped me and others through similar problems many, many times.

Open circuit causes the gauge to go to 3 o'clock, grounded makes it go to 9 o'clock.

[Devil Pup]

No offense takin. Everyone can be wrong or backwards once in a while. Just trying to help out. Let us kno what u find out and good luck.
Posted via Mobile Device

[48richard]

You guys are awesome - thanks. Turns out that when I inserted the cluster plug, the little flap on the printed circuit for pin #4 got pushed aside enough so that there was no contact, even though it looked to be OK. When I put it together properly, problem solved.

Thanks again,

Richard

[VetteVet]

Originally Posted by Devil Pup

No offense takin. Everyone can be wrong or backwards once in a while. Just trying to help out. Let us kno what u find out and good luck.
Posted via Mobile Device

The funny thing is the temperature gauge works just the opposite. When you ground the sender the temp gauge will go to full hot. I have to think about which one does what whenever somebody needs to check the gauges. I posted it wrong just the other day. Maybe you were thinking about the temperature gauge.
The main thing is that you were trying to help and that's never a bad thing. VV

[gcburdic]

looks like I'll be using this one shortly Thanks for everybody's input