ArtistsRifles Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Got a problem with the fuel gauge on little Maud - I spent the day down the Fort on Sunday trying to sort it and, at the end of it all I've got is eyes that feel like they are full of grit - probably because they are - and a headache from being inverted for about 5 hours solid. (Won't be doing THAT again any time soon...). Anyways - having push poked and prodded the wiring under the I/P the end result I've determined is this. There are only two (2) wires connected to the actual gauge via spade terminals. One side of the gauge has two (2) terminals, the other has one (1) - the two sets appear to be bridged across?? That is - there appears to be a metal strip (brass?) joining the two terminal groups together. There are three (3) wires going to the Push-Button switch that changes between Fuel and Oil levels. Each of these appears to be secured to the switch by a tag and a small screw rather than spade connectors. One white wire with the word "fuel" on the yellow sleeve goes a few inches to the front of the cab where it goes into a long connector block This connector block is linked to another below it by a lot of Red wiring. The other wire from the gauge goes to one of the two upper positions on the Push-Button switch. There is no sleeve on this one or any of the others. The wire from the lower position and the other upper position on the Push-Button switch are long, white, and vanish into a wiring loom - I am assuming these are the sensor feeds from the oil and fuel tanks respectively?? Now the interesting part. The problems is that with the main I/O switch turned on and the instrument panel I/O switch turned on the gauge goes full deflection to the right ("F") irrespective of the position of the Push-Button switch. If I remove the short lead that goes to the connector block and turn both switches on nothing happens, the needle stays firmly to the left or "E". If I reconnect this lead and remove the one to the Push-Button Switch and turn both switches on the needle immediately swings hard right again. Inserting the +ve probe of a multi-meter into the disconnected long wire and earthing the -ve probe show no voltage whatsoever. Reconnecting the wire to the Push-Button switch and disconnecting the short wire to the connecting block then repeating the above steps with the multi-meter also gave no voltage readings. However - on the continuity setting the buzzer on the meter rang indicating a pathway to earth was complete with this short wire. The long wire from the gauge to the switch produced no such result. Therefore I deduce from this that the wire from the connecting block is an earth wire. However the lack of any voltage reading from either wire confuses me as - on this basis the needle should not be moving - yet it manifestly is!!!! Finally I believe one of the securing clamps is missing from the instrument unit that holds the fuel, oil pressure and air pressure gauge's as pressing on the 9 o'clock position at the rear moves the instrument away from the I/P. Can anyone shed any light on this as the lack of a fuel gauge is a bit of a worry right now.... Running out of fuel in a Stalwart is not something I want to do and, until or unless I can get another job (pardon the cynical laughter here...), the practice of sticking £100 worth of fuel in every other time it went out is no longer a possibility. Thanks all!!! (Did I mention I HATE electrical problems...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markheliops Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 the practice of sticking £100 worth of fuel in every other time it went out Ah Neil - welcome to my world - the World of Ward La France. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 the practice of sticking £100 worth of fuel in every other time it went out Ah Neil - welcome to my world - the World of Ward La France. :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: I wish mate!!! This one is doing my head in.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest catweazle (Banned Member) Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 You need to read Clives advice on the champ system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 You need to read Clives advice on the champ system. I have mate!! The two systems are different though :shocked: - the Stalwarts is a multi-gauge in that it reads either fuel level or engine oil level depending on whether you have pushed the button switch in or not. If it was a direct link to the tank I likely would not have this problem - it would be either the gauge or the sender.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swill1952xs Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Don't shoot me for this............ I hate electrics too, but I'm jus' tryin' to be helpful. Don't know nuffin about Stalwarts, but sometimes a third terminal is fitted to fuel gauges as a supply or Earth connection for a low fuel warning light, and isn't always used. Secondly, our ERF rigids with M.A.N. cabs read full or max if the circuit through the sender is broken. I'm not sure exactly how this system works :embarrassed:, but if you short out the wire to the sender, the gauge reads zero. If the earth to the tank is faulty, it will read max. Thirdly, as you have current going to the actual gauge. Do you get any readings on the gauge if you disconnect the oil level sender, presumably in the sump. If this one loses its reading then the gauge must be ok as it will read full when the oil level is ok. Presumably the push button is connected to both wires to the tank and sump sensors, and pushing the button disconnects one and connects the other. If the sump sensor is doing what it should; then there must be a fault from the push button to the tank. I would imagine the circuit would provide power to the gauge, then to the push button. Either wiring to the tank sensor, the tank sensor itself, or assuming it is chassis earth return, an earth fault on the tank. A possible suggestion is to temporarily run a wire from the fuel gauge to the tank sensor and see what, if anything happens. Another possibility is that maybe someone else has had a fiddle before and connected the gauge in reverse. Finally, if it is insulated earth return and has a dual pole isolator switch; then there will be common earth points and no electrical earth to the tank itself, so using the tank to check for a circuit would be useless. Hopefully, although I don't know the answer to this problem; I hope I may have given you some things to think about which may help solve the problem. I know how annoying it can be :beatenup:when someone tries to help, and really knows nothing, so please don't send a lynch mob round mine.....:flowers: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest catweazle (Banned Member) Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Interestingly i have been working on the latest range rover fuel tank,it remembers the last setting when you switch off,so you drain the tank,disconect the sender unit,it has two on a saddle tank and compares both and works out an average.do whot ever fuel pump maybe.If you turn ignition on by accident or listen to radio.This keeps the settings.if you now dont put the same amount of fuel back the reading will be forever wrong.:argh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyFowler Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Interestingly i have been working on the latest range rover fuel tank,it remembers the last setting when you switch off,so you drain the tank,disconect the sender unit,it has two on a saddle tank and compares both and works out an average.do whot ever fuel pump maybe.If you turn ignition on by accident or listen to radio.This keeps the settings.if you now dont put the same amount of fuel back the reading will be forever wrong.:argh: Is that what THEY call progress mate ? :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest catweazle (Banned Member) Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Is that what THEY call progress mate ? :-D thats only half of it its absolute CRAP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowfat Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Just fixed my stalwart fuel gauge system. It was behaving the same. Power on, gauge goes to full scale defection. First thing found was the contents sender was totally inop. This was easily fixed by opening the case and cleaning all the rust off. It then reads 20 ohms to 350 ohms depending where the float is. Second problem is the float was full of petrol. Lastly some muppet had played at the gauge and connected the power 24Volt and the sender cable to the dual spade connector on the indicator resulting in 24 volt at the sender. This should be about 13 volt coming through the gauge. Moved the wire for the sender over to the single spade connector and got 13 v at the sender wire, connected up the sender and bingo gauge works correctly. For info its a smiths system virtually identical to a mini system apart from 24volt and the button to switch to the oil tank sender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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