Hi All,

filled up the other day and it appears that my gas gauge wont' budge past 1/2 full. Any ideas how to trouble shoot? Sender unit, float stuck, etc.? Any advice appreciated.

Car is a 1971 D Jet - all original.

thanks!

Reg

The sender is basically a variable resistor that varies the voltage to the meter as the float moves up or down.

Look at the wiring diagram. If you have a VOM (Volt/ohm meter, or multi-tester), pull the connector off and jot down the the resistance readings at the prongs on top of the sender unit. IIRC, it should have less resistance when the float is all the way at the top, allowing full deflection of the meter when the tank is full.

You can short the resistor terminals on the plug to simulate 'full' and 'empty' levels to determine if it's the gauge or the sender gone awry.

Just had the same issue and was a bad sender.

Never under estimate the information that removing the sender and checking the operation can provide.

The float is probably sticking on the wires in the sender. They can be CAREFULLY cleaned, or replaced.

There is also a failure mode of the gauge itself that causes the needle to stay at one point, but that is less common. Happened to my wife's 911 when we bought it, though.

--DD

Mine did that after sitting for 3 months. It fixed itself after a couple tanks of fuel.