Fuel gauge reads too high.

[RustyPile]

Originally Posted by vince1

I am happy you have explained how to repair and test it.

I was wondering how a resistor could fail with such small wires attached but after reviewing this it makes sense. if Volts x Amps = Watts then Amps = Watts/Volts. 2watts/14volts = 1/7 amp and that is all a 2 watt resistor could handle. Am I correct in this assumption?

Having never measured the actual current draw of a fuel gauge, I would only assume it to be in the milliamp range.. Using Ohm's Law, the current handling capacity of a 2 watt resistor is ~ 142 milliamps, well within range of a fuel gauge.

Even "back in the day" those gauge resistors were hard to come by. Dealerships and auto parts stores just didn't stock them.. I've been using common resistors as replacements for a lot of years.. In those years, I've never seen one fail..