82CEzeke

Yes my gauge looks like the fat left. Showing at 3oclock. So it means I have no ohms input?

0Willcox Corvette

Correct... Now go to the sending unit with a multi-meter, turn the key on pull the ohms wire off the sender and ground it out to something....

The gauge should go to empty like in the middle picture. If it does you have entirely ruled out the wires from the sender to the dash unit and the dash unit as the issue. If it doesn't move, post back... I'm going to bet it moves.... So...

Next go to the connector that the ohms wire came off of, take an ohms reading.

If you don't get a reading, run a test jumper from ground to the sending unit and test again. If you do this and get a reading your ground on the sender is bad, if you don't get a reading the issue is in the sender.

Willcox

colonel328

I think the matter of the OP has been resolved so I guess its ok to highjack this thread:

The fuel gauge in my 82 is all the way to the left, matter of fact a little behind 3 o´clock. That is regardless if the tank is empty or full. In addition, the low fuel warning light is on all the time....

Wanting to check the sending unit, I undid the three fuel lines, unscrewed the round tank cover and tryed to get the sending unit out of the body opening. I failed as the nozzles are too long to juggle the cover out. Looking into the tank with the sending unit put to one side I was not able to identify the float or anything that looked as it would move with the fuel, so I figured I put it back together as there was nothing to test for me.

However, I put an ohm meter to the three cables coming out of the round cover, but got no reading at all on the tan and the brown wire. Can I assume the sending unit is dead as there is no reading? And why is that check light on while the gauge "thinks" the tank is filled up?

ronarndt

Steve's suggestion to use something other than metal is important. It may not happen all the time, but sooner or later there will be a spark from static electricity build-up. You probably do not want that to happen with your face looking in the filler hole. Use a wood stick or one of those fiberglass rods that are used for driveway markers. You may have seen the warning signs at gas stations to place your gas can for your lawn mower on the ground to fill it, rather than filling in your truck bed. Same problem- static buildup and a spark. A driver down here in northern VA found out about this recently the hard way and the fireball that engulfed him was captured on the security camera at the gas station and replayed in the TV news.

jim in oregon

ought to make this one of the 'sticky' threads..Lots of good info and help..Thanks Wilcox..Everything you have sent me for my old '78 has been top shelf anf few times I've called..got intelligent, knowlegeable folks..Jim

Giant_Robot

it means, you should walk away and let a professional deal with this.