Intermittent Insterment guage lamps...here's my fix!

[89Wrangler]

Here's another items that has been bugging me since I got the Jeep....

Real pain in the butt at night when you can't see your guages! Here's my fix:

First off I checked the fuse and it seemed to be ok (note: inst lamp fuse only gets power when you turn your headlamp/running lamps on)...so I checked power to the main plug to the guage cluster....good ground but no power to the lamps...hummm maybe a bad dimmer switch? No that was ok...came to be a bad fuse!...it was "not" blown but had develope a high resistense at one side of the fuse...and was making enough heat to slightly melt the fuse plastic! Pulled the fuse and used a thin piece of sand paper bent so both sides were rough and pushed this inside the fuse terminals and moved it up and down...replace fuse... Let there be Lights! :D

Ken

[MattPascoe]

89wrangler,

While your in there figuring out the inst cluster, maybe you can figure this one out for me.

Ever since I bought my Jeep (10 yrs ago) my fuel gauge needle seems to follow the waves in the tank. If its bouncing between 1/2 and full ive got 3/4. Empty and half = 1/4. Obviously it hasnt bothered me that much, but everytime someone new rides in my Jeep they ask me whats up with my fuel gauge.

I'm guessing there should be a resistor or something that evens out the constant movement of the fuel gauge float.

Any ideas?

MP

[89Wrangler]

-=- originally posted by MattPascoe -=-
89wrangler,

While your in there figuring out the inst cluster, maybe you can figure this one out for me.

Ever since I bought my Jeep (10 yrs ago) my fuel gauge needle seems to follow the waves in the tank. If its bouncing between 1/2 and full ive got 3/4. Empty and half = 1/4. Obviously it hasnt bothered me that much, but everytime someone new rides in my Jeep they ask me whats up with my fuel gauge.

I'm guessing there should be a resistor or something that evens out the constant movement of the fuel gauge float.

Any ideas?

MP

Mine does the same thing :) You don't notice it until you get down to 1/2 to 3/4 tank....Have you ever looked inside of a Jeep gas tank? Just a little 2" baffle tray for the sending unit to sent it and that's it! If there was a full length baffle it would take care of this problem....hummm can you say foam fuel cell :)

Also some of the older vehicles used a CVR (Constant Voltage Regulator) which made the guage less sensitive to thismovement as it slowed the response time down to the sending unit....but not on our old Jeeps :)

Ken

[LeadFoot]

MP:

All 80's wranglers do it. Common problem, it's not in the dash thats the problem, it's in the tank. When I dropped my tank I cleaned up the ground and it still bounces.:naw:

[MattPascoe]

At least theres comfort knowing I'm not the only one!!

Kinda reminds me of my old '62bug with a mechanical fuel gauge.

MP