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Recently I was able to get my fuel gauge working and now I'm working on the rest of the panel. I replaced the temp sending units but the gauge still behave the same as before. It stays on H when off, which I've noticed even the ones for sale on the internet do not attached to anything. When I start the truck it goes half way down but returns to H seconds later. So it seems it's getting a signal. Is this a sign of a bad gauge or bad wiring?
My speedometer just started acting up in the last few weeks. It seems the colder the temps are the worse it acts up. It sounds like an old cassette tape rewinding and the needle bounces all over the place. Has any one had this issue before?
Yes, it happened to mine years ago, especially in the cold weather. I would unhook it before it breaks. I am not sure if it is the cable or the speedo. I think the speedo needs lubed. I would take it out and lube it well on the bench. You should see a little weep hole behind it where one should put a drop or two of oil periodically.
But you've got to really lube yours up well. Some may not like this but I sprayed WD-40 liberally on all moving parts and then put some 3 in 1 oil in the weep hole. To see how it spins I put a Q-tip in my drill, stick the Q-tip in the back of the speedo just so it grips the inside of the round thing and run the drill in reverse. I have gotten speedos up to 60 mph in this manner.
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The gauge resting at H is a safety thought by Ford... and since yours goes down when you start your truck (I think your talking about your '50 f1) it sounds like it's working ok... But since it goes back up to H... need to check the sending unit and water pumps since it's a V8.