Just wondering if anyone else had come across this before.........



I started up this morning, and in the initial glance at the cluster, it was fine, then I didn't actually have the stereo on, it may be coincidence and nothing to do with it, but my ears did pick up on an odd noise like a spring losing tension and 'pinging,' but thought nothing of it, unitl a minute or two later I saw......... the fuel gauge needle well past the full mark.

I do have another cluster that I acquired that has exactly the same thing with the fuel gauge, and I assumed someone had damaged it when adding and removing gauges before me, maybe even by removing the needle.

It stays like it whether the ignition is on or off, doesn't appear to react to anything, and in my mind the gauge must work via a sprung tension on the needle, or would it be a resistor? As the gauge isn't instant on start up, it takes time to move up to the correct position.

Either way, I've got another to replace it with, and that might be a good idea sometime soon, considering I've still not fixed the mileage recorder, so I can't even reset the trip clock when I refuel to keep a rough idea of mileage covered! But I'm interested in how it works and more importantly why it happens, and how many other people have come across it, if it's a lost cause, then I won't bother playing about with it one day.

So, I might fill the Foggy can up for now, until I get chance to fix both problems at once!

Pete

I'm not exactly sure how it works, but this is my experience.....If you try and move the fuel gauge, its on a fairly stiff spring, but obviously its very slow moving when its switched on.

Whether that means its mechanically or electronically damped is anyones guess, but I would guess that its mechanically damped with a complex spring and gear arrangement inside the gauge itself, with something having slipped off causing the pinging noise.

Pete aht do you want one of them for?

To me it sound like your sender f#in the tank is the problem. I atempted to wire the sender from my gas tank to thegauge. When I did the it worked while the tank was full but when the level droppen and the sender ends up closed curcuit - no resistance the gauge when well over the full mark and made a ping noise. When I opened up the gause a spring at the back looked to have burnt.

could the slow fuel gauge be fixed by replacing the dials inerds with something from a faster moving type. no idea if the 200/700/900 cars are faster but I'd guess its a similar process of signal from tank sender to gauge?

doesn't help predicament but might be an interesting project, perhaps.

I'm sure James could find a use for this gauge... If only to give him a decent excuse the next time he's caught standing on the verge with a green can in his hand

I'd say the sender has gone closed circuit as Dai say's, get a multimeter on the back on it mate! I might have a spare I can have a look at laying round here... But I'd put my first guess on it being the sender.

I'd say the sender has gone closed circuit as Dai say's, get a multimeter on the back on it mate! I might have a spare I can have a look at laying round here... But I'd put my first guess on it being the sender (I don't think its a broken wire as I *think* it would go empty, but not sure without double checking)

When empty sender needle is on that end where wires are very close to each other, when full it is in end where wires are far apart from each other.

So empty should be little resistance and full would be load of resistance if I have understood this correctly

Ok, yup, that is right. Without knowing whether the sender is nearer the 12V than the gauge or vice versa, we can't suss any more really though For the sake of starting a riot, anyone got a green book diagram?

Right, not knowing got the better of me last night, and in the 10 minutes I had when I got in before going to bed, I took the other broken one apart to have a look! It appears as though the shaft for the needle jumps from where the spring is holding it and then get's pushed around too far at all times. THe noise I heard sounded very familiar when I took this one apart! Also some other interesting things to note..... pics to follow.

Pete

Ah, now that's my type of fuel gauge

I'm not so sure it is the sender, because it does it whether the ignition is on or not.

cheers

James

Indeed, I don't believe it's the sender, and if my previous test on the other broken fuel gauge has the same problem, then it's purely a case of the sprung part jumping out of the right slot in the needle pivot arm. I've lots of pictars to put up soon! Then all will be clear! Just gotta find the time and enthusiasm to sort the speedo and fuel gauge out in the GLT to make sure it will work as I think it will!

Pete

What foggy says makes sense if it is like that on ignition off too... I must have missed that bit