Author Topic: adding an aftermarket fuel gauge  (Read 4024 times)

Offline guinelle1

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adding an aftermarket fuel gauge
« on: January 15, 2014, 04:29:14 pm »
i have a 79 k20 with an oem tank on the passanger side. the truck is stripped and set up for mud drags.. when i got it none of the gauges in the original cluster worked, and the fuel gauge would move with the turn signal lol... i tried another cluster and no go. is the sender on these trucks 0-90 ohm? i couldnt find much surfing online. i tested my sender and it seems to be working.

Offline bake74

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Re: adding an aftermarket fuel gauge
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2014, 08:24:08 pm »
     http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php/topic,16071.0.html

     Yes, most stock fuel gauges are 0 - 90'ohms.
#1: The easiest and most obvious solution to any problem is 99% of the time correct.
#2: There is no such thing as impossible, it just takes longer.
  74 k10, 77k10    Tom

Offline bd

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Re: adding an aftermarket fuel gauge
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2014, 09:22:28 pm »
i have a 79 k20 ...and the fuel gauge would move with the turn signal lol...

Check all of the vehicle grounds, especially the instrument cluster, cab and bed grounds.
Rich
It's difficult to know just how much you don't know until you know it.
In other words... if people learn by making mistakes, by now I should know just about everything!!!
87 R10 Silverado Fleetside 355 MPFI 700R4 3.42 Locker (aka Rusty, aka Mater)

Offline guinelle1

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Re: adding an aftermarket fuel gauge
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2014, 07:04:24 am »
ill check the grounds but im gunna order the aftermarket gauge

Offline 75gmck25

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Re: adding an aftermarket fuel gauge
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2014, 05:27:51 pm »
If the turn signals make the fuel gauge flip back and forth, its almost always the main instrument panel ground.  There should be a black wire from the cluster grounded to a post on the emergency brake mechanism (which then grounds it to the body).

Bruce

Offline guinelle1

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Re: adding an aftermarket fuel gauge
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2014, 07:02:26 pm »
wow thanks for all the responses ill make sure to check that ground. great community on here  :)

Offline rich weyand

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Re: adding an aftermarket fuel gauge
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2014, 07:11:33 pm »
If the ground isn't right, the aftermarket gauge won't work either.
Rich

"Working Girl": 1978 K-10 RCSB 350/TH350/NP203 +2/+3 Tuff Country lift

Offline guinelle1

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Re: adding an aftermarket fuel gauge
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2014, 07:37:58 pm »
If the ground isn't right, the aftermarket gauge won't work either.
i would end up bypassing all the factory wiring, because i have no idea if any of it is any good.