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Thread: Gas gauge

  1. #1

    Gas gauge

    Hi
    Having problem with my gas gauge on my 56 Super Riviera. Sender unit reads the correct ohms, but gauge moves just a couple of millimeters between zero and up, and often does not move at all. I have measured the voltage at the tank wire and when the ignition is turned on it reads anything between 12 volt down to 3 volts. This really puzzles me!
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  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Sounds like a bad ground at the tank. Try running a separate ground wire from the tank itself to the car frame. If that helps but doesn't entirely fix the problem you'll probably need to make sure you have a good ground between the sending unit and the tank itself. This may mean removing or lowering the tank for access; I'm not familiar with that model.

  3. #3
    Hi
    I have removed the tank and the sender unit and connected it to the gauge wire and a separate ground wire to the car chassi, and still get the same result. Maybe the gauge itself is faulty?

  4. #4
    I had a similar problem with the gauge in my '56. It either read completely empty or completely full. I tested everything you did, but I finally found that the wires on the back of the gauge were VERY touchy. They seemed to keep getting grounded. I played around with the connections until the gauge read right. You might try messing with those wires. Anyway,I do hope this helps.

    -Johnny B.

    --------------------------------------------------------------
    "When better cars are built, BUICK will build them."
    --------------------------------------------------------------
    -=1956 BUICK SPECIAL=-
    -1969 GMC 1500-
    Last edited by johnnyb56; 03-16-2009 at 10:42 PM. Reason: I'm very tired and forgot someting...

  5. #5
    Today I tested to fit a new short wire directly from the post on the gas gauge
    to the sender unit, having it in my lap sitting in the car, grounded the unit thourogly, and with the ignition on moved the float up and down and still no reaction. Tested the voltage from the gauge and got a reading around 2.80 volts between the gauge wire and ground. That should be 12 volt or what?
    A friend of mine who have restored a 56 Roadmaster convertible says that the gas gauge on these Buicks are a piece of s--t! Anyway, somehow I will make it work. Next I will try Jonny B's tip and try jiggling the connections on the gauge and if that does'nt work I'll take the gauge out. Do I have to remove the padded dashboard for that?

  6. #6
    You will find it is easy to remove the top of the dash and that will give better access to the gauge.
    Jim Carmichael 55 Buick Special & 65 Buick Riviera GS

  7. #7
    My gas gauge is working! I live outside a small town where Scandinavias leading company on instrumentation resides. Finally i took my gas gauge to them, and they found that some previous owner (and there has only been 3) had made some strange "homemade" electric work on it! It took 15 minutes on the workbench and some soldering and the gauge is now in perfect order!
    My friend who said that the gauges on these Buicks are a "piece of s--t" probably like myself has forgotten that like in airplane crashes 9 out of 10 mistakes are human made.........Thank you guys for your interest

  8. #8
    how to connect 1955 buick clock to battery

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