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6.0L Power Stroke Diesel 2003 - 2007 F250, F350 pickup and F350+ Cab Chassis, 2003 - 2005 Excursion and 2003 - 2009 van

Ground issues.

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Old Jul 11, 2020 | 08:06 PM
  #1  
David Fehir's Avatar
David Fehir
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Ground issues.

Just about done with this Cummins swap on my 03 6.0. Just got a few issues to iron out and those seem to be a ground issue my fuel gauge is giving me random readings. Now I have my ground from cab to chassis, fender to battery, frame to motor, motor to battery and motor to cab. All grounds have been cleaned free of rust and paint however I'm still having the issue with my fuel gauge. Since at the moment I'm only running one battery and I don't have a "DIRECT" ground to frame could that be my issue also I the battery on the driver side has the direct ground to the frame and since I only have the battery on the driver side at the moment my ground goes from battery to motor to frame not directly to frame like stock. Also I've been having issues with my sct x4 not wanting to connect to my ECU I've done trouble shooting with sct and diesel conversion specialists and come to the conclusion that more than likely I need a new ECU (tried the tuner on my dad's truck and it worked normally) I'm afraid to ask but if the ground issue is causing my problem with the fuel gauge could it be causing the problem with the sct not communicating with my ECU. Also could my fuel gauge issue be from sitting? The truck has been sitting almost a year now.
 
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Old Jul 11, 2020 | 09:07 PM
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Should not be due to a frame ground or your present battery setup. The fuel sender doesn't technically have a ground, it's power or Vref and resister adjusted return (level reading) both flow through the gauge cluster.

The gauge cluster itself has a ground (G300) at the driver's footwell area.
 
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Old Jul 11, 2020 | 10:36 PM
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David Fehir
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Originally Posted by TooManyToys.
Should not be due to a frame ground or your present battery setup. The fuel sender doesn't technically have a ground, it's power or Vref and resister adjusted return (level reading) both flow through the gauge cluster.

The gauge cluster itself has a ground (G300) at the driver's footwell area.
So if that ground is ok what do you think I have going on? Bad sending unit? Would the current battery/ground setup effect the ECU in anyway?
 
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Old Jul 12, 2020 | 12:32 AM
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Are you sure the gauge is working?
Maybe apply some current and see if it moves?
 
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Old Jul 12, 2020 | 12:50 AM
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Originally Posted by xcrsp440
Are you sure the gauge is working?
Maybe apply some current and see if it moves?
it worked good before the swap... that's why I thought maybe the sending unit was bad from sitting.
 
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Old Jul 12, 2020 | 10:51 AM
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No grounds at the sender.........I'd back probe Connector C220a @ Instrument Cluster, check for Signal Ref coming from the sender..............(basically the output from the var resistor in the tank). While not relevant to this problem, I'd also get this thing (electrically) closer (more stable) on grounds / battery sources / paths generally...........do a Ground Voltage Drop Test along the entire chain using a DMM to see where resistances might lie in the ground paths.......

 
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