My gs gauges arent workin - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

Chartoo · 02-05-2006, 23:27

hi all workin throught getting my xc project on the road. It was an unfinished project i bought so u always finding little suprises. got it started up the other day after a long time and noticed that the temp,fuel and oil gauges dont work. The iginition lights and dash lights work and the taco works but i cant get the three gauges working.

Looking at the pics attached the sender seems connected and so does the temp gauge but they still dont work. I traced them and they looked connected. Where do you supose i go from here?

351cid · 02-06-2006, 00:24

for all three of them to be not working i would start looking behind the dash.

maybe a wire off in there.

lonnnnng time since i have seen the back of an XC r/pac dash so i cant go into much detail, but i would be checking all the conections on the back of dash, check for a good earth etc.

would be awfully unlucky to have three senders not working.

RPO-083 · 02-06-2006, 00:49

More than likely is the "voltage reducer" (guages don't operate on 12V) on the rear of the guages. Fairly sure on an XC it is a seperate unit, white in colour.

02-06-2006, 02:09

That temp sender is in the wrong place and probably the wrong sender. Should be on the block under the top radiator hose. Your's appears to be in a manifold port used for anti-pollution vacuum tree.

Chartoo · 02-07-2006, 00:07

cheers my mechanic mate and he said it might be the voltage reducer also.
If it is where would i buy a replacement? Dicksmith ...coventries

Chartoo · 02-07-2006, 21:09

Had a bit more of a look around last nite. The dash seems in good condition on the back with no cracks or fraied wires.

My mechanic mate told me of a test for the gauges. He said to take of the temp sender wire off and put it on the carb and the turn on the dash. This made the temp gauge slowly go to hot. This shows me ,i think, that the gauge works and is connected right but that it isnt recieving power or a signal. So it must be the voltage reducer right. However i cant find it on the back of the dash. Is this reducer somewhere else?
The only thing i can find is a little battery looking thing between to bits of metal. See second pic. Is this what i need to replace? Coventries dont stock the part any more and that guy told me the reducer was part of the fuel sender!!!!! Any help apreciated!

351cid · 02-07-2006, 21:18

if your temp gauge is working when earthed out then maybe it is your sender ?
did you try the oil gauge the same way.

with the oil gauge you need a sender to suit a gauge not a light. the sender for an oil light will not work a gauge.

i think you can test the fuel gauge the same way but i have never had to do it so you might want to check first.

that thing on the back of your dash looks like a diode

RPO-083 · 02-08-2006, 01:29

Well, I will stand corrected on this one. I was sure that XC ran an external reducer.....

Anyway, yours is in the lower guage with 4 terminals on it.

But!!!! If the guage went up with the wire earthed, then the reducer MUST be OK, and you have crook sender/s...... Whilst it is unlikely that all are stuffed, I have had this before on neglected vehicles.

Chartoo · 02-08-2006, 21:39

hmm really confused myself now. pluged the dash back, tunred the key to on and put a test lamp on the 3 gauges. All pulsed on and off like an indicator but the indicator wasnt on. Think i best leave if for a auto electrician

RPO-083 · 02-09-2006, 00:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chartoo

hmm really confused myself now. pluged the dash back, tunred the key to on and put a test lamp on the 3 gauges. All pulsed on and off like an indicator but the indicator wasnt on. Think i best leave if for a auto electrician

The pulsing is from the voltage regulator. It is sort of like a circuit breaker that constantly goes on and off, and by doing this the voltage drops from 12V to about 5V (from memory).