Would anyone here know where to send vintage gauges in a cluster for repair ? My temp gauge gives a false reading and my fuel gauge does not function at all. Thank you
This is a pretty open ended question. What vehicle is it for? Have you done continuity tests on the wire from sender to gauge? Have you removed the sender, cleaned all points of contact to make sure you are getting a good ground? Have you applied 12V to the gauge directly with and without ground to see if the needle moves? Is it a mechanical or electric temp gauge? I don't know of any vintage gauge repair locations in Canada, only lots of new digital repair shops.
Warren
So the temp gage works ? Maybe you have the wrong sensor in the engine ? Gas gauge ? What happens when you ground the wire at the tank? Or what happens if you power the wire at the tank ? Maybe there is nothing wrong with your gauges ?
Ive had pretty good success taking the guts out of spare guages around the shop and transplanting them into burnt units we need. Also found a lot of sending units for temperature guages that are way out of spec right out of the box. Ford seems to be the worst. I suspect they just started using the same sender for 1966 to 1983 applications. Usually, adding a resister in the sender wire brings the accuracy back, but it may take a couple of trys to get the right one before soldering.
Generally speaking, it seems that the issues I think are straightforward and simple turn out to be complex. And the issues I think are complex are considered simple. It's frustrating for me but it must really aggravate all you hot rod enthusiasts with decades of knowledge to read another message from such a dumb fu*k. Sorry guys. So incredibly sorry.
No sorry, you just learned how to check/repair your gauges. I used a resistor on my temp gauge wire because I didn't like seeing it at the half way point. Kept freakin me out.
T tape does not break the connection. The metal breaks thru somewhere to make contact.
Unless you use half a roll and can only turn it half a revolution or something.
Generally speaking, it seems that the issues I think are straightforward and simple turn out to be complex. And the issues I think are complex are considered simple. It's frustrating for me but it must really aggravate all you hot rod enthusiasts with decades of knowledge to read another message from such a dumb fu*k. Sorry guys. So incredibly sorry.
Don,t be sorry. Remember,,, the dumbest question is the one never asked. Its all part of the learning process.
Generally speaking, it seems that the issues I think are straightforward and simple turn out to be complex. And the issues I think are complex are considered simple. It's frustrating for me but it must really aggravate all you hot rod enthusiasts with decades of knowledge to read another message from such a dumb fu*k. Sorry guys. So incredibly sorry.
Don,t be sorry. Remember,,, the dumbest question is the one never asked. Its all part of the learning process.
that answer brought this to mind, as wise person told me often as a younger lad growing up, "there is no such thing as a stupid question but be prepared for some silly answers."
Never be sorry for a question, no one knows everything but collectively, we have an incredible resource of knowledge. I'll share an embarrassing fail to illustrate. I've been licensed since 1983, I try to stay current with training and have some certifications from ASE. In theory, I should know my stuff right? Well....... I restored a dodge Challenger with a 440/auto. I took apart an old police fury to get the HD parts I wanted for the package. Great car and I toured the US with it from Las Vegas to Ocean City. It had a really random issue. I would be sitting still in traffic and suddenly the temp gauges would shoot up about 1/4 of the way. It never actually boiled over, the guage just popped up real fast into the danger zone. It happened once at the border and I decided enough was enough, gotta fix this. I convinced myself it was probably a small head gasket leak that allowed an air bubble into the cooling system. Swapped the gaskets, no joy. Tried a better rad, fan, shroud, high flow stat, water pump, still no change at all, grrrr. Finally, was driving back from a car show in Saugeen Shores and it happened with a full tank of gas. This time it burned out the gas gauges as well. That was the clue I needed. The is a little voltage limiter on the back of the dash that reduces voltage from 12 volts to 5 volts. Its a $12.00 part that takes 15 minutes to change. It works like the flasher unit on your indicator and when they get 30 years old or so, the bimetallic strip can act funny, causing the gauges to fluctuate. When I went to get a replacement from National Moparts in Beaverton Nigel told me it happens all the time. If I had of just ask the right question of the right person I could of saved myself a lot of grief!
