HI GUYS, FIRST TIME ON THIS SITE (OK, ACTUALLY SECOND TIME. I POSTED THIS IN ANOTHER THREAD, BUT IT WAS SUGGESTED TO ME TO OPEN A NEW LINE). I HAVE A 68 DART SLANT SIX, AND IT'S TEMPERATURE GAUGE AND FUEL GAUGE DON'T WORK AT ALL. i READ ANOTHER THREAD ON A 68 DART GAS GAUGE, AND FOLLOWED THAT ADVICE. I CHANGED THE VOLTAGE LIMITER, AND STILL NOTHING. BOTH SENDING UNITS ARE WORKING FINE, SO I'M AT A BIT OF A LOSS. I CHECKED THE CURRENT IN THE BOARD, AND I FOUND THAT THERE IS A CURRENT REACHING THE FUEL GAUGE (THE LIGHT ON MY CIRCUIT TESTER BLINKS WHEN IT IS TOUCHED TO BOTH OF THE BOLTS AT THE BACK OF THE FUEL GAUGE). THE LIGHT DOESN'T BLINK AT ALL WHEN TOUCHED TO THE BOLTS AT THE BACK OF THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE. DOES THIS TELL YOU ANYTHING? TO ME IT SEEMS THAT THE VOLTAGE ISN'T GEDTTING THROUGH TO THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE, BUT COULD THAT BE A BURNT OUT GAUGE OR ANOTHER PROBLEM?

THANKS!

jASON!!!!

Welcome aboard.

hIT yYOUR cAP lOCK bUTTON bUDDY!!!!
Take a big long cleansing breath; in through the nose….. hold it….. out through the mouth… There, feel better?


Trace out, and check for continuity of both wires feeding these gages. Could be someone cut one or both conductors, or they have shorted out some where.

Check that temperature gage wire is plugged on the coolant temperature sending unit in the top front of the head. Trace it through the “Bulk Head Connectorâ€￾ on the fire wall to the five or six way connector at the gage cluster. Check the pins on the circuit board for heat damage, and loose pins.

Unplug the fuel sending wire from the tank, ground that wire with a jumper wire, and check to see if the fuel gage moves. If it dose, the gage should work, if not check to see if the sending unit is properly grounded with a steel clip-on strap at the tank’s fuel line connection. Incedently, the gas gage wire runs along the driver’s side door sill area under the carpet to a connector up behind the kick panel to the dash, and than over to a five way connector that attaches to the circuit board.

Make sure the gage cluster has a good ground. Clean & remake the connections in the gage cluster. In other words, unbolt gages, and clean the circuit board brass where the nuts land and the wires connect to them with a bit of fine steal wool. Be sure to remove all bits of the steal wool fragments. Wouldn’t want a short from that steel dust, would we?

Let us know what you find.

Sorry to sound harsh, but the caps, those darn caps, drive me nutz.

_________________
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

Thanks for the advice, I'll give it a go! Bad habit with the caps....at work we need to put everything in caps, and well, I can't seem to break it! I'll let you know how it goes.

Well, I tried everything you recommended, and still the temperature and fuel gauges don't respond. I pulled out the instrument panel, checked my connections and cleaned the board (it was pretty clean already). No response when I grounded the fuel sending unit wire. As I mentioned earlier I have already changed the voltage limiter. When I was in there this time, I changed all of the light bulbs, and it turns out the cluster illumination lights are not working (I had just assumed it was burnt out bulbs before). The turn signals, brake warning light, high beam indicator light, and oil pressure light are all working though (so is the ammeter). Does this tell us anything? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!

Jason,

Did you check continuity from gage to both sending units?

The way these gages work is the power flows from the limiter through the gage down the wire to the sending unit, and than to ground. If this path is interrupted the juice won’t flow.

You need to be sure that the limiter is putting out 5 volts, and it is getting to each gage, the path to the gages is the circuit board, and than through each gage & down each wire to respective sensing unit.

Here is a list of wiring diagrams that will cover your application. You will need to determine if the voltage limiter is getting 12 volts. (12 v in, 5 v out to the gages) If not, trace out the circuit feeding the limiter to find the fault.

_________________
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

It is likely that both gauge units are dead (fried). This happens if the voltage limiter fails such that the contact points stick closed. It sends 12v to the gauges (they run on 5v) and they cook in a hurry. Gauges can be rebuilt by RT Engineering.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

OK, I have a dumb question related to the non working temp/fuel gauge issue. I have a 69 Dodge Dart Swinger. Where the heck is that voltage limiter located that could be the possible culprint on my car?

The voltage limiter plugs into the circuit board on the gas / temperature gage side adjacent to the speedometer housing. Or, if from driver's seat, right of temperature gage left of steering column along bottom edge of circuit board.

_________________
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

I just picked up a 77 Aspen with a 318.The gas gauge and temp gauge read over full when the lights are on,what gives?

_________________
Love inline sixes
78 AMC Concord 258

Something could be back feeding the circuits, in other words a 12 volt hot wire has gotten loose & frayed and may be grounding out on something under the dash. Bad grounds can sometimes cause crazy back feed problems. Check, clean and remake grounds to head lights parking lights, and tail lights. Follow wires from headlight switch looking for bad wires under dash, be sure to check where the bundle of wires pass under steering column.

Check voltage limiter the attaches to back side of gage cluster, and be sure cluster has a good ground; the attachment screws provide path to ground for cluster.

_________________
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