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Old 07-27-2017, 12:21 PM   #2
demian5
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Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Lake Forest, CA
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Re: How to find why fuel gauge doesn't work?

Pull the wire off the sender, turn the ignition on and ground the wire to the body. It should go to full.

- If it doesn't move, try it at the gauge terminal (connect to ground). If it moves at the gauge, then you know the wire has an open (you say empty, but if the gauge was showing full then I would tell you it may have a short to the vehicles body).
- If the gauge goes full AND the wire is good, the sender is easy enough to pull and take a look at. Make sure it is grounded to the tank and the tank is grounded to the body. A simple DVOM resistance check between components can show that.
- If the gauge doesn't do squat, check the power to it .
* If it has power, check that the resistor on the gauge isn't blown. I've seen many a gauge replaced for a $2 resistor that can be replaced! They are sold through truck and car shop.
* If it doesn't have power, well, figure out why or jumper power to the gauge directly (at least jumper to figure out if the gas gauge or sender is working).
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Last edited by demian5; 07-27-2017 at 12:26 PM.
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