Damn, does that explain why I blew the motor on my 75 Ford, temp gauge didn't go up, then afterwards driving along, it went full up when everything was fine?
Next time it happened the gas gauge also went full tilt.
All kidding aside, that should be a mandatory high school course "how to ask effective questions". People in general seem to struggle with communication. Seems like they include a lot of irrelevant details and leave out the critical stuff when they are trying to get their cars serviced. I really don't care who was in the car when it made the noise or where they were going but I do care when it happens, how often, was it raining/dry etc. The trick is trying to figure out what is actually irrelevant. If the mother in law weighs 450lbs and the car only makes the noise when she is onboard, I guess that becomes valuable info!
Thank you. I get discouraged and focus so much on the problem, I forget to include relevant information when stuff fails. Partly because so much seems to fail. I like when I can fix things myself, like the parking brake mess I found under the floor. No wonder it didn't work. And I go back to the same store 4 times for the right part. All part of the process I guess. I am finally cluing into why winter is the time for repairs. Summer time could be a pleasant time to turn a wrench but winter is the logical time. I get it now. Too many repairs are necessary to do over summer with my car.
But my new water temp gauge works fine, my parking brake works for the first time and I am fabricating a lower portion to my rad shroud today after following all the advice for my battery drain. I don't enjoy electrics yet but I love fabricating.
I have a fuse in the line going to my alternator. It sits in a small rubber 'pocket' on top of the block. Sometimes it blows if I accidentally let a wire touch the block. Is it normal to have a fuse between the alternator and the battery ? I think that's where the other end goes.
Ok - maybe someone has the answer. My gas gauge - aftermarket - slowly went from reading ok, to over full - usually the sign of a bad ground - replaced the ground wire - no change. So replaced sender and gauge - no change when the tank is about 3/4 by guess- sometimes the needle flickers back and forth and then buries itself over full what am I missing? Only wire left would be the sender unit wire and it appears to be ok. I am totally baffled - but then - I am not a mechanic.
ANYONE?
-- Edited by Seeker1056 on Wednesday 20th of July 2022 08:07:16 AM
Sounds like a classic case of a voltage limiter going bad. What kind of car? My guess, on the back of your instrument cluster you will find a 3 prong "limiter" (silver case 1 inch long) basically, it takes the 12 volt system down to 5 volts for the gauges. It works like the flasher for your indicator closing the points for x seconds each minute to put less voltage in the circuit. As it gets older it gets slower switching and the count slows down so the voltage goes up. Eventually, it will burn out your gas gauge at full just like and overpowered light bulb. If you google "voltage limiter gauges" you will probably find a newer digital version for under $20.00. As a bonus, you won't notice any clicking in your AM radio anymore either because the digital versions don't switch every few seconds. Before you go crazy, lets confirm your year, make and model uses a limiter though!
This is what an original Dodge or Ford one looked like:
-- Edited by Livetodrive on Wednesday 20th of July 2022 07:41:50 PM
-- Edited by Livetodrive on Wednesday 20th of July 2022 07:42:14 PM
My two replies to the original post would be . A < if you want to learn about older , outdated or pre 70,s electronics and gauges and wiring and such . Pick up an older shop manual ... not a haynes .... but a real factory shop manual , one of those ones like 3 inches thick with lots of pictures , for pre 70,s chev or ford . Even if your system is a bit different you can read a lot from them . Those old shop manuals lotsa times even have pic or diagram showing how to hook your meter up for testing . 2, maybe try checking out some actual vehicle restoration shops for advice and info , find out who does their gauge testing and repairs and maybe C, you got any guys nearby with a bunch of old pick ups , cars or even tractors that look like they been restored maintained etc , cant hurt to ask them for tips advice
Yeah maybe the guy only restores tractors but pretty much anything ya work on is 6 v or 12 v
and dont get upset by replies to your questions , its not worth your bother . Remember what Bruce said ?????? Be like water ... like water off a ducks back
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I,m as cool as Milner , but axeually a bit more like Beckwith
