1020 gas gage not working

[jjaaam]

When I bought my 1020 around five years ago the gas gage worked. At some point since then it stopped.

What it DOES do is the needle bumps up slightly when power is applied, but never moves from there.

I recently installed a new gage and float, and I’m getting the same result - needle bumps up very slightly under power, but never moves past that.

I put a meter on the single connection right where the wire is attached to the float. Looks like it’s going right to ground. I wish I had checked the float operation before installing but…I didn’t.

Thoughts on what may be wrong? It’s weird that I’m getting the same results (needle bump under power) on the old gage/float and the new gage/float.

Thanks

 

[Harry in Ky]

Typical test for a fuel gauge problem is to remove the wire from the float unit, turn the key on, and "flash" it to ground. If the gauge and related wiring are good, the needle will move towards full. Have you tried that?

I never ground the wire and hold it until I know for sure the needle won't slam against the stop and damage the gauge. Some will.

 

[jjaaam]

Typical test for a fuel gauge problem is to remove the wire from the float unit, turn the key on, and "flash" it to ground. If the gauge and related wiring are good, the needle will move towards full. Have you tried that?

I never ground the wire and hold it until I know for sure the needle won't slam against the stop and damage the gauge. Some will.

Forgive my ignorance please…but by “flashing” I’m assuming you’re saying take the wire off the float, turn the power on, put the end of the wire to ground, and see if the gage moves. Is that correct?

So basically, when that single wire from the float is set to ground, that’s when the gage should read full?

I do know that the tab on the float is going to ground. Zero resistance when I put one probe on the float tab and the other to ground. Not sure if that helps any.

 

[Harry in Ky]

What I mean by "flashing" is to touch the wire terminal to ground for just a split second, don't hold it there until you know the needle won't fly to to the full mark, smack the peg, and possibly damage something. Some gauges can take that others can't. It depends on the internals of the gauge itself and the resistance it's designed to work with.