Another fuel guage question

[Mick]

I have changed the guage and now have replaced (new) sender
when full the guage would read half to three quarters which has now dropped to reading quarter when full (i didn't change anything between this happening) so i figured it was the sender which I have now changed (new) but still the same reading, l did notice today when i turn the ignition on the guage went up toa bit less than quarter but slowly returned to the empty mark (looking in the tank there was maybe a third to a quarter of a tank of fuel in the tank
Any ideas?

Thanks

[EK283]

Mick,

Try an earth wire from the sender (a mounting screw not the wire connection for the gauge) to a good known earth, if that doesn't work try bending the sender downwards to get a fuller reading.

Greg

[Mick]

Mick,

Try an earth wire from the sender (a mounting screw not the wire connection for the gauge) to a good known earth, if that doesn't work try bending the sender downwards to get a fuller reading.

Greg

thanks i might have it figured, i pulled the dash to try another gauge but before i pulled the gauge out i put an earth wire from a good earth to the dash and gauge came up to possibly about where it should be (dipped stick in tank when sender out) and looked to be more than quarter but less than half and that's about what the gauge is reading
just funny i've had the dash in and out a couple of times and the gauge changed once and never got better, i spose it just wanted me to spend $150 on a sender it seems i didn't need

[Blacky]

My ute used to have an erratic fuel gauge until I did the same thing Mick

[Mick]

took it for a drive it still reads to close to half to be right so will just drive it till it runs out and see where it is then fill it up and see where it goes

[Mick]

JEEZUS CHRIST i'm starting to think i got a shonky sender, i was a bit iffy about the reading on the gauge so ran car till it ran out of fuel what happens then after i put more fuel in gauge stayed on empty, before i had run out no issues could turn the car on and off done several times over a couple of days gauge worked as it should but once i ran out it would no longer work i've now changed the gauge 3 times (3 different gauges) and every time i get different results, different readings some no reading, i should have saved myself the $150 and stuck with what i had atleast i had an idea of how much fuel was in the tank now i have no clue

[59wagon]

Hi Mick, car electrics can be frustrating, huh? Here’s how I’d probably go about it.
Disconnect the sender unit wire either at the gauge or at the sender unit. If you disconnect at the sender, make sure the loose wire end isn’t touching the car body.
Turn on ignition and the gauge should go to full. If it still reads empty, check you have power onto the gauge by putting positive meter lead to the positive of the gauge and negative to the gauge body, NOT the sender terminal. Also, ensure the positive lead is touching the gauge terminal rather than the power lead terminal - this ensures you have a good connection between power lead and gauge. If no reading, put the negative lead to car body to check you have power. If this is ok, then either the gauge is faulty or, you have a bad earth connection between gauge body and the car body. If the gauge appears ok, then we need to go to the sender unit.
There’s a few possibilities here: a short between the sender wire and car body, or a short in the sender itself, or the float arm is stuck (jammed in the tank or a faulty sender), or maybe worth checking your new sender is a sedan one rather than a wagon one - the wagon one has a shorter floating arm and will read empty way before the tank is actually empty.
If you need help checking the sender unit or anything else, just yell at me

[Mick]

thanks