moparcleyon
Well-Known Member
when I turn the key on the gauges peg out... 1962 Plymouth Belvedere
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Fuel and temp gauges help
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Voltage limiter on the back of the cluster would be my first guess.
spiderbikes
Member
I have a 66 Belvedere..... My fuel and temp gauge read way high sometimes. I finally figured out that when I have my headlights on the fuel and temp gauges are higher than normal..... Turn the headlight off or turn down the dash light dimmer switch all the way and the gauges return to normal. My blinker indicators and high beam light also light up and flicker slightly. I have come to realize that I either have a bad ground at my headlight switch I just installed or have a bad ground at my brake / tail lights that I just installed. If I turn on my Dome light with the headlight switch....... All appears to return to normal... Completed the circuit to ground. ANY ONE HAVE THIS PROBLEM BEFORE????
your gauges have found an unwanted ground. are these factory in-dash gauges or aftermarket? i agree and would go for the voltage limiter first....THEN...if that dont fix it...id go for a new circuit board! its grounding someplace causing all the gauges to peg out!
spiderbikes
Member
Everything is original 1966 to the car, The headlight switch I installed was Nos, not purchased at Napa or such parts store.
Found an unwanted ground? The gauges are only effected when the headlight dash dimmer (rheostat) switch is turned to brightest setting with headlight switch pulled on. If I turn on the headlights and have the dash light turned bright all the way, then go a tad further to turn on the dome light (completed circuit to ground) then the problems go away.
I don't think it would or could be the voltage limiter.... The gauges Don't peg out, just go up about a 1/4 inch if my lights are on & ONLY if the dimmer (rheostat) dash light switch is turned up bright.
It Really looks to me like I am missing a ground...
Car was purchased from the original owner 10 years after he died. Sat for 10 years +. Had 80K original miles. Car was well kept (mechanically, not physically).
I will check the 2 spots for ground issues (headlight switch or tail light assy) Then post what I find. If that does nothing..... May be the voltage limiter.
Found an unwanted ground? The gauges are only effected when the headlight dash dimmer (rheostat) switch is turned to brightest setting with headlight switch pulled on. If I turn on the headlights and have the dash light turned bright all the way, then go a tad further to turn on the dome light (completed circuit to ground) then the problems go away.
I don't think it would or could be the voltage limiter.... The gauges Don't peg out, just go up about a 1/4 inch if my lights are on & ONLY if the dimmer (rheostat) dash light switch is turned up bright.
It Really looks to me like I am missing a ground...
Car was purchased from the original owner 10 years after he died. Sat for 10 years +. Had 80K original miles. Car was well kept (mechanically, not physically).
I will check the 2 spots for ground issues (headlight switch or tail light assy) Then post what I find. If that does nothing..... May be the voltage limiter.
1948 santa
Well-Known Member
3 prongs on the voltage limiter,connect jumper from battery negative to limiter ground,12 volt jumper to positive prong you should then have a pulsating voltage or 5 volts if you have a volt meter.
actually SPIDER, i was answering the original question.and if the gauges PEG TO FULL...theyre grounding out....plain and simple. SPIDER...your issue seems to be a floating ground someplace. but if you want to check the voltage limiter without ripping apart your dash, HERES HOW :
GET AN UNPOWERED TEST LIGHT
CLAMP THE CLAMP END ON THE BATTERY NEG(-)
PUT THE POINTY END OF TEST LIGHT ON THE TEMP SENDING UNIT(THE SMALL THREADS)
MANIPULATE THE TEMP SENDING UNIT "BOOT" AND THE TEST LIGHT SO THAT THEY ARE BOTH MAKING CONTACT WITH THE SMALL THREADS ON THE TEMP SENDING UNIT.
IF THE TEST LIGHT PULSATES...ITS GOOD......IF IT DONT......ITS NO GOOD.
MAKE SURE THE KEY IS "ON" WHEN YOU DO THIS
spiderbikes
Member
When I pulled out the Napa replacement headlight switch that was faulty & replaced with NOS OEM switch I noticed the napa one had a ground connection on it and the Nos one did not.
Anyway My problem is fixed and my temp and fuel gauges work as they should. I was going to connect a test ground wire to the body of the headlight switch when I noticed 3 loose screws that hold the gauges in. Tightened the screws..... Fix the ground issue. Everything works exactly as it should.
Thanks for helpful info guys!
Anyway My problem is fixed and my temp and fuel gauges work as they should. I was going to connect a test ground wire to the body of the headlight switch when I noticed 3 loose screws that hold the gauges in. Tightened the screws..... Fix the ground issue. Everything works exactly as it should.
Thanks for helpful info guys!
383man
Well-Known Member
Yzfoot I would check your voltage limiter for your gauges first which is a small unit on the back of the cluster that sends the pulsating 5 volts to your gauges. If the voltage limiter loses its ground it wont work and will send 12 volts to the gauges and peg them or if its just bad or the contacts stick together it will do the same thing. You need to check for the pulsating 5 volts to the fuel and temp gauges. If you dont have a voltmeter you can use a test lite and look for the lite to be blinking on and off.
Spiderbikes you should check your body ground first as if you loose the body ground it will cause all kind of strange problems like you have. Anything on the car body like lites or the heater blower motor and the ground for the dash lites and voltage limiter for the gauges are all grounded to the body and if the body ground is broke or came off all of them items will try to find a ground back to the battery any way they can. I have seen some ground thru the tranny cooler lines as the ground will find its way to the rad on the body and go down the tranny cooler lines to the trans which is hooked to the eng and back to the battery thru the eng ground. Many batteries have a smaller ground wire coming off the ground cable at the battery to the body. And many cars just have a ground wire from the firewall to the eng which does the same thing. Bad grounds can do very strange things. Ron
Spiderbikes you should check your body ground first as if you loose the body ground it will cause all kind of strange problems like you have. Anything on the car body like lites or the heater blower motor and the ground for the dash lites and voltage limiter for the gauges are all grounded to the body and if the body ground is broke or came off all of them items will try to find a ground back to the battery any way they can. I have seen some ground thru the tranny cooler lines as the ground will find its way to the rad on the body and go down the tranny cooler lines to the trans which is hooked to the eng and back to the battery thru the eng ground. Many batteries have a smaller ground wire coming off the ground cable at the battery to the body. And many cars just have a ground wire from the firewall to the eng which does the same thing. Bad grounds can do very strange things. Ron
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