I've been having nothing but a load of heartache from a faulty fuel gauge in my '67 Dart, so I got on the internet and hunted down a replacement from Herb's Auto Parts.

Got the gauge in the mail today and immediately began ripping out the dash so that I could swap it in for the old one. Once I had everything hooked back up I turned the ignition on, and the needle surged from its resting point to way past full, then it began to tick back and forth as it moved closer and closer to Empty. After a couple more seconds it ticks between the E line and 1/4 tank line, and continues to do so until I shut the car off.

Any suggestions?


P.S. I recently replaced the stock voltage limiter with a solid state one from RTE and the voltage regulator under the hood with a solid state replica I found on eBay.

The conductor run to the sending unit at tank from gage has to be free of voltage drop including the ground path back to battery. There are several points where this harness is connected via spade connectors, and a push on connector at tank that all have to be clean corrosion free, also there has to be good survivable conductors in that loop. Be sure the second half of the circuit, the ground path, is corrosion free starting with metal jumper strap electrically connecting sending unit to fuel line, as well as all fuel line clips securing it to undercarriage of car. Sending unit grounding problems are very common, and would be the first on list to test.

A quick test would be to make up a jumper connecting tank end of fuel gage lead to negative battery terminal, and observing fuel gage; keep this connection just long enough to ascertain gage function. If it reads full the problem is in the ground path, if it acts the same, slowly dropping to empty I would suspect wiring and or gage connections, and or internal gage problems. One can test resistance of sending unit using zero to 100 ohm scale of VOM; empty stop is 73 ohms, full stop is 12 ohms.

Keep in mind that corroded connections act as an added resistance in circuit, and sometimes that corrosion can act as a variable resistor when heated; in other words adding resistance to circuit as that connection heats up tricking gage to read more empty than tank really is.

Also test the output of that new voltage limiter.

Attach one lead of volt meter to temperature sending unit the other to ground. Leave sending unit lead wire attached to sending unit. Turn ignition switch to “ONâ€￾ position. Factory points stile limiter: fluctuating volt meter or test light indicates voltage limiter is working. After market limiter: steady voltage stile limiter would show constant 5 volts.

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC