g1800 gauge prob fix

[phil murphy]

hi all, ive spent numerous hours scanning this site,and i noticed that a few g1800 owners were having the same gauge prob as me, ive fixed it!!! My gauges were working intermittingly(soz bout spelling) like so many others, After checking wiring thoroghly (many times)i pulled the gauge panel out and tested all wiring,and all tested good.I pulled the clear gauge cover/lens off the gauges and manually moved the temp needle and fuel needle up, I noticed they "stuck" to the needle stopper. With the gauge cover/lens off , i left it for five minutes and can u beleive it, it "stuck" again,so i stripped some insulation off a small electrical cable and siliconed it over the needle stops. Now the needles dont stick to the stopper.Hope this helps,as i was very frustrated to not have a temp gauge

 

[OrangeRidge]

This takes me back ................. had to do the same with a speedo
on a Toyota Camry many years ago . Only 12 months warranty on
vehicles back in the eighties .Glad you sorted your annoyance . :thumbsup:

 

[JCK]

Did you have to pull the steering wheel and throttle lever to get the gauge panel in a position to repair the gauges. I have had the same intermittent trouble with both fuel and temperature gauges.

 

[phil murphy]

yes i did JCK,but its not that hard.throttle has a "R" clip, just under dash.

 

[Texwing]

Phil, what year is your G1800? I just picked up a 1992 model, and the fuel gauge and temp have only worked once or twice, but always at the same time. Wiring seems ok. How did you get the steering wheel off, did it take a puller of some type? The needle and post dont look melted or glued together in any way, but its worth a shot.

 

[phil murphy]

hey texwin,when the needles are stuck to the stoppers,it looks normal,u cant see that they r stuck,in regards to steering wheel,i loosened the nut,a whilst pullin on the steering wheel,i hit the centre steering shaft with rubber mallet, hope this helps, cheers phil

 

[Texwing]

OK Phil, I am on it, can t wait to see if that is it, thanks!

 

[jinman]

Well, as much as these little diesels shake, you wouldn't expect them to stick to the stop pin. If Phil was successful by fixing that issue, it may just be the solution. I mowed a bit with my G1800 last Sunday. The fuel gage worked fine, but the temperature gage sat against the stop. I felt of the radiator and it was normal, so the temperature gage just wasn't working. It was probably stuck as Phil indicated.

I worked on aircraft instruments years ago. When we would test them for accuracy and operation, we'd always roll a screwdrive handle on top of the case to simulate vibration. Even some aircraft instrument panels had built in vibrators to help keep instruments from sticking. Of course helicopter instruments never seemed to have that problem. They shake so much that many instruments showed up for repair with the pointers off their pins and loose inside the case.:laughing: Repairing meter movements and adjusting them is a real art. I had one guy working for me who was expert at working on and calibrating meter movements. I was good at geartrain/servo driven instruments, but never learned all the tricks of gages. These days, everything is going to a "glass cockpit" with graphics instruments displayed on CRTs or LED flat panels.

 

[Texwing]

THE REPORT: I tore the dash apart this morning, steering wheel came off with out much trouble, got the clear plastic off and lo and behold the needles were slightly stuck, you could feel them let go when pushed a bit. I used Phil's fix of applying some white wire insulation over the posts, and then went a little further and applied a bit of silicone spray fluid to just the needle and new post covering in case they ever consider becoming mutually attracted towards each other again. Put it back together and success, both gauges worked without a hitch! Who woulda thunk? Man, I would have messed with wiring for a while before thinking the gauges were stuck to the posts, because they look just fine, and I am sure glad I saw Phil's post.

My best guess is the plastic instrument needle is decomposing a bit with the needle paint, or some reaction is occurring to cause this.

On a related matter, my now working temperature gauge got up only to about 3/16 inch into the green, although I was not working it very hard, I would think the thermostat would have taken it higher, does this sound normal?

 

[jinman]

Congratulations!:thumbsup: That will help all of us as you posted "Murphy's Law" (Phil Murphy that is.) in the other thread. :laughing: