Cascade Crew

BluFbdy

Alright so i posted this over on TGO but it never hurts to get a second opinion

Im not sure what is going on with this thing, its an Eqqus gauge I bought from checker (shucks) after my factory gauge crapped out on me, i pulled my cluster, cut the tan signal wire and ran it to the signal on the new gauge, ran another wire to power and then grounded the third, i grounded it on the speaker chasis so im not sure if thats got something to do with it....anyway heres a link to the vid on youtube, its a bit easier to see than explain, the gauge reads about 3/4 sitting and then when you push the gas it goes up to full with the rpm

TIA!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3JtRpQXFPc
*NOTE* at the 13 sec mark in the vid i just pushed the gas a little bit, not enough to hear on the vid but it raised the rpm by about 200, so its doing it under all conditions

Al Hasse · Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 8:48 pm Post subject:

My first guess would be to find a better ground. The sender works on a 0-90 ohm signal, 90 ohms being full. Not sure what it takes for the aftermarket gauge though. The stock gauges I just finished rewiring, I tested the gas gauge with the gauges power wire to the battery positive post (had the battery in the car) and gauges ground to the negative post. When connected like this, I shorted the sender wire to the ground wire to make the gauge read empty and removed the short to make it read full (infinity works in this case for 90 ohms).

aaron_sK · Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 8:59 pm Post subject:

When you buy an aftermarket gas gauge, you have to specify what resistance range you want, otherwise it wont work for beans.

Assuming you got the right one, I'm with Al here: fix the ground.

BluFbdy · Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 10:24 pm Post subject:

i made sure to get the 90ohm gauge, ive got mixed ideas, for one i know my ground is in a shotty spot, its on the speaker chasis so im definitely moving that tomorrow, another point that was made was that i never really moved the tan wire for the original gauge, so its sitting smack dab up against the cluster, one user suggested that the magnetic field coming from my tach is interfereing with the smaller magnestic field thats produced by my sending wire, so its throwing off the voltage, and in turn the resistance. it makes sense to me but i wanted some extra thoughts on this

BluFbdy · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 4:18 pm Post subject:

Ok I'm getting aggitated, supplied a new ground and power totally away from the cluster and moved the signal wire...still doing it, went and got the gauge warrantied with no luck,,,new ideas?

chevymad · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:35 pm Post subject:

What is your voltage doing?

aaron_sK · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:38 pm Post subject:

His voltmeter looks to be pegged high in the vidjya, B.

chevymad · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:43 pm Post subject:

If the voltage is changing, the gas gauge may as well.

BluFbdy · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 8:33 pm Post subject:

Oh! Haha yeah the only stock gauges workin are the tach and speedo, I've got the voltmeter oil pressure and temp mounted underneath the center vents it got chopped in the vids, the voltage stays consitsant under all conditions so I'm stumped

chevymad · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 8:40 pm Post subject:

To make that guage move you need to change voltage or resistance. One or the other is changing. Hook your meter to the voltage input while you do this. Then measure on the output side. See which is changing.

BluFbdy · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 12:49 am Post subject:

I wanna say its the sending wire, I've tried multiple voltage sources and grounds, and I know I'm getting a consistant voltage output cuz my volts gauge is dead on and never moves, I gotta run and get a new dmm, I HAD a fluke meter but it got left in az and my dad has "liberated" it lol so I guess ill go back to using a harbor freight meter. I should be able to set it to resistance and just measure the signal wire correct? When I put power and ground to the gauge it moves up to E from its normal spot without power so I think those are good and now I'm leaning towards the signal wire I also emailed eqqus to see if they can shed some light on the issue....

BluFbdy · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 1:57 am Post subject:

Well a member on tgo pointed out my error...and I wanna punch myself upside the head for it. The wiring diagram I was looking at showed a tan wire, I wasn't looking at the correct diagram, I needed the gauges diagram. I was using the body one...so the TAN wire...goes to the oil pressure gauge which would explain the movement with the tach... I need to tap the pink wire tomorrow. I feel so retarded lol I've never had a screw up like this the entire time I've owned my car, I guess its a learning experience? Haha

Al Hasse · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 7:59 am Post subject:

I should have picked up on that too. I just rebuilt the harness to a gauge panel, using the stock wires. I tested each to be sure it works and I do remember the fuel sender wire being pink. Your gauge with just power and ground, sender wire left open, should read full. Short the sender wire to ground and it should read empty.

BluFbdy · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 10:38 am Post subject:

This ones backwards I guess, open is empty, connected is full...so who knows maybe ill get a nice suprise here in a few days lol

aaron_sK · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 4:34 pm Post subject:

BluFbdy · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 6:17 pm Post subject:

ok its all done and mounted in the pod, from what i can tell its working lol it went up to just above 3/4 when i turned the key on, and i filled up 2 days ago so im gonna keep an eye on it and go from there

thanks for your help guys

BluFbdy · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:39 pm Post subject:

DAMMIT! it never ends!

I went for a drive a bit ago and now its got another quirk. Sitting still its perfectly fine, revved up to 4000 rpm its fine but when im driving and i swerve the car side to side a bit (im not sure why i decided to do this) or when i punch it, the gauge loses its signal. Is it possible for the armature on the sending unit to loosen up and have play? I doubt its my connections because i was wiggling the wires, tapping the gauge, doing everything i could to try and make it twitch again but nothin, ill post up a new vid of it tomorrow, my droid cant capture it at night

so im thinking my sending unit is to blame here, even when i hit a series of bumps it wouldnt twitch but side to side and punching it it tweaks out

BLARG!

aaron_sK · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:46 pm Post subject:

All gas gauges do that, dude. Try stomping it out of the hole and it will swing up one way, them slam the brakes and it will swing the other way.

chevymad · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:57 pm Post subject:

It's why in 90? they started putting baffles in the tanks.

BluFbdy · Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:57 pm Post subject:

No no no I'm used to them floating, that's just gas sloshing in the tank. I mean it twitches to past full in a snap movement like someones just touching the signal terminal with the wire off and on, ill post a vid to show you lol it goes to the point where when you have a power and ground hooked up, it pegs past full until it recieves a signal from the sending unit