# Gas gauge is stuck!



## linsjean (Jan 7, 2008)

Hello,

The needle on my gauge is not moving. I am lucky that I know that I'm just about out of gas right now because I write down my mileage every time I gas up. It's stuck right at the half-way mark and when I turn off my key, it doesn't move either (normally it does). Checked fuses, their fine. 

What else could be causing this? Please do not tell me I have to pull the tank to get to the sending unit. Please give all possible causes. Could it be that the needle inside the dash is stuck to the panel? I can't seem to get the last two screws off to remove that dash cover for the unit.

Thanks!


----------



## cjserio (Mar 18, 2008)

I have the same truck and my gauge is dead too....but mine is pointing down well below empty. I took the panel off and tested the gauge itself with a power supply and the gauge does move so the problem with mine is in the tank which i'm too lazy to take apart.

I'm surprised that yours is stuck in the middle. You really need to get the panel out to test that gauge. It's really a 10 minute job to get the cluster out. If the screws are stripped, try a left handed drill or an easy out or something. They should be fairly easy to remove.


----------



## CMax03 (Jan 17, 2009)

are your water temp gauges not working either?


----------



## brookwood61 (Aug 18, 2005)

cjserio said:


> I have the same truck and my gauge is dead too....but mine is pointing down well below empty. I took the panel off and tested the gauge itself with a power supply and the gauge does move so the problem with mine is in the tank which i'm too lazy to take apart.
> 
> I'm surprised that yours is stuck in the middle. You really need to get the panel out to test that gauge. It's really a 10 minute job to get the cluster out. If the screws are stripped, try a left handed drill or an easy out or something. They should be fairly easy to remove.


Check your grounds on the tank, and the connections. Maybe the tank doesn't have to come out. 
Good Luck


----------



## mitsuspyder (Feb 27, 2009)

i kinda have that problem caus mi fuel gauge sometimes does move but when ur drivin it goes bak to the empty side, so i removed the gauge cluster and i found out tat if the gauge is resting on the back of the dashboard it kinda ground the gauge


----------



## brookwood61 (Aug 18, 2005)

My post above was meant for cjserio's truck situation, not to under mind him. That is what mine did, when the ground to the tank broke off, the gauge buried below E. I fixed the ground, and all was fine, without removing the tank. I ran my ground wire, right to the pump mount on the frame,which you don't have, but there should be something on the frame to ground it to.


----------



## cjserio (Mar 18, 2008)

brookwood61 said:


> My post above was meant for cjserio's truck situation, not to under mind him. That is what mine did, when the ground to the tank broke off, the gauge buried below E. I fixed the ground, and all was fine, without removing the tank. I ran my ground wire, right to the pump mount on the frame,which you don't have, but there should be something on the frame to ground it to.


Excellent...can you describe where the ground wire should be so i can see if it's disconnected/rotted?


----------



## bearmarm (Sep 15, 2007)

I had the exact same problem. It turned out to be the needle itself had bent in the heat over the years and was rubbing on the gauges face so I bent it straight again.


----------



## brookwood61 (Aug 18, 2005)

cjserio said:


> Excellent...can you describe where the ground wire should be so i can see if it's disconnected/rotted?


My truck has an external pump, so I only have 2 wires going to the tank. I can't say which wire it is for an internal pump. But I didn't cut the wire, I just cut back the insulation, and soldered a pigtail to it, and mounted the pigtail to the frame.


----------



## CMax03 (Jan 17, 2009)

cjserio said:


> I have the same truck and my gauge is dead too....but mine is pointing down well below empty. I took the panel off and tested the gauge itself with a power supply and the gauge does move so the problem with mine is in the tank which i'm too lazy to take apart.
> 
> I'm surprised that yours is stuck in the middle. You really need to get the panel out to test that gauge. It's really a 10 minute job to get the cluster out. If the screws are stripped, try a left handed drill or an easy out or something. They should be fairly easy to remove.


 Remove the cluster and lightly lift the contacts which contact the printed circuits. There's a voltage regulator that controls the fuel level gauge and the water temp gauge and I found the contacts to be the culprit on my super high mileage HB


----------



## Dragonflyer (Jan 17, 2009)

I have a '91 p/u. After a local mechanic replaced the fuel pump (I didn't have time) the gauge worked only intermittently. Since I've owned this truck, the gauge never did read right, but I couldn't accept it not working at all.
I have both Haynes and Chilton's manuals, and used both to understand the wiring. There's a plug on the frame, right side, behind the cab. I was able to get the gauge to move by applying 12v through this plug.
On the tank side, I couldn't get an ohms reading. I pulled the bed off, pulled the fuel pump/sending unit assembly. Testing it out of the truck, it tested fine. I put it back in the tank, it didn't work.
I replaced the short harness that runs from the frame to the top of the tank. Everything worked fine, so I'm pretty sure that was my problem.
As for the gauge not reading right, when I pulled the assembly, the float arm was bent at about 90 degrees. I bent it down a bit, and luckily got it correct the first time.
I emptied the tank, poured in 5 gallons, and the gauge read 1/2 way between 1/4 and 1/2. I poured in 5 more gallons, and the gauge read 1/2 way between 1/2 and 3/4. If these werent' correct, I was going to keep adjusting the float, but I didn't have to.
When I filled up the tank, the gauge went to the middle of the full line, and it's never read above 3/4 before this.


----------

