I have an 87 iroc z.


I have no idea how much fuel i have.

Anyway to test to see if its the float in the tank before i drop it? Id assume using a multimeter of sorts to measure resistance.
can i test the gauge?

Any help would be appreciated!!

THANKS

 

does your gage move at all? when you first turn the key, the gauges should all move to either the halfway point or full on (cant remember which) and then go back.

 

mine just stays full...I think mine is the sending unit...going to cut an access panel and check the contacts...if thats not it then I will replace the unit

 

DONT CUT AN ACCESS PANEL. thats a horrible idea. does it stay full, or does it peg all the way out? like past full?

 

mine just stays full...I have the digital dash....why is cutting an access panel a bad idea? i dont want to drop the tank and remove the rear axle.

 

you will wind up having the smell of gas in the passenger compartment for the rest of the life of the car. and to cut the panel, you also have to cut the hard lines and splice them back with rubber....its just asking for a fuel leak. dropping the tank isnt that hard. and unless you plan on cutting all the metal with hand tools, youd have to drop the tank to cut the hole anyway......unless you arent scared about sparks shooting around open gas lines...

 

Ive had my tank out of my car many times, never once did i drop my rear end.

If you have the dig dash and it stays at full, it could be something as simple as the sender wire being grounded out. the sender is a 0 ohm-90 ohm sender, meaning at 0 ohms resistance it registers as a empty. at 90ohms of resistance, it registers full. when the wire is grounded out, it reads as infinite resistance and the gauge will peg to full. your dig gauge cant read over full, so it just shows full.

 

My fuel gauge is constantly up past full. Almost vertical. Its a mechanical gauge.

Should i test the leads with a resistor? 0-90 ohms seems easy enough to check.

 

Theres no way your fuel gauge is mechanical....its electric. it get an electric signal that moves the needle. Like stated above, if your gauge stays way past full (pegged out) its most likely your fuel sending unit wire is grounded out somewhere.

 

oops. By mechanical i meant analog. Not a digital display, if third gens even had those.

And thanks for the input, ill be checking the wiring when i get it in the air

 

But you have to drop the tank to get to this...is that correct??

 

no, the wire runs from the top of the tank to the connecter behind the rear seat and then runs through the int to the gauge cluster.