Fuel Gage Problem

[texasjack]

When I turn on my ignition switch the fuel guage instantly goes to the 5 oclock position and stays there.

 

I would appreciate any ideas.

 

Thank you

Texasjack

 

[HOrnbrod]

What are you driving??

 

On an HO, if your fuel gauge pegs to the right when you turn on the IGN, it indicates an open circuit from the + post of the fuel gauge to the fuel sender signal wire in the tank.

[Green Mesa XJ]

Same with the early XJ.

Had a wiring problem, ended up making my own wiring from the sender to the body harness. Long process of hunting down the fault. Including finding a 86 XJ sender which was rare cause the first xj and mj were carbureted and didn't have a electric pump.

Some times the plugs don't make good contact, sometime a bad wire or sender. Possibly gauge but I never had one of those go bad.

The Sender can be tested in the tank with a meter.

 

Little confused by 5 o'clock position.

 

 

 

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[DirtyComanche]

Little confused by 5 o'clock position.

 

 

I think 5 o'clock (imagine the gauge as a clock) would be pegged out past full.  Which on a Renix, which I believe he has, would be an open circuit situation. (Full is high resistance, so infinite resistance is really really full on the gauge)

 

That said, normally the Renix gauges don't move key on vs off.  So maybe he has a HO.  Or maybe the gauge is actually broken.  Or maybe it's hooked to something totally random and not the fuel sending unit at all.

[HOrnbrod]

Maybe we should stop guessing until the OP tells us what he has. Why can't people simply fill out their signature? 

[Green Mesa XJ]

Ok, gotcha.

The HO gauge shouldn't move either.

Depending what year I had issues with the early clusters 84-87? Peeling printed circuit boards, went through a few before grabbing a 89-90 cluster.

 

My 85s problem was the plug from the in tank sender to body harness, fabricated a fix and experimented with the senders to test the gauge and how it's wired.

 

My guess is either the sender or the wiring/plug.

I have spare 91 HO sending units I plugged it to the harness to test the gauge on the 85, which is weirdly backwards full reads empty and vise versa. Anyway if he was a spare sender around I start with something like that to test if the gauge is getting the signal and if so how accurately. If that checks out then it's got to be in the tank side of it.

 

 

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[DirtyComanche]

Maybe we should stop guessing until the OP tells us what he has. Why can't people simply fill out their signature? 

 

Well, yeah, you do have a point.

[texasjack]

Thank Y'all for the help!

 

THIS IS A VERY FRIENDLY CLUB!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

TexasJack

[Big Dan]

So, what vehicle do you have?

[texasjack]

I have a 1990 with a 4.0 automatic.

I came up with a quick fix for my fuel gage.

The truck has a trip odometer. so when I fill it I zero the odometer and drive 200 miles and refuel.

Problem solved!!!!!!!!!!!

[Eagle]

That's a "work-around," not a "fix."

 

So you have a Renix. Do you have a tachometer with the small fuel gauge, or do you have the big fuel gauge to the left of the speedometer? I'm guessing that's what you have, because I don't think the small fuel gauge could rotate as far as the 5:00 o'clock position.

[HOrnbrod]

That's a "good to go" Texas fix Eagle.   :rotfl2:

[Eagle]

That's a "good to go" Texas fix Eagle.   :rotfl2:

 

Son, I was born in Texas. Don't live there now, but that's where I first saw the light of day. I know all about "good to go."

[HOrnbrod]

Son? Thanks!  :yes:   Maybe Texas would be a good to go place now for you, si? 

[texasjack]

My truck has the large fuel gage.

[Stump]

My fuel gage did the same thing after I replaced the tank (including new pump, strainer, etc.).  Sprayed electrical cleaner in the connection at the front of the tank and reconnected.  Problem solved.