Gauges go to full tilt!?!

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Syleng1

Syleng1

Karma is real and Life is short...
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1966 Barracuda. All new harness, gauges reworked, new circuit boards- factory voltage regulator for dash.
So I’ve put 362 flawless miles after the total rebuild and decided to take the car out and make it a even 400 before the weekend is over. I start the car and all my gauges go to full tilt. I shut of off immediately and cannot find a solution other than dash voltage regulator is stuck. But I have a good ground via cluster, the pin out on the picture shows voltage results with my DVOM. I don’t own a analog voltage meter. One of the terminals should pulse I believe.
I also believe the middle upper terminal should be a ground but I have 12.8vdc. My terminal closest to the coolant gauge is at 8.2 but at idle is 7.9vdc. The terminal closest to the speedometer is 13.2vdc. Just looking to confirm all suspects are correct before I order a new modern electronic voltage regulator for the cluster. 4 days from Az to Ct. $50.00.
 
Mine was doing that right after I got it in January. It had sat up since 1982. I disassembled it, cleaned the back of the fuel gauge off (that's where the voltage regulator is too) put it back together and "so far" it's been good. You said you had yours reworked. I would be looking into what kind of warranty you have. That voltage regulator is about all that can make that happen. Mine is a 64 so they're very similar.
 
RRR-Lol! I’ll get a new voltage regulator. The one on there is Napa I bought new 2 years ago but just installed 4 weeks ago.
No warranty sadly. Just confirming my suspicions. Made in China possibly. If I warranty that the 7year old who assembled it and his family get no rice today.
 
Sorry to read Joe after all your hard work. I'm no elec guru but I believe it's the IVR. Which as RRR said I believe is in fuel gauge. Can you take out fuel gauge and test it? I use a 6v lantern battery to do a redneck gauge check.
Good luck.
 
Syleng1 said:
RRR-Lol! I’ll get a new voltage regulator. The one on there is Napa I bought new 2 years ago but just installed 4 weeks ago.
No warranty sadly. Just confirming my suspicions. Made in China possibly. If I warranty that the 7year old who assembled it and his family get no rice today.
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Oh, my bad. Our systems aren't the same, either. I thought they were. I'm sorry. The 64 voltage regulator is integral with the fuel gauge, instead of separate like yours. I'm sorry about that.
 
Syleng1 said:
RRR-Lol! I’ll get a new voltage regulator. The one on there is Napa I bought new 2 years ago but just installed 4 weeks ago.
No warranty sadly. Just confirming my suspicions. Made in China possibly. If I warranty that the 7year old who assembled it and his family get no rice today.
Click to expand...

Check out MOPAR Products
I think a ivr4 may work.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Oh, my bad. Our systems aren't the same, either. I thought they were. I'm sorry. The 64 voltage regulator is integral with the fuel gauge, instead of separate like yours. I'm sorry about that.
Click to expand...

Rusty, 66 is still internal. Not sure when it was changed.

I removed the IVR and installed a digital regulator. It sorta works now, but I have an aftermarket sending unit so the fuel gauge is off.

Edit:. Just saw he posted it has a new dash voltage regulator. Maybe it's bad.
 
Sucks you're having 'fits' after getting all new stuff .. It is always a 'cluster' doing these.
No expert but I did R&R&R&solder&R ... and R&R many times to get a B body TicToc cluster.

All working and stayed that way.
clapping.gif


Not 100 percent ... I think where you have 8.2 volts it should be closer to 5v.
 
kursplat said:
maybe THIS THREAD will help
Click to expand...
That did not help. I read it fully. I need to know how to test the voltage regulator and the results at the proper pins to give me either what I am getting or wrong voltages and why to explain my gauges going full tilt.
The 8.2vdc that should be 5 vdc is a good explanation. 3.2vdc above will throw my gauges wonky.
 
66fyssh said:
Rusty, 66 is still internal. Not sure when it was changed.

I removed the IVR and installed a digital regulator. It sorta works now, but I have an aftermarket sending unit so the fuel gauge is off.

Edit:. Just saw he posted it has a new dash voltage regulator. Maybe it's bad.
Click to expand...

So I too have an aftermarket sending unit in the fuel tank. (Tanksinc with pump in the tank for fuel injection) the first 300 miles it worked great. Spot on. Now it’s pegging all gauges (except amp) to fill tilt.
I want the ivr from the place in AZ - all digital but the 66 barracuda one is different than the ivr-3 or 4 even though I think I can make the ivr-3 work with the 66 barracuda dash.
 
I used a 7805 digital voltage regulator from DigiKey. In the picture I mounted the 7805 onto a heatsink to keep it cool (on the right). The regular gets 12v in, 5v out, and has a ground. I didn't have any black wire, lol.

