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Need help installing new gauges

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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 01:25 PM
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Need help installing new gauges

Which wire from the instrument panel harness carries the ohms for the fuel gauge? I'm trying to get my new speedometer and fuel gauge installed. The rest will come in 2 weeks.
 
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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 02:05 PM
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It should be an orange colored wire going to the gages. Green with red stripe coming from the tank sending unit then connecting to orange then orange to gage, That's what mine has.............bart
 
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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 02:19 PM
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That's what I thought it was! Where should I get the power for the gauge from? It has 3 connections, ground, sensor, power.
 
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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 03:13 PM
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Alright, my gauge isn't working correctly. If I hook it up to the orange wire for sensor and the accessory power for its positive, it won't move, but seems to jump way below E if I jiggle the key, seems like a mild short there. However, when using an ohm tester I don't see the proper ohms coming from the orange wire. I have to put my ohm tester up to like 2000k and I will see about 140 on the read out ... wouldn't this be 140k ohms? that can't be right. If I put the ohm tester down to 200 ohms, it reads out 1 and some blanks, like its too much for it to read.
 
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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 03:28 PM
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Does the sender only work if the truck is on?
 
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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 03:52 PM
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I spoke to the previous owner, he says its the original sender. He said that he may have put it in backwards when replacing the fuel tank, does this sound familiar to anyone?

By the way, grounding the sending unit wire, pegs the tank at full. So my gauge seems fine.
 
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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 04:24 PM
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When I put these in I used the back of the original gauge cluster because it was mapped out. I know with autometer theres two ways to hook it up, and thats the right way and wrong way, if its the wrong way it ruins the gauge. Now I could be wrong and my experience may not help you because I'm not sure if your putting in a after market gauge or stock.

 
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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 04:39 PM
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What year is it? I just looked through wire schematics for 73-79 and I don't see a orange wire coming from the fuel sender or gauge?
 
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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 04:40 PM
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1978, the fuel gauge wire in the harness of the instrument panel is the orange wire we were refering to.
 
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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 04:42 PM
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When I did these I took the stock gauge cluster panel because it was mapped out on the back.

 
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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 05:05 PM
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Ya I understand that. When I put my autometer gauges in, the gauge has two ways of hooking up, the wrong way and the right way, the wrong way will burn it up, so if its a new gauge and you have it wired right..... have you checked the sender.

Sorry for the double post I guess I don't know how to delete a post.
 
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Old Jan 3, 2009 | 05:16 PM
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Yes its an aftermarket gauge. I haven't checked the sender because I can't drop the tank right now, can you get to the sender without having to drop the tank?
 
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Old Jan 4, 2009 | 12:19 PM
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Well sounds like I'll be dropping the tank here sometime soon. I'm curious though if this could just be a grounding problem? Why would the ohms be so high at the instrument panel?
 
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