Fuel Gauge.... going to kill it!
 

Okay.... I got a new gas tank. The old one had numerous rusty pin holes. The gas gauge read Empty all the time because the pins snapped off on the old sending unit.

On the new unit, I wasn't getting power to the back. I soldered on a new ground wire (prong busted off). I deduced the yellow power wire was shorting out somewhere. So, I ran a new hot wire to the sending unit. On the temporary wire, I got 3/4's tank, but the float wasn't really working as I moved it up and down.

Now, I put the permanent yellow wire on. I pulled it right out under the gauge panel. It's back to being empty again???

So, what is the purpose of the black and yellow/blue wires? One is the ground, what does the other one do? Is it possible that I spliced the new hot wire in BEFORE it got to the fuel gauge, making that circuit pretty much useless? I'm getting pretty annoyed with having a daily driver with no gas gauge, argggg.

Kev

I just did the same thing a few days ago.. You will have 3 wires.. one is for the guage, one is ground and other is low fuel, i just used the black for ground and i believe the yellow to cluster.. Fist ohm check the sender unit to make sure t's good..

http://www.frosted7.com/katrina5.html

Well, I took the black wire directly to ground (the fenderwell). The yellow hot wire comes out of the dash cluster and I have a splice leading down to my new hot lead to the fuel sender. My test light is hot back at the sending unit. Is my gauge not functioning, or what? The fellow I bought the tank from said he got 6-116 ohms on the sending unit, which means it should work. I don't have a multimeter or I'd test it myself. Any other ideas?

Kev

where could i find the sender for an 81 at? i have looked eveywhere!!

anyone?

Maybe the sending unit is installed wrong. Pull it out, then hook up the wires and move the float and see what changes you see on the guage.

The sender was out. I only got it to work just that once, and only to 3/4's full, regardless of what the float was doing. Now it does.... nothing.

Kev

ohm check it in the empty and full positions while it it out.. that way you know it's a good sender

Don't have anything to measure it with or I would.... the previous owner said it checked out at 116 full and 6 ohms empty. I suppose he could be lying but everything else has checked out fine...

Kev

radioshack digital volt ohm meter... $20

I just ordered a sending unit for my '83 from Madzatrix.

- David

If the gauge is not moving, power on/off, sender connected/disconnected, pull the cluster and check the gauge.