Jeep has been sitting, now having gauge problems

**Big-n-Broke-YJ** · 12-03-2006, 01:07 PM

After the jeep sat for a little over a month while i got my wheelbase stretch, axle swap, and fuel cell install done... I cranked her up for the first time and have gauge problems!

first off, coolant temp. it stays cold, all the time. does anyone know what resistance the sending unit should output while the engine is cold? how about at proper operating temp? if i take the wire off the sending unit and ground it out, what temp shoudl my gauge show? how about it i just simply unplug it?

next is my fuel gauge. it worked fine with the stock tanka nd sending unit. now i realize that the resistance for my gauge and sending unit aren't going to match up right... but... when i take the wire that went to the oem sending unit and ground it out, what should the gauge read? how about when i leave the wire danging and not connected to anything? seems to me like the gauge should show two opposite readings... one full, one empty. the gauge doesn't. it just stays at full all the time. not too worried about this but if you have an idea, speak up. thanks

clock stopped working. this sucks, but i should have expected it a long time ago. can i buy a replacement clock ONLY? or do i have to buy the whole cluster? I was told i could buy just the clock but i want to verify this since my local dealership said i could not.....

thanks guys

-Erik <--- forgot how mean the 2.5 sounded with it's new flowmasterrrr!

jeep63 · 12-03-2006, 02:24 PM

I know for sure the YJ fuel guage is 0 ohms empty and 90 ohms full. I just replaced all of mine with Autometer guages. I'm not sure about the temp sensor. Have you checked to see if the sending unit is still connected the wire going through the firewall?

**Big-n-Broke-YJ** · 12-03-2006, 02:32 PM

coolant temp sending unit wire is still connected. my multimeter is in my neighbor's jeep which is MIA as his ******* drove it to the bar last night and can't remember where he parked it.....

the rci fuel cell's sending unit is 0 ohms empty, 90 ohms full ohms just like you said your stock sending unit was.... i was under the impression the stock sending unit was opposite what you just told me but after reading all this stuff about sending units it's very possible AND LIKELY that i'm just confused. If what you tell me is right I'll be very happy.

my 89 yj should ahve the same tank and sending unit as your 89 4.2, shouldn't it?

jeep63 · 12-03-2006, 07:00 PM

I would hope the fuel sending unit for the 2.5 is the same as the 4.2, but I am not 100% certain. Do you have a FSM? If not I could look it up in mine and see what I find.

**Big-n-Broke-YJ** · 12-03-2006, 07:11 PM

ok

this is what i've found

appears that sending unit assemblies are different... but work the same... only difference appears to be that mine has a in-tank pump while yours does not.

here is the testing procedure... i'll be doign this tomorrow after work.

Turn ignition switch to Run position.
Disconnect electrical connector from fuel gauge sender, located near fuel tank.
Ground center wire of body harness side of connector (Tan/BLK). If gauge reads at low end of scale, check sending unit. If gauge does not read at low end of scale, check circuit between connector and gauge. If circuit is not faulty, replace the gauge.
Turn ignition switch to Off position.
Measure resistance from fuel gauge sender connector center terminal to a clean chassis ground.
If resistance is not as specified, replace sender.
If resistance values are correct, repair open circuit between fuel gauge sender connector and ground.

it appears as though the fuel level gauge can be replaced if it's the problem...
Fuel Gauge (Dash Unit) - oem part # 56001386 price $43.00

**Big-n-Broke-YJ** · 12-03-2006, 07:17 PM

as for coolant stuff, here goes what i've found

Turn ignition switch to Run position.
Disconnect electrical connector from coolant temperature sender.
Touch connector to engine block (ground). Gauge should read at high end of scale.
When connector is not touching ground, gauge should read at low end of scale. If gauge functions properly, replace sensor.
Check circuit between sensor and gauge for an open. If wiring is proper, replace gauge.

Burnerman · 12-03-2006, 08:42 PM

Hey Big n Broke. Nice schematics!

You got one for the voltmeter??

**Big-n-Broke-YJ** · 12-03-2006, 08:57 PM

this is all i could find really...

**Big-n-Broke-YJ** · 12-03-2006, 09:03 PM

i can't find squat more on alldata....

Burnerman · 12-03-2006, 09:11 PM

That's OK. You got that info from Alldata? I was gonna subscribe to that but didn't know what kind of info I could actually get from it. Looks like some good stuff. Anyway that pic helps me. Looks like voltmeter is just pulled from Fused gauge power on terminal #2. Cool

Thanks

**Big-n-Broke-YJ** · 12-03-2006, 09:21 PM

check your pm

jeep63 · 12-04-2006, 10:29 AM

Burnerman, you are correct in your assumption. The voltmeter does simply measure the voltage in the line from the fuse panel, nothing special there. I was tired of tracing through the mess behind the guages and splicing wires over the broken copper sections. I replaced every gauge and made my own harness. No more problems.

Big-n-broke-yj, Those pages are straight from the FSM, so you are getting good information. Your guages may be shot at least some of them.

**Big-n-Broke-YJ** · 12-04-2006, 12:25 PM

yes it sounds like i may have problems with the gauges themselves... which leads me to jump into this gray area... replacing oem gauges with autometer.... you mention you did this... any pics or details? i know on eBay a guy sells a bracket, and i know autometer or someone makes a piece that replaces that whole thing and holds the gauges at an angle.... just never seen it in person and curious how it all fits and works out in the end.....

**Big-n-Broke-YJ** · 12-04-2006, 12:40 PM

ribbon on the back side of the gauge assembly has corrosion all over it. found my problem.

i'm not gonna fix it. the gauges look like crap anyway and they all start acting up if i tap them. autometer, here i come... one at a time maybe... but here i come....

jeep63 · 12-04-2006, 08:29 PM

Once I finally decided to purchase new gauges I thought for a while about the dash. I ended up buying a new gauge pod from Quadratec. This new pod looks exactly like the stock one except the gauges are angled progressively towards the driver as they move from left to right. I shopped the gauges separately and bought most of them off eBay. I purchased the Autometer Phantom II ones with the white face and red needle.

They all fit nicely into the new pod and I set to wiring them up. I created a new harness for the gauges so I could disconnect them easily should I ever need to pull the dash. I tapped into the stock harness wires and soldered/heat shrinked the wires for the new harness into their respective locations. I can pull the entire pod out and disconnect the connectors very easily. I am sorry I did not take any pictures during the process. I can take some shots of the finished dash. I'll try to get them in the next day or so.