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  #16  
Old 08-21-2015, 04:51 PM
MRX37 MRX37 is offline
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Okay, a new development: I now have a working fuel gauge. It's not accurate, I'll get to that in a bit, but it's working.

This may not sound like much, but getting to this point has taken:

4 years
Hundreds of dollars
Hours of frustration
And a mechanic who flat out lied to me.

The sending unit in my fuel tank was bad. About a month ago I tried to have the fuel pump assembly replaced. The mechanic told me that my sending unit was fine and the issue was with my gauge.

So I spent 2 weeks gauge hunting before finally pulling the cable off the fuel pump, locating the wires for the gauge, and using a potentiometer as the sending unit. The gauge responded perfectly.

Today I got conformation that I was lied to, and ripped off when I saw the old fuel pump. The traces on the sending unit were blackened. This is the same sending unit the last mechanic told me he personally looked at and tested.


Sooo now onto my current issue:

The gauge gives an accurate reading when I'm sitting still. When I accellerate, the needle goes up, then plummets to empty when I hit the brakes. I'm wondering what the problem is now.
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  #17  
Old 08-21-2015, 06:26 PM
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Eric H Eric H is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MRX37 View Post

The gauge gives an accurate reading when I'm sitting still. When I accellerate, the needle goes up, then plummets to empty when I hit the brakes. I'm wondering what the problem is now.
Sounds like it's responding to the fuel sloshing around in the tank, depending on how it's wired this may be normal.

Some vehicles have an "Anti slosh" module, it just delays the response of the gauge so every hill and bump in the road doesn't make the gauge do what yours is doing.

I don't know if a 92 Dakota has an anti slosh module or not so I can't say if it's normal in this case. If it has one it's likely built into the cluster, or the gauge itself.

Ford used a plug in module on some of their vehicles from that era.
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  #18  
Old 08-21-2015, 06:28 PM
MRX37 MRX37 is offline
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Could the module go bad?

I had a 93 Dakota that never had this issue with fuel sloshing around.

Say, would the module happen to be a circuit board with a multi pin connector that plugs into the instrument cluster's board?
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  #19  
Old 08-21-2015, 06:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MRX37 View Post

Say, would the module happen to be a circuit board with a multi pin connector that plugs into the instrument cluster's board?

Possibly, Ford's was a small module that plugged into a slot in the edge of the cluster.
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  #20  
Old 08-21-2015, 06:41 PM
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I can find one easily for a Ford with Google, don't see any for Dodge.
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  #21  
Old 08-21-2015, 06:46 PM
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This may be of some help:

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen-...-friendly.html
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  #22  
Old 08-21-2015, 07:50 PM
MRX37 MRX37 is offline
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I think I saw that post before... its how I figured out how to attach a potentiometer to test my fuel gauge.
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  #23  
Old 08-22-2015, 09:09 AM
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Fuel gauges etc. on american cars are temperature "heat and stay" gauges....
Or "Averaging" Gauges. So they don't show dips and spikes as you move...

My dakota gauge keeps the last reading when you turn it off... That means it has
a small oil reserve inside the gauge itself, and does not allow the gauge to return
to zero with no power... They may even do it some other way on some cars....

Sampling readings are done using a "blinker" like devise on the dash, put your volt
meter across the resistor in the tank and you should see pulses not a constant
voltage.

I don't trust mechanics anymore. I have had too many problems long term that
they are unable to properly diagnose and repair, and it costs hundreds each time
they change a part till they stumble on the right one that may eventually fix the
problem....

Unfortunately, they way to really fix things is to learn how it works, and fix it yourself.
You have to figure out how your system works, and then see if you can test things
to see if the evidence you have collected matches the description of how it works....

.
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  #24  
Old 08-22-2015, 10:50 PM
MRX37 MRX37 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Username1 View Post

Unfortunately, they way to really fix things is to learn how it works, and fix it yourself.
You have to figure out how your system works, and then see if you can test things
to see if the evidence you have collected matches the description of how it works....
I have a surprise for you. The only reason I had a mechanic replace the fuel pump is because I couldn't physically lift the bed off my truck and do it myself. But thanks for giving me an excuse to brag about the work I have done on my truck over the last 4 years that I've owned it:


Lets see maybe I'll start with the drivers side fender replacement. As the attached pics show, I got a fender and wheel well from Parts Galore, painted them, and put them on myself.


Then maybe we can move on to my dashboard light mod, where I replaced the burnt out dashboard bulbs with blue LED's, then made diffusers out of a piece of translucent plastic I cut off a tea jug to make the lighting more even across the gauge cluster.

Or the time, back when it had the last transmission, when I lost reverse gear, dropped the pan, changed the fluid and filter, and got reverse back, admittedly to my amazement. Later I had a NOS trans from a 95 Dakota put in.

Or the time my alternator went out, so I checked around and discovered that Chrysler has used that same basic alternator design for every truck and SUV they've made in the last 20+ years, so I went to Parts Galore, pulled a good one off a 2004 Durango, which was rated higher to boot, paid maybe $20 for it, put it in and haven't had a problem since.

Or something more recent, like discovering my floorpan was rusting out, removing the seats and carpeting, washing 20 years of dirt out of that carpeting, cleaning up the rust, then bondoing the holes and coating the area with 2 coats of primer and two coats of paint.


Oh I could go on and on. I have a lot of stories about that truck. The things I've discovered inside it, the near miracles I have achieved to keep it on the road. The repairs I have managed to accomplish by myself with little money. The times where if things gone just a bit differently, the truck would have caught fire...


Wow... typing all that brought back a lot of memories.


Oh and by the way you are completely wrong about how fuel gauges work. Your Dakota's fuel gauge is all electronic. There is no oil reserve in it.
Attached Images
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File Type: jpg IMG_20120818_150712.jpg (112.5 KB, 14 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_20120818_161952.jpg (101.0 KB, 11 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_20120819_115052.jpg (62.5 KB, 13 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_20120813_143452.jpg (75.1 KB, 14 views)

Last edited by MRX37; 08-22-2015 at 10:53 PM.
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  #25  
Old 09-02-2015, 12:52 PM
MRX37 MRX37 is offline
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Repairing the exhaust today and I discovered a new issue.

I'm leaking power steering fluid.

I found the source of the leak (see attached). I'm wondering what's going to be involved in fixing it?

Also, now my truck's accelleration has gotten weird. The engine will run rough, like it's not getting enough fuel, and acceleration will bog down... Then it instantly fixes itself and behaves just fine. I hope that new fuel pump isn't the cause...
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File Type: jpg IMG_20150902_134442_351.jpg (83.8 KB, 10 views)
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  #26  
Old 09-02-2015, 01:59 PM
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Hey - good to see you getin into it with the pickup !
I have not had trouble with my gauges so for sure I don't know how they work, just
offering up some ideas.... I had to work on some GM gauges and was told about the
oil damped thing.... I thought it was too much work for the cheap 3 to do, but it did
have the blinker signal on it when I measured it.... I think it was a '76 GMC 6 yard
dump I was working on.... I always kept that in my mind for gas gauges that