Fuel Gauge

[Orion]

Could anyone with a working "83 fuel gauge hook up a circuit tester (that device that tests if you have powered circuit or wire) and test the green wire?  See if it has constant power or if the tester bulb blinks.  I'm trying to get a new fuel guage to register and I can't get any reading on the fuel gauge.

[Lucky]

The stock fuel guage is powered with a jumper wire from the temp guage. i THINK it is the brown wire, but i'm not sure about that. the green wire simply provides ground, with the sender acting as an inline variable resistor.

--Lucky

[Superfly]

I took apart my 83 gauges last night, and was looking at the wiring of it, the green wire hooks up to the left side post, and nothing was on the right side post.  I saw in the service manual that there was supposed to be a brown wire connecting the temp gauge and the fuel gauge.  When I grounded the green wire (for the fuel gauge, as per the manual) the fuel gauge went to the full position (as it was supposed to do) but I still can not get a fuel sender to register.  I did not see the jumper wire that Lucky was talking about.  Does anybody have any pictures of the back (wiring) of their 83 gauges?

[h2olawyer]

Superfly -

I think my 83 set is findable.  I just swapped speedos in my 82 set & kept the 83 housing, tach & wiring for possible later use if I ever decide to install an 83 tank or retrofit a fuel level sender to my 82.

I'll take my camera out to the garage & get some photos for you.  Look for them in your email sometime this afternoon.

H2O

[Superfly]

That would be great, I really appreciate that. ?;D
I am gonna get this thing working!!  Even if I have to re-wire the whole darn bike!!

[Lucky]

but I still can not get a fuel sender to register

You have the guage & the sender each grounded right? to the frame if your testing them on the bike, to each other if they're off the bike (and the guage powered up)

[Superfly]

Thank you for the picutures H20, that helped so much, you would not believe!  Ok, the gauge is fine, now I am looking at the sending unit.

The way I have it wired, is the green wire from the gauges going into the sending unit sensor... wait... shoud that be going to the ground of the sending unit, or the sensor in the sending unit... where does the sensor from the sending unit plug into... the way I had it wired, I was sending the ground of the sending unit to the frame... that does not sound right... the ground off of the sending unit, should that go to the... aw screw it, anybod need a sending unit???

[h2olawyer]

Glad I could help.  Figuring out electrics can be - shall we say challenging?!  Hope you proceed with the project.  That way, when (if) I ever decide to do a fuel gauge, I'll know who to ask!

H2O