instrument cluster fuel gauge not moving - faulty fuel sender? or fuse? or something else?

Hi Guys,

Just wondering why my fuel gauge wouldn't register as having any fuel? I've added about 10 litres so I know there is fuel in it. I have not driven the car anywhere and just let the car idle for about 20 minutes and the temp gauge next to it moves and eventually the radiator fan kicks in. But the fuel gauge just doesn't move.

Could it be a fault at the cluster end? or a faulty fuel sender in the tank??

cheers

 

Take the sending plug off the sender under the back seat.

Take a 2-3foot length of wire, and you will ground one end.  Then apply the other end to the Violet wire (usually violet)  if the Gauge doesn't move then the issue is the gauge or the wire to it.

Key engine not started.

If the Gauge works, then it is your sender in the tank needs to be probably wiper arm cleaned.  The issue becomes that you have to have 3/4 or less of a tank for you to safely remove the sender from the tank.

If the Gauge is an issue it may be a wire,  or the gauge connection (2 Brass Nuts), that need to be cleaned.

To test the gauge use a 9v dc battery and short the battery to the studs, if the gauge doesn't move, then it is the gauge, and you will have to take your cluster apart to effect repair.  

If the gauge moves,  with the battery across it, then you need to test for continuity of the Violet wire on the sender to the back of the gauge….

You can string a wire from the sender plug to the back of the gauge, as that is also a test of the wire, if the gauge moves then you have a broken connection.

Briano1234 said

Take the sending plug off the sender under the back seat.

Take a 2-3foot length of wire, and you will ground one end.  Then apply the other end to the Violet wire (usually violet)  if the Gauge doesn't move then the issue is the gauge or the wire to it.

Key engine not started.

If the Gauge works, then it is your sender in the tank needs to be probably wiper arm cleaned.  The issue becomes that you have to have 3/4 or less of a tank for you to safely remove the sender from the tank.

If the Gauge is an issue it may be a wire,  or the gauge connection (2 Brass Nuts), that need to be cleaned.

To test the gauge use a 9v dc battery and short the battery to the studs, if the gauge doesn't move, then it is the gauge, and you will have to take your cluster apart to effect repair.  

If the gauge moves,  with the battery across it, then you need to test for continuity of the Violet wire on the sender to the back of the gauge….

You can string a wire from the sender plug to the back of the gauge, as that is also a test of the wire, if the gauge moves then you have a broken connection.

Thanks Brian. great info. I'll try that and let you know.

Getting 34 ohms across the 2 pins that I've marked at sender end. Does this tell us sender is ok?
And when I put the car ignition on , but don't start it, and then loop a wire from the purple cable to the brown cable the fuel level moves to full. What does that tell us??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That if you have a full tank, it's working.
that is all the wiring to the sender is ok. 0 resistance that is shorting the brown to violet is indicating to the gauge that the tank is full….

So if you reconnect it, and the Gauge dosen't move, then your issue is the sender.

If it reads 0 amount,  and you have a half a tank, that is a sender issue.

If you have a liter of fuel or 2 liters of fuel  then it might not register….

The saying is you have to know how much you got before you can say it's working.  

But from what you type, the gauges and wires up to the sender are good.