Gauge Problems From H**L

[BLACK MOON]

Please excuse me while I vent. This is the only forum that others will hopefully understand the level of frustration I feel right now.

I had my gauge cluster rebuilt and so far; Oil Pressure Gauge doesn't work, Tachometer- stuck at 3500 rpm, Speedometer settles at 3mph when at a stop, Fuel gauge- works some times. This all from an 'established well reccomended rebuilder'. I had them done 2 years ago and they have been sitting on the shelf in my office since.

Then to top it off I purchased a rebuilt clock from another 'well known' rebuilder, installed it yesterday, and it's running backwards.

I'm so sick of these problems I could just s**t. Each time a gauge has failed i have pulled the dash (a pain in the butt) and installed another gauge that I had but haven't had rebuilt. I've lost track of the times I've pulled this dash. I'm hesistant to name the rebuilder in hopes that he will read this and be more proactive than telling me that 'it worked fine when it left here'.

Thanks for letting me air out. I feel better already.

Next chapter will be what I truly think about the Keisler 5 speed transmission, the trouble it has caused and how bad it shifts after 150 miles. Maybe it's too soon to judge.

 

[rowingone]

Yeah sometimes this "hobby" is too much!! Having restored my 1964 I can honestly say the most frustrating day was today . . . a simple thing like changing the dash lights . . . maybe you have some insight having pulled the dash so many times . . what is the easiest way to change the brights indicator and the headlights up bulbs??

 

[rowingone]

OH and you should tell us who the "bad" vendor was . . no excuse for that kinda work!!

 

[BLACK MOON]

Yeah sometimes this "hobby" is too much!! Having restored my 1964 I can honestly say the most frustrating day was today . . . a simple thing like changing the dash lights . . . maybe you have some insight having pulled the dash so many times . . what is the easiest way to change the brights indicator and the headlights up bulbs??

Well as you know there is no 'easy' way to pull the cluster. The easiest way I have found is to drop the steering column. It's just too tight with it in place. Others have suggested pieces of threaded rod in place of the screws to 'slide' the cluster back. That never worked for me. If you drop the column it will give you plenty of room to change that top bulb. Pushing the steering column back up and bolting it back in place is sometimes difficult but it can be done. If you need more room to work pulling the steering column is only two more bolts away.

 

[BLACK MOON]

OH and you should tell us who the "bad" vendor was . . no excuse for that kinda work!!

I'll do that but first I need to collect my thoughts, contact him with my needs and expectations and allow him to respond. I have a restored cluster with three old 'unrestored' gauges in it. If he fails to correct these issues after spending almost $800 I'll blast him here and everywhere else I can. I will keep you posted.

If you are about to have a cluster restored please email or PM me and I'll give you the name.

 

[IH2LOSE]

Sorry for your problems,

The clock running backwards ? What happens if you switch the wires? Or is it the motor was put in backwards.

Me I always blame my self when something doesnt work.

Did your gauges ever work correct in the car?

Loose connections can give our gauges a problem, Not grounded proper can also give us a problem.

I am pretty sure the Omhs for the gas gauge are known and you should be able to let the tank run down around empty and then read the ohms at the gauge connection,then grab the float in the tank and pull it up and see what happens to the ohms as long as they are in spec then you know for sure its your gauge. If they are not in spec I would look into the wires,they could be bad.

Best of luck,

 

[ChuckG]

The oil gauge is a purely mechanical gauge, no electrics at all.

Only way it wouldn't work is if the line was plugged, or the gauge itself was plugged up. Chuck

 

[BLACK MOON]

The oil gauge is a purely mechanical gauge, no electrics at all.

Only way it wouldn't work is if the line was plugged, or the gauge itself was plugged up. Chuck

Yea that's what the rebuilder said. I tried air pressure but nothing. I had another oil pressure gauge so I installed it and 'presto', it works. The rebuilt gauge that i removed looked tarnished even though it had been 'rebuilt'.

 

[BLACK MOON]

Sorry for your problems,

The clock running backwards ? What happens if you switch the wires? Or is it the motor was put in backwards.

Me I always blame my self when something doesnt work.

Did your gauges ever work correct in the car?

Loose connections can give our gauges a problem, Not grounded proper can also give us a problem.

I am pretty sure the Omhs for the gas gauge are known and you should be able to let the tank run down around empty and then read the ohms at the gauge connection,then grab the float in the tank and pull it up and see what happens to the ohms as long as they are in spec then you know for sure its your gauge. If they are not in spec I would look into the wires,they could be bad.

Best of luck,

Thanks. Switching the wires isn't possible since the ground or negative is grounded to the clock case. Reversing it would short out that circuit. The clock was rebuilt with a quartz movement if that makes any difference.

 

[Kid_Again]

With all the problems that you've had, you shouldn't hesitate to post his name. I've installed a number of quartz movements and never had one run backwards. So, if I can do it..... Why not try to reverese the wires anyway with jumpers and see if it makes the difference.

While I hate to pull the cluster myself, I haven't had a lot of problems. Yes, it's tight but I use 1/4x20 6" bolts rather than threaded rod to allow the cluster to slide on the smooth shank and it's decent enough. Once I get myself aligned upside down lying on the driver's seat, it's not too bad. I think it was IH2LOSE who posted a diagram of a back support that will allow you to be much more comfortable lying on your back while doing the cluster.

You know, I have no problems with outing vendors who don't have a clue. I just purchased an item worth a few thousand dollars and have had nothing but grief from their warranty department. I finally had to do it their way which ****es me off no end. I had to spend even more money to ship them a major part for fitment. It was not defective, their instructions are wrong and they won't admit it. I have no problems posting my side of the story and will be interested to see if these guys post here or even care

 

[rowingone]

when you slid the cluster out do you have to disconnect the tach and speedo cables?

 

[Kid_Again]

when you slid the cluster out do you have to disconnect the tach and speedo cables?

yup

If it's the first time (or the first time in a long time), it takes a bit of effort to unscrew the cables from the back of the cluster. If you pull the bulbs out of the push-in slots, you'll have just enough room to squeeze a pair of pliers back there to get the retainers started then go the rest of the way with your fingers. And just buy a whole set of new bulbs for the entire cluster (and the console/clock) because they'll be a mess. Just wait till you see the prices on the "winking" bulbs :W

 

[JOliver]

Let me know if I can help....pretty sure I have talked to you in the past and all the gauge issues you have I can fix very quickly.
The oil gauge is mechanical and if its not working you have a bad line or a gauge thats FUBAR...the clock running backwards tells me its a quartz and its a bad movement.
Sounds like a sloppy rebuild but it can be fixed ....people make mistakes and it sounds lile someone made alot with your unit...hope it wasn't myself.

Jason
VetteInstruments@aol.com