64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

[Richard F.]

fellow spark chasers. i had some engine bay work done along with a new gas tank and radiator.
when i cranked ,all was well..almost. the fuel gauge, temp gauge,amp gauge and wipers. are all inop.
is there a commonality that caused the problem?
i need any suggestions that may help.
dick
64 conv

[Richard M.]

Re: 64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

Dick,

Check the fuse marked GAUGES in the fuse panel. It protects the 2 gauge circuits and fuel sender circuit at the tank.

If blown, check that the 3 wire connectors at the sender are properly connected. The Pink(or it might be Black/Pink on a 64) is from the fused circuit to power the sender.

Rich

[Richard F.]

Re: 64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

rich:
i checked the gas gauge fuse and it's good. there is no gauge fuse on the panel.
the only other thing i can think of is to check under the sill to see if the ground strap has come off at the clip end.
dick

Dick,

Check the fuse marked GAUGES in the fuse panel. It protects the 2 gauge circuits and fuel sender circuit at the tank.

If blown, check that the 3 wire connectors at the sender are properly connected. The Pink(or it might be Black/Pink on a 64) is from the fused circuit to power the sender.

Rich

[Richard F.]

Re: 64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

rich:
i checked the gas gauge fuse and it's good. there is no gauge fuse on the panel.
the only other thing i can think of is to check under the sill to see if the ground strap has come off at the clip end.
dick

i just checked the ground strap and it's connected at both ends. not a clue where to go next.

[Richard M.]

Re: 64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

Dick, Check connectors under the tank at the fuel sender.

But check fuse clips with a meter or test lamp. Sometimes fuse looks good but bad or bad clips. They can be rusty or corroded.

Rich

[Edward J.]

Re: 64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

Dick, have you made sure that the gauges fuse has power with the key?

[Richard F.]

Re: 64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

Dick, have you made sure that the gauges fuse has power with the key?

there is no gauges fuse, only gas gauge fuse. i'm going to put power to it, as you suggested. also, i thought about ghecking the ignition switch harness connection. if none of that works, i may open the scotch bottle to get a new perspective...

[Edward J.]

Re: 64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

Dick just take a test light or volt gauge and test for power. Also note that the metal terminals sometimes rust and can cause the signal not to get through the rust. If your not dealing with a 50+ year old harness then it’s not likely a problem.

[Frank D.]

Re: 64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

3 of those 4 problem areas are "switched" via the ignition, I can't recall if the amp gauge is...
It always pays to remember that, unlike the C1 and C3, the C2 uses a "powered" sending unit
(a voltage divider) and since the work that was done involved the tank sending unit that might be a place to start.
The "I" terminal on the sending unit is ignition switch power and testing for power there (with the key on) and working backwards might be one approach.

[Richard M.]

Re: 64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

there is no gauges fuse, only gas gauge fuse. i'm going to put power to it, as you suggested. also, i thought about ghecking the ignition switch harness connection. if none of that works, i may open the scotch bottle to get a new perspective...

Dick, The GAUGES fuse is NOT just for the FUEL Gauge. It powers both TEMP and FUEL Gauges, and also the Fuel Sender at the Tank, and the Park Brake Lamp. The BATTERY gauge is not powered by the IGN circuit and does not use a fuse. It only reacts to load changes, like opening doors, headlights on etc. It is powered directly from the battery post at the Solenoid and the load terminal at the horn relay buss bar.

You need to verify GAUGES fuse panel power with a test instrument at the fuse clips, not just at the fuse or just a visual of the fuse. Until you do this you won't have a good idea what's wrong. Again, since they put in a new tank they may have misconnected the wiring at the sender so it's possible that's the source of the problem. If misconnected it could blow the GAUGES fuse and continue to do so unless it's corrected. What I can't understand is if after they replaced the tank, did they test the Fuel Gauge for function/accuracy? If it was working for them, then something happened later, and not uncommon for fuse clips in the panel to start acting up randomly or intermittently. If it never worked after they changed the tank and they knew this.... shame on them.

The Wiper Motor inop problem is totally unrelated to the Gauges. If someone was working in the engine bay they may have hit something and dislodged a wiper power connector(Brown) or the Black ground wire that connects to a brass terminal on the motor. This ground also supplies the blower motor ground and comes from a Black wire at a starter mount bolt.

Rich

[Richard F.]

Re: 64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

3 of those 4 problem areas are "switched" via the ignition, I can't recall if the amp gauge is...
It always pays to remember that, unlike the C1 and C3, the C2 uses a "powered" sending unit
(a voltage divider) and since the work that was done involved the tank sending unit that might be a place to start.
The "I" terminal on the sending unit is ignition switch power and testing for power there (with the key on) and working backwards might be one approach.

i will try that(if i can get to the sender ) after i look at the ign switch. that switch was worked on not long ago.
thanks for the sending unit info, i wouldn't have thought of that..

[Gary C.]

Re: 64 gauges inoperative. is there a common connection

Richard,

Found over the years, when testing for electrical problems on a Corvette, always best to make sure there's a good ground. Such as, clip a test lead onto the cluster frame or ground lead and attach it to the battery negative. Or confirm the ground with a Volt Ohm Meter.

Gary
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