My gas gauge isn't working properly

[TJ1978]

When I last ran out of gas and the truck died the tank read roughly 1/4-1/2 or there abouts if memory serves.
So today I went to fire it up to get the juices flowing as it's been awhile and after putting in about 10-15 gallons of gas. Now I can hear some sloshing in the tank. I forget exactly how much was added as I used my container and ran to the station a couple weeks ago and I forget how many times.

Anyway, it's a 31 gallon tank and after adding about 10-15 gallons the dakota digital gauge is reading full. So it either had more gas than I thought and 10-15 gallons topped it off or it had less and full isn't really full.

Ground bad? Float bad? How to trouble shoot this and finally fix?


I also while tackling this, want to replace all the rubber everything going into the tank along with a new fuel sender and possibly a new tank as this one has a decent dent from a previous owner

 

[TJ1978]

Also replacing all this

Does lmc have a kit for all this? Probably just replace the steel lines as well, I mean why not?

I guess most of this will be needed where applicable. Unless you guys think it looks good enough to keep?

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[Bent77]

I’m just here for the skinny chicks

 

[TJ1978]

Or when it cools down @Wes Harden can cruise by and we can knock this out??!

 

[Bent77]

Day drinking and posting. A Ck5 hobby since 1999:

 

[TJ1978]

Hahahaha Jesus Christ....
bro, I think heat and humidity is getting to me.

Since I've derailed and lost track of this thread already....

 

[Bent77]

Unless the meter shows you something, pull the tank

 

[TJ1978]

So where and what am I checking with my volt meter..

Meh, I guess I just pull the tank.. why not, right?

 

[Wes Harden]

Well the gas guage is all about resistance, since you have a dakota digital gauge you might have some adjustments at the guage.
Where is said dent in tank?
This may have damage the sender and pick up

 

[Wes Harden]

Ohms is what you are looking for.
Thou 1 test I preform on stock system, is place a test light in line on the guage wire. A factory guage will read 5/8ths of a tank on the guage.
If you get that then either the ground or sender are bad

 

[rampage]

If you disconnect the sending wire (purple) and leave it floating then the gauge will peg one way, short it to ground and it’ll peg the other way. Forget exactly which is which. Make sure the ground on the pigtail is grounded too. If you have an in tank pump you can connect the jumper wire under the hood (think it’s the large red wire just hanging there). Just open the fuel line at the filter and empty the tank that way. JustSomeone will chime in with specifics.

 

[TJ1978]

Well the gas guage is all about resistance, since you have a dakota digital gauge you might have some adjustments at the guage.
Where is said dent in tank?
This may have damage the sender and pick up

It's on the passenger side rear. But my skid plate is blocking it so I can't take a picture

 

[TJ1978]

Also it could when they place installed the Dakota digital they didn't set/adjust the fuel level reader thingy ma-bob

 

[rampage]

Also it could when they place installed the Dakota digital they didn't set/adjust the fuel level reader thingy ma-bob

Sender reads 0 to 90 ohms so I don’t see what there is to adjust. Does it say in the Dakota manual that you need to adjust it?

 

[TJ1978]

Sender reads 0 to 90 ohms so I don’t see what there is to adjust. Does it say in the Dakota manual that you need to adjust it?

Yeah I was watching a video briefly..
But got a few texts so...hindsight I should have kept the original cluster or replace dakota with an original '78 cluster

 

[Wes Harden]

Ya all should bring it here I got and air conditioned shop and guest room. Just have to like huskies

 

[TJ1978]

Ya all should bring it here I got and air conditioned shop and guest room. Just have to like huskies

Hmm... yeah I may do that. Let me price parts and start buying them...

 

[fordsucks!]

Does Your Story start with the Dakota Digital gauge to begin with? I know that on my factory gauge, when the resistor died behind the gauge, it got stuck at quarter tank. A good fuel gauge pulled out from another K5 fixed my problem ( and I know it was resistor because I swapped resistors to keep my original fuel gauge)

 

[TJ1978]

Not sure. The gauge needle moves I just don't know how accurate it is...