Fuel gauge question.
 

I bought my 59 f100 last year as project truck that had electrical gremlins and needed brake lines. I finally got around to geting the whole brake line done as I'm no macanic so I dident jump right into it. But now I'm on the body work and electrical. Here is wher my problem lies most of the original harness has Been cut and spliced with the wrong color wires and ect. I went to hook up my fuel gauge to the sending unit as shown from my wiring diagram and it started smoking . So I unhooked it quickly and haven't messed with it since . Could this be the voltage regulater on the cluster or the wrong sending unit for my truck ? I don't want to have a bomb on my hands .any help will be appreciated.thanks.

It's tough to say right off. Did you hook up one post from the harness and the other to ground? If I remember correctly, the wire is suppose to be orange going to the sending unit.

Yes orang to the gauge and the black to the ground.

Orange to the guage or do you mean sending unit?

It goes to the sending unit sorry :-X19

What voltage were you getting at the sending unit? The guage voltage regulator puts out around 5 volts. This goes thru the fuel guage and then to the sending unit and then to ground.

I haven't tested it. after I hooked it up the first time I was afraid it would blow up. So I dident dare . I guess I could test tomorrow if that would be helpful.

You don't have to hook it up to see how voltage there is on the orange wire. Just put one lead on the orange wire terminal and the other to a ground.

The orange wire runs to the sending unit, the other post goes to the voltage reducer. Pretty sure the gauge is grounded through the instrument panel and there should be a cardboard insulator on the posts.