One Fuel Tank Pegs Gauge

crash-harris

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Ok, now I'm not so convinced that the sender is bad. Played around with it a little after painting and it ohms out at 16.6 ohm. I couldn't get continuity between the tank and the bed/frame/exhaust (but batteries are out right now, yet it should still ground). I know there is fuel in it, 5 gallons or more. And the other odd thing is that the fuel gauge pegs regardless of the fact that the harness is plugged in on the tank or not?

If the harness isn't connected to anything, there would be no current to flow from hot to ground, so could it be something in the FSV, like a loose/broken contact always making a connection? Like I said, I traced all the wiring for it and nothing else is burnt, frayed, outside the split loom touching anything and overall hunky dory.

Thoughts on that?

Still no ideas about that?
 

DaytonaBill

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I couldn't get continuity between the tank and the bed/frame/exhaust (but batteries are out right now, yet it should still ground).
Well, I might be wrong on this, but I think the tank is not supposed to be grounded, hence the two wires to the sender and did you know that gas or diesel won't pass current?
 
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crash-harris

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Else there would be a big boom as soon as the key is turned!

I always thought that the leads through the sender/pickup plate were isolated? But your right, that still shouldn't affect the level sender circuit. There has to be something, somewhere bridging the positive and negative leads since it still reads full of the harness is unplugged. I certainly didn't see anything crossed when I back traced both wires :dunno
 

crash-harris

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New development!

While letting the truck idle for awhile today in attempts to retime it, I noticed the rear tank was getting a bit low, so I switched to the front tank knowing it had fuel in it, but still not how much.

A bit later I came back to shut the truck down and the gauge was working?! Showed about 1/8 of a tank or less. I switched it back to the rear tank and then IT pegged the gauge. WTH?!

Shut 'er down and flipped the switch a few more times listening to the FSV switching and it eventually went back to reading the rear tank level and ******* on the front tank. So I guess the front tank is currently under 1/8 and the rear is at about 1/4 of a tank. I'm just not allowed to know right when I flip the switch.

Some whacky crap, huh?
 

crash-harris

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Another update!

The Enterprise is home and the cab really needs cleaned out! But I slid into Sam's Club gas station just before closing and dropped $54 in diesel in both tanks.

When I restarted the truck and switched to the front tank, I fully expected it to peg gauge again. Instead, it dropped to empty!

Me thinks the replacement Duralast connector has the wrote colors backwards...I'll find out soon, but still have to tweak the steering gear over center adjustment and clean the grandparents barn first.
 

crash-harris

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Ok, made a 2 hour or so round trip today and noticed while driving in town that the needle would bounce when coming to a stop. Ran the front tank for the whole trip as I discovered a fuel leak from the front of the tank, so small rust hole up front and high maybe.

Maybe I have brass floats and the solder has failed (float filled with fuel)? :dunno
 

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