Can this solve my fuel gauge issue? Ground strap.

MBar

Active Member
FCBO Gold Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
366
Reaction score
241
Location
Orange County California
When I got the car and cleaned the tank out, this piece broke and I didn't replace it... My fuel gauge doesn't work.. I ordered and received this and gonna stick it on soon but I am curious... Is this the ground for the sending unit and therefore required for the gauge to work?

Screenshot_20220612-205203-296.png
 
Once I grounded my tank, my fuel gauge become much more reliable. Still an issue with it not climbing all the way up to full, but I think that issue is with the gauge itself, not the sender in the tank.

Between a functioning fuel gauge and a working odometer, I am much more confident that I won’t run dry.

You’re making the right call by making this fix.

Keep us posted.
 
Situations with difficult grounds (like rear taillight housings on a Fusey) can sometimes be solved by attaching the ground wire with small worm-gear hoseclamps.
 
Well Fellas.... I had to trim back a little of the hose to get enough surface on the tank tube and I did my best to scrape some clean metal. I don't know if it worked... I have been using my odometer (assuming 10mpg - is that reasonable with a 360-2v?) and it cost me over 60 bucks to put 10 gallons in last time. I think I have about 4 gallons in there now. The gauge seems to register under a 1/4 tank and that is kind of what it has been showing.

I will have to put more fuel in to see if it changes... two things keeping me from that:
1. I don't want to over-fill as the tank seems to still seep a little from the Fill-tube. I did replace the donut gasket but I do smell fuel and see minor seepage but I can't take the time to explore that any more right now.
2. The price of gas...out here in Southern California we are at 6.20 cheapest. I've always used regular...that reminds me: I need to adjust the timing a little bit.

I will update when I know more. Thank you for all the responses!
 
Well Fellas.... I had to trim back a little of the hose to get enough surface on the tank tube and I did my best to scrape some clean metal. I don't know if it worked... I have been using my odometer (assuming 10mpg - is that reasonable with a 360-2v?) and it cost me over 60 bucks to put 10 gallons in last time. I think I have about 4 gallons in there now. The gauge seems to register under a 1/4 tank and that is kind of what it has been showing.

I will have to put more fuel in to see if it changes... two things keeping me from that:
1. I don't want to over-fill as the tank seems to still seep a little from the Fill-tube. I did replace the donut gasket but I do smell fuel and see minor seepage but I can't take the time to explore that any more right now.
2. The price of gas...out here in Southern California we are at 6.20 cheapest. I've always used regular...that reminds me: I need to adjust the timing a little bit.

I will update when I know more. Thank you for all the responses!
If this doesn't work, don't give up on the idea that it's bad ground.

In my experience, the fuel line may not be a good ground source. Sometimes it is, but you are depending on a good contact between the fuel line and the body to provide the ground. Stuff happens, like rust, dirt or even paint, to interfere with a good ground.

My solution has been to ground the sender an alternate way. I've done it a few ways, but when I changed the sender, I soldered a small electrical connector on the face of the sender and ran a wire to the body. I remember helping my Dad do this with his '68 300 back around 1970 and it cured the problem in a (then) fairly new car.

DBiTpcR.jpg
 
Thank you guys! I guess it can't hurt to run a second ground ... Hmmm maybe I should check continuity between the components... I won't get to it for a few days and I will update
 
Back
Top