Gauge question

[72seeten]

Do the fuel level and temp gauge "move" when the ign is in the "on" position? Mine don't move a bit and niether of them work. The wiring is good and correct, I ohm'd them out and they are in the correct postion for the gauge cluster. Do I just have bad gauges? TIA.

[byrd]

Take the wires off for each gauge at their respective sending units and ground them out, with the ingnition on the fuel gauge should read past full and the temp should bury to the hot side. This test checks the wiring and the gauge itself at the same time. if neither of them move with this test I would say you have a bad resistor/and or gauge.

[72seeten]

Thanks. Grounded them both out and no movement from either gauge. Looks like it is time to order some new ones. I assume they come w/ the resistors? Temp gauge was reading ~64ohms, the Fuel was reading ~37ohms.

I have another question about turn signal swithces. My hazzards do not work, turn signals work fine. Looks like the (turn signal) switch has been replaced w/ a different model....there is a pigtail adaptor between the factory harness and the turn signal harness. Is this a normal thing for the replacement switches? I'm wondering if this has something to do w/ it.

[68w/sbc406]

is it a tilt column? IIRC the newer tilts have a different plug and they make an adapter to join the two

[byrd]

Have you ohmed out the wire at the sending unit to the cluster harness? Are you sure you don't have a short? It is not impossible but I have only had maybe 1 or 2 dashes total out 500 or so that had both the temp and fuel gauge bad, and almost every time it was the resistor not the gauge 85% or so. I have a bunch of resistors here if you want to try one first and see if that fixes it. I can do a good used temp and fuel resistor for $10 shipped,the truck shops sells them for $10 a piece or I have a bunch of used gauges that have been tested and are working properly if you wanted to go that route. Either way I could probably save you some coin...Randy

There is another website that sells add on resistors, fix-a-gauge.com they sell them for $7 each plus s/h

[72seeten]

Originally Posted by 68w/sbc406

is it a tilt column? IIRC the newer tilts have a different plug and they make an adapter to join the two

It is a non tilt column. The adapter doesn't look "homemade" or anything, it looks like it was made for it, although it makes the harness longer.

[72seeten]

Originally Posted by byrd

Have you ohmed out the wire at the sending unit to the cluster harness? Are you sure you don't have a short? It is not impossible but I have only had maybe 1 or 2 dashes total out 500 or so that had both the temp and fuel gauge bad, and almost every time it was the resistor not the gauge 85% or so. I have a bunch of resistors here if you want to try one first and see if that fixes it. I can do a good used temp and fuel resistor for $10 shipped,the truck shops sells them for $10 a piece or I have a bunch of used gauges that have been tested and are working properly if you wanted to go that route. Either way I could probably save you some coin...Randy

There is another website that sells add on resistors, fix-a-gauge.com they sell them for $7 each plus s/h

The wires are not shorted, that was one of the first things I checked. The printed circuit seems to be ok, so it probably is the resistors like you said. I would be interested in an entire fuel gauge/resistor if you have one. I have already ordered a temp gauge, I didn't realize the gas gauge didn't work either until I put gas in it, haha.

[Longhorn Man]

all the replacement turn signal switches need that adapter.