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Posted by gmharris [71.105.35.169] on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 18:33:36 :
In Reply to: Re: That sounds like a tough one posted by Sherman in Idaho [72.47.9.37] on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 01:45:01 :
I don't know the history of this gauge. It was an extra I acquired. I know that the guy that had my truck before me tried to jump start it with 12 volts, so I'm expecting the gas gauge to be burned out.
I'm a little more optimistic about being able to repair the gauge than you are.
Today, I found that one of the bi-metallic arms was still good, so I was able to watch it work when I hooked up battery voltage to it. At least now, I have something I can compare to.
Also, I unwrapped the wire from the other bi-metallic arm. The insulation was pretty much shot along its length. It's Ni-chrome or something like that. I applied battery voltage to it. It got hot to touch, but not so hot that it would burn off any insulation.
On eBay, there is a listing for insulated resistance wire that is close to the diameter I need and it is only $5.00 for ten feet, which should be enough to do two gauges.
I may have to re-wrap both arms to keep them balanced if the wire is different from the original. It should also be possible to add or remove wraps to get the right amount of bend to the arms as they are heated.
I'm leaving on a trip, so I probably won't get back to the gauge for awhile, if ever. I will keep looking for a working replacement.
Anyway, I've learned a lot and I'll see what happens when I take the gauge out of my truck.