62 Le Sabre fuel guage troubles

[1962Millie]

Help, I'm new @ this restoration, mechanics stuff. I have a 62 Le Sabre and the fuel guage is intermittant...usually stuck on full all of the time...one day the guage was reading, yet, when i started driving, it went back to full. I own the service manual and have the wiring diagram, however I seek some sage advice to troubleshoot.
My teacher stated that a poor ground is usually the source to most electrical problems, but I want some better direction from those who are familiar...thanks...Gas is expensive in CA and putting $10-20USD in daily gets cumbersome.

[DaWildcat]

It may be an intermittent ground in the dash, or at the fuel tank sender (top of the fuel tank). Could also be a problem with the sender wire itself, which runs from tank to gauge.

Devon

[1962Millie]

thanks...i guess its time to get a little dirty and a lil pissed and figure this beast out....well as batman said....."to the batmobile robin"....

[buickbonery]

I'm going to guess that the sending unit float is getting stuck, which would mean getting down and dirty. But the good news is that you don't have to drop the gas tank to get at the sending unit. You have an access hole in the trunk shelf.

[Sergeant Major]

I'm going to guess that the sending unit float is getting stuck, which would mean getting down and dirty. But the good news is that you don't have to drop the gas tank to get at the sending unit. You have an access hole in the trunk shelf.


This is exactly what I did with my '63. Replaced the sending unit, and the fuel gauge in the dash. After that no problems. That access hole makes it easy to do the job. You'll probably have a cork gasket in there as well. Easy fix, and not a whole lot of "dirty" or "pissed" to go with it. Welcome the the wild world of resto.:beer

[dynaflow]

Problem is usually sending unit. Start there. Fortunately, it's accessable from trunk on the '62. Sending unit is simple wire-wound rheostat with a sliding contact on float arm. Fairly easy to check resistance with ohm meter. Values should be in shop manual. If good, check values at gauge. If good, wiring is OK and it's the gauge. Be sure to test while gauge is acting up...:grin:

[CTWildcat]

I'm having a similar problem in the '63 Wildcat I just picked up Monday. The gauge "worked" fine (or so I thought) when I drove it 45 miles home but later that day the needle would not leave empty. The next day the gauge came back to life (reading about half) but when I filled up the tank the needle wouldn't go much beyond 3/4...so I don't think it can be trusted.

When you guys say replace the sending unit do you mean the whole kit & kaboodle like what I see on eBay for $100, or is there something smaller and less complicated that can be replaced to fix the problem?

Phil

[Sergeant Major]

I'm having a similar problem in the '63 Wildcat I just picked up Monday. The gauge "worked" fine (or so I thought) when I drove it 45 miles home but later that day the needle would not leave empty. The next day the gauge came back to life (reading about half) but when I filled up the tank the needle wouldn't go much beyond 3/4...so I don't think it can be trusted.

When you guys say replace the sending unit do you mean the whole kit & kaboodle like what I see on eBay for $100, or is there something smaller and less complicated that can be replaced to fix the problem?

Phil

Phil,
I had the same problem and replaced the gauge, and the sending unit (yep just like the one on ebay) Now it works just fine. That is if I can ever keep enough gas in it. Access is in the trunk. Real easy to do. Hell if I can do something like that anybody can.

[gsjohnny1]

guages usually dont go bad. its the 50 yr old sending unit. cars should have a rebuilt. matter of fact, i think they are repoing them. check their site.

[CTWildcat]

So of course after experiencing the fuel gauge problem I described a few days ago, yesterday I drove the Wildcat a bunch and the gauge seemed fine. I filled up at the gas station and the needle even went all the way to F, so...it's good for the moment but I will continue to monitor it.

[Mr62Buick]

OK.... my 62' Wildcat HAD an issue with the sending unit too... here is the simple about the wiring. IF you remove the 5 bolt cover under the spare tire, and disconnect the sinlge wire from the fuel sending unit... turn the key on and then ground that wire to the body... the fuel guage should read full. IF it goes up and down or moves a little, then its a wiring issue. The good thing though, this is a Buick and not a chevy... so the wiring is most likely not the issue. I found that is you remove the 5 screws that hold the sending unit to the tank, and pull it out slowly... turn it over outside the trunk and look at the connections. I have found that the brass strip that goes from the sender top to the sending unit usually breaks over many many years of use. Just disassemble the whole thing, clean it all up, then re-assemble. soldering any contacts that look poor. then, before installing into tank, plug the single wire to the top, ground the unit to the body using a wire with alligator clips, turn the key on, then move the float up and down looking at the guage.... it should move up and down relative to the movement of the float. reassemble and remember, the sengin unit only bolts on one way as the screw holes are not evenly spaced. If the cork gasket gets ruined, then make one out of either cork or rubber. Dont use cardboard or gasket material as it soaks up the fuel. Good luck!

[CTWildcat]

My fuel gauge pulled a new trick today--the needle disappeared completely. I can't even see it beyond the E or the F. So after driving around a bunch I decided to look under the compartment in the trunk. I unfastened the wire, cleaned everything up with a wire brush while it was apart and grounded it to the body--and the needle was still nowhere to be found. I unfastened the whole sending unit too and wiggled it around a bunch (I was unprepared to deal with removing the whole thing) and that also did absolutely nothing. Not sure what to think at this point...maybe I wasn't grounding it properly? Still seems bizarre...

Phil

[Cleaf30]

I connected the wire on the sender to the body of my 63 Wildcat and my needle which was past full and out of sight went down to empty. Then I put the wire back on the sender and the needle went back past full. What do you think the problem is? What else should I check?