I have a 1988 Camaro IROC-Z and since I baught the car the gas gauge has never worked. It is stuck at the past full mark?

I am wonderingif anyone knows wether that would be cuased from a bad ground, or short, or if the actual sender is dead. I have been told when the sender dies, the gauge reads empty, not full.

 

Sounds like either the sender is open, or the wire to the sender (pink) is open. Zero ohms (when the pink wire is shorted to ground) makes the gauge read empty, and 90 ohms makes the gauge read full. Try unplugging the harness @ the fuel tank & ground the pink wire - the gauge should read empty. If it does not read empty, then either the wire between the tank & the gauge is open, or the gauge is defective. Attached is the schematic.....

 

When I got my car the owner before me said that the coolant gauge never worked and was always stuck pointing straight up. I took it apart and noticed that if i push it down it works fine until I start the car it spikes up and gets stuck on the lip of the gauge. I drilled a tiny hole in it and put a tiny black screw that prevented it from going up to far and getting stuck on the hip. I don't know if that is your problem, but i thought it was pretty slick so I figured I'd show off a little! Man I am a master mechanic now!!!!

Matt

 

I had the exact same problem a few months ago while changing bulbs to red, turns out the laminated sheet on the back seperated and basically ripped the copper apart. I just used a litle solder and reconnected the copper wire, and then taped it so it would stay, I would check to make sure everything behind it is ok as well as the wiring mentioned above.