[Mgs] Testing and repairing the fuel gauge

[William Killeffer]

Hey everyone,

The fuel gauge on my 1974 MGB has not been working for awhile. After  
starting the car, the needle will rise up to a point between the two  
lowest markings on the gauge and stay there. Initially, I thought the  
float on the sending unit might have failed, but on a really hot day  
recently, the gauge came to life and gave a reading that seemed more  
or less accurate based on the mileage since the last fill-up. But it  
didn't last too long and went back to its dormant state after about 20  
minutes.

It did it again last weekend. It was a hot day that day as well. Once  
again, the reading seemed to be as accurate as those gauges ever are.  
Something I've noticed both times is that it seems a little balky when  
it does this. The needle's movement isn't smooth, whereas the temp  
gauge needle always moves smoothly. It's like a connection's bad or  
the gauge is having problems.

The temp gauge works just fine. Both gauges are plugged into a voltage  
stabilizer that might be original to the car.

I've seen a method that's used to test the operation of the gauge that  
involves some kind of connection to the wire that plugs into the  
sending unit.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you,
-Bill
William Killeffer
wkilleffer at comcast.net
http://williamkillefferphoto.wordpress.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamk1974/
Made with a Mac