Allpar has some good info on it. Richard E. did the write up.

Vintage Chrysler electrical repairs and updates (part 2)

IMG_20141106_190827.jpg
 
The limiter I was messing with had the case ground tab. That tab has to be clean for a good ground.
Looking at the circuit it looks like if the tank sender is screwy the gauges could peg. If that is the case the new limiter might not do anything.
Maybe take the limiter out, ground the tab...but you will have to know which terminal to put the bat. voltage to to test the output voltage.
8.2 is an odd # The 'bad ones' I had must have been blown and would assume the the output was zero.
I never test mine out of the car.
Swapped a few used ones in and they were all junk, luckily found one at a Dodge dealer not far away.

Good Luck!
 
66fyssh said:
Rusty, 66 is still internal. Not sure when it was changed.

I removed the IVR and installed a digital regulator. It sorta works now, but I have an aftermarket sending unit so the fuel gauge is off.

Edit:. Just saw he posted it has a new dash voltage regulator. Maybe it's bad.
Click to expand...

Oh is it still in the fuel gauge? I THOUGHT they changed to the plug in style in 65. 64 is actually INSIDE the fuel gauge. You have to take the fuel gauge out and disassemble it. The fuel gauge is on one side and the voltage regulator is on the other. I was thinking they changed that to the plug in style on the back of the circuit board for 65 and up.
 
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Syleng1 said:
View attachment 1715391461
1966 Barracuda. All new harness, gauges reworked, new circuit boards- factory voltage regulator for dash.
So I’ve put 362 flawless miles after the total rebuild and decided to take the car out and make it a even 400 before the weekend is over. I start the car and all my gauges go to full tilt. I shut of off immediately and cannot find a solution other than dash voltage regulator is stuck. But I have a good ground via cluster, the pin out on the picture shows voltage results with my DVOM. I don’t own a analog voltage meter. One of the terminals should pulse I believe.
I also believe the middle upper terminal should be a ground but I have 12.8vdc. My terminal closest to the coolant gauge is at 8.2 but at idle is 7.9vdc. The terminal closest to the speedometer is 13.2vdc. Just looking to confirm all suspects are correct before I order a new modern electronic voltage regulator for the cluster. 4 days from Az to Ct. $50.00.
Click to expand...

If you are reading 12.8 volts on a terminal that should be ground I would say that you've lost the ground to your instrument panel. What you are reading is open circuit voltage. Check out your ground.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Oh is it still in the fuel gauge? I THOUGHT they changed to the plug in style in 65. 64 is actually INSIDE the fuel gaugeI was thinking they changed that to the plug in style on the back of the circuit board for 65 and up.
Click to expand...

RRR- still inside fuel sending gauge. Sadly- 1940 technology.
I will disconnect and run a IVR-3 and supply all my gauges that way. I just hate pulling that dash again. Ugh! But at least I will know it’s fixed and fixable!


8103FF7F-1722-4BC8-B042-169C4DC927B2.jpeg
 
superchargeddrt said:
If you are reading 12.8 volts on a terminal that should be ground I would say that you've lost the ground to your instrument panel. What you are reading is open circuit voltage. Check out your ground.
Click to expand...


Nope! Did an ohm check from there to battery negative. Very slight resistance I wish it was just that simple.
 
Here's what we did to my buddy Larry's '64 Baracuda. It had the 5 volt regulator inside of the fuel gauge and it seemed like the points that regulate the voltage were worn. So I purchased a 5 volt regulator I.C. from Amazon (they actually cam in a 5 piece bag for $6.00) and installed as shown in the picture. So far there has not been any issues. Maybe this will help. By the way, I slid a small piece of heat shrink tubing over the old regulator points to keep it from interfering with the proper operation of the new regulator
IMG_20190626_122552492-1500x2000.jpg
IMG_20190627_213403194-1500x2000.jpg
IMG_20190627_213924981-2000x1500.jpg
IMG_20190627_213934645.jpg
 
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superchargeddrt said:
Here's what we did to my buddy Larry's '64 Baracuda.
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WOW! Nice job. I see the VR has 3 legs n one picture and 2 legs in the other.
I assume you clipped the middle as the single hole mount was redundant or did you bend it 180 and solder it back to the mount?
 
Syleng1 said:
RRR- still inside fuel sending gauge. Sadly- 1940 technology.
I will disconnect and run a IVR-3 and supply all my gauges that way. I just hate pulling that dash again. Ugh! But at least I will know it’s fixed and fixable!


View attachment 1715391905
Click to expand...
Just a heads up, the ivr3 runs a red LED that flashes when in normal operation condition. You can see it flashing in the dark by your legs/feet. I'm gonna throw a piece of black electrical tape on it. Just a fyi.
 
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