Need Gauge help. Thanks

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Oldschoolcuda

Oldschoolcuda

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Long story short.
On my 64 cuda everything was working except for fuel and temp gauges. Research tells me voltage limiter is built into fuel gauge on 64's not separate like 65's.
Decided to disassemble and clean everything. Put back together and fuel gauge worked, temp gauge pegged all the way to right, ammeter stopped working and i smelled the dreaded something is not right wiring smell. Thinking the little condensor, or circuit board?
Thanks everybody.
 
The regulator in the fuel gauge serves all gauges EXCEPT the ammeter. So if the regulator has a problem, none of the fuel/ temp / oil will work

This group should not affect the ammeter, unless it's so big a short (large current) that it draws down the system a lot

About all you can do is pull it back out and re-inspect. The condenser, which is only for filtering, might be a worthwhile suspect. At this point I doubt it's the only problem.
 
Although I have a pretty good idea what/where the original fault was, that hindsight wouldn't help. I don't have a clue what/where the fault is now. Could be as far away as the wire going to the temp sender. Good luck with it.
 
As I understand it, the wire going to the temp sender is a ground completion, so it pegging mean the temp gauge is grounding somewhere. The ammeter gauge will burn out by looking at it funny. I went through three or four of them on my '64 Valiant before I had Redline convert one to a voltmeter. Ammeter isn't even connected to the circuit board, so I doubt anything you did to the other gauges did anything, although it does sound like you have a grounding problem somewhere.
 
Thanks for help.
Disconnected temp gauge wire and everything is back to how she was.No smells, Ammeter and all indicator lights work fine and no temp or fuel gauges. Started Tracing temp gauge wire and was cracked with exposed wire and barely hanging together were it bends and shoots into harness with alternator wiring.
Hopefully that will fix temporarily until I replace bulkhead forward harness since everything is so brittle.
 
Some general on the ammeter: Lots been written on these, but their exact construction varies over time. Some later models mount through the PLASTIC of the cluster housing, so if that plastic gets warm/ hot..........the ammeter gets loose

There is NOTHING that holds the ammeter together except the nuts. the brass strip "that is" the meter, two studs, nuts, insulating washers. Someone one the www shows soldering/ brazing the studs to the brass, which is a help. If ONE of the (at least 4) nuts comes loose, this generates heat caused by a poor connection, more heat, and then failure.

Bear in mind that depending on what was used, how old, deteriorated, etc, the insulating washers themselves can compress and cause loosness
 
armyofchuckness said:
As I understand it, the wire going to the temp sender is a ground completion, so it pegging mean the temp gauge is grounding somewhere. ......
Click to expand...

Correct and also correct for all three fuel, oil, temp. All work exactly the same. Senders are a varying resistance to ground.
 
Didn't say how your fixed the "voltage limiter" inside your fuel gage. BTW, 1965 did have it inside the gage too. You probably cleaned the contacts. If going to that effort, it might be better to disable it. I slid heat shrink over the contacts. Instead, I installed an external electronic limiter, which is adjustable (~$30, search "Plymouth" & "voltage limiter" on ebay). In my 1964 Valiant, I did bench tests, tweaking the +5 V so the temp gage read correctly (using test resistors) and added parallel resistors so the fuel gage read correct at the limits of my new sender. This was with sender on the bench, so might vary slightly as-installed in tank. There are also adjustments on the needle holders for zero and span, but a bit tricky and I expect just for factory tweaks and not detailed in the shop manual.
 
Thanks Dan. Appreciate info. Tried to pm you before I created thread but your inbox was full.lol
Eliminating limiter in my fuel gauge and adding external one which the RTE does sounds like the way to go.
 
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