Gas gauge not working

-

whtmontie

Active Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2013
Messages
40
Reaction score
2
Location
NY
My fuel gauge has not worked since i bought the car. Where should i look first. The temp gauge works fine. I read somewhere that it could be the dash if both gauges did not work. I am leaning towards the sending unit as the culprit. What is the best way to test the gauge. Thanks
 
First step is determining if fault is sender or gauge or wiring between the 2. Removing the left kick panel to access the sender wire is a heck of a lot easier that going under the car. Of course you would need wiring diagrams to know which wire that is since there are several there.
Some diagnosis can be done via the sender wire in the trunk too. Pierce the wire casing with a shirt pin.
Where ever you test... If a meter shows pulse voltage, grounding the wire should generate needle travel to full. Keep this sort of test brief as possible since zero resistance is not good for the gauge.
 
Check to see if the ground strap is in place. It connects the sending unit tube to the main body fuel line. It jumpers around the short rubber line that connects the two together.
I get my fuel system stuff from Van's Auto.
 
Could be a lot of things. First thing, as mentioned above, ground the sending unit wire to the frame, is the gauge goes up then the gauge is fine. If it doesn't it's probably your gauge. If it does go up then it's in your sending unit. Most common problem is the float doesn't float anymore, so pull the sending unit and see if it has fuel in it. Floats are cheap (I sell them for $12 free shipping) while the entire unit is expensive ($50-100 depending on vendor, Van's Auto is cheapest). If the float is fine then you need to test the sending unit. Put a Ohm meter on the pin (you also have to ground it) and see what the gauge does as it runs through it's swing, you should see a nice swing of Ohms from low to high and back as you swing it. If you have good Ohm readings then the sending unit is fine. Sometimes you will get some gaps in the readings and that means the coil wire inside the unit it worn. Sometimes you can clean them, sometimes you will need to replace it. Also as mentioned above the sending unit needs to be grounded, should be a wire clamp thing that goes from the sending unit to the fuel line. The rubber line isolates it so you need this ground. Hope that helps!
 
Check to see if the ground strap is in place. It connects the sending unit tube to the main body fuel line. It jumpers around the short rubber line that connects the two together.
I get my fuel system stuff from Van's Auto.
You answered my question I think, can not find the ground strap 1966 Dart....
 
I have another question, this ground strap I assume is for an all metal tube connection to the carburetor, what do you do when you are using an electric fuel pump and inline fuel filter with numerous fuel hose connections before the carb?? Thanks
 
I used a spring loaded electrical clip and hooked it to the sender tube with a short wire and used a screw to fasten the wire to the body of the car.
Yote
 
I used a spring loaded electrical clip and hooked it to the sender tube with a short wire and used a screw to fasten the wire to the body of the car.
Yote
I tried that with a jumper wire, didn't fix it. I will install a permanent ground though, no matter what I find wrong. Thanks for reply
 
Could be a lot of things. First thing, as mentioned above, ground the sending unit wire to the frame, is the gauge goes up then the gauge is fine. If it doesn't it's probably your gauge. If it does go up then it's in your sending unit. Most common problem is the float doesn't float anymore, so pull the sending unit and see if it has fuel in it. Floats are cheap (I sell them for $12 free shipping) while the entire unit is expensive ($50-100 depending on vendor, Van's Auto is cheapest). If the float is fine then you need to test the sending unit. Put a Ohm meter on the pin (you also have to ground it) and see what the gauge does as it runs through it's swing, you should see a nice swing of Ohms from low to high and back as you swing it. If you have good Ohm readings then the sending unit is fine. Sometimes you will get some gaps in the readings and that means the coil wire inside the unit it worn. Sometimes you can clean them, sometimes you will need to replace it. Also as mentioned above the sending unit needs to be grounded, should be a wire clamp thing that goes from the sending unit to the fuel line. The rubber line isolates it so you need this ground. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the help, I installed a permanent ground, as I said I would. I jumped the sending unit to the frame, gauge went right up.. Thanks again....
 
Thanks for the help, I installed a permanent ground, as I said I would. I jumped the sending unit to the frame, gauge went right up.. Thanks again....
Hi, I have a 1961 Dodge Lancer with the same problem of no gas reading on gauge. Will the solutions given previously apply to my situation? Ed
 
Hi, I have a 1961 Dodge Lancer with the same problem of no gas reading on gauge. Will the solutions given previously apply to my situation? Ed


I don't know, the check I ran, is only checking the gauge function...
 
-
Back
Top