Rank: Member
Groups: Registered
Joined: 21/05/2007(UTC)
Posts: 88
|
Howdy, and Help!
After the Prem Wagon being stored away for a couple of years I have finally got it Roadworthied and on the Club Permit Scheme. This is good, except the fuel guage only reads full. As soon as the ignition is turned on it snaps to the full mark, this would be great if my car was indeed running on hydrogen and never needed filling up, but alas is still running on dead dinos. Any ideas? I have found an old guage and connected the wires up and it does exactly the same thing...
I'm going away into the bush for a fishing trip in a week and really need the bloody thing working, the rest of the car is running like a dream, just this problem..
Rodders
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Member
Groups: Registered
Joined: 20/03/2011(UTC) Posts: 132 ![Australia]( "Australia") Was thanked: 16 time(s) in 16 post(s)
|
The holden guage circuits I have seen operate on resistive current circuit. Fuel tank sender varies the current (via varying resistance), the current heats a bi-metal strip in the guage which deflects according to the heat/temperature/current flowing through it. I would say you have a short circuit in sender circuit. While ever your guage is hard over full you are cooking your bi-metal strip and it will loose calibration.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Veteran
Groups: Registered, Veteran
Joined: 10/02/2009(UTC)
Posts: 2,357
Thanks: 2 times
Was thanked: 28 time(s) in 27 post(s)
|
As staed above you are zero ohms for full deflection. try the following:
Remove the wire off the sender at the tank, if shows empty then it is the sender that is stuck, if not then the wire to the guage is pinched somewhere.
If sender, remove from tank and check if stuck or broken.
Warren
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Veteran
Groups: Moderator, Registered
Joined: 1/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 6,058
Thanks: 1 times
Was thanked: 203 time(s) in 184 post(s)
|
Sorry guys, but this is all incorrect. All Holden fuel gauges 1972 & earlier use magnetic deflection, not thermal.
What his means is that they operate in reverse of what happens with later (thermal) gauges. In plain English, with the sender disconnected the gauge will read full.
In fact an open circuit anywhere in the sender or wire between the sender & gauge, will cause the gauge to read full scale.
The easiest test is to disconnect the sender wire & temporarily short the wire's connector plug to earth. When you switch the ignition on, the gauge should now show empty. If it does then the sender is faulty, quite common in this age of car.
Unlike later thermal gauges, this test will not damage anything.
BTW, if the gauge still reads full after this test, the fault will be in the body wiring.
Dr Terry |
If at first you don't succeed, just call it Version 1.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Member
Groups: Registered
Joined: 2/03/2005(UTC) Posts: 451  ![Australia]( "Australia") Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 14 post(s)
|
one suggestion is if it is the old sender that is faulty is to buy a new one from Rare Spares. At least you can then worry about the fish and not running out of fuel,
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Member
Groups: Registered
Joined: 21/05/2007(UTC)
Posts: 88
|
Thank you one and all!! I shorted the wire from the sender to earth, turned on the ignition and it read Empty. So I guess that means the sender is completely shot, could that have happened from the car sitting for a while (2 years) and then being driven again?
Thanks again...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Member
Groups: Registered
Joined: 20/03/2011(UTC) Posts: 132 ![Australia]( "Australia") Was thanked: 16 time(s) in 16 post(s)
|
quote:
Originally posted by Dr Terry
Sorry guys, but this is all incorrect. All Holden fuel gauges 1972 & earlier use magnetic deflection, not thermal.
What his means is that they operate in reverse of what happens with later (thermal) gauges. In plain English, with the sender disconnected the gauge will read full.
In fact an open circuit anywhere in the sender or wire between the sender & gauge, will cause the gauge to read full scale.
The easiest test is to disconnect the sender wire & temporarily short the wire's connector plug to earth. When you switch the ignition on, the gauge should now show empty. If it does then the sender is faulty, quite common in this age of car.
Unlike later thermal gauges, this test will not damage anything.
BTW, if the gauge still reads full after this test, the fault will be in the body wiring.
Dr Terry
Thanks for the correction Terry, must admit a bit hazey on anything that early but always glad to learn somthing new. Cheers Balfizar
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Member
Groups: Registered
Joined: 21/05/2007(UTC)
Posts: 88
|
Sorted. It was a dodgy connection at the wiring loom plug for the sender to the guage.
Thanks everyone who posted info...
Fastlane saves the day.... again!!
Rod
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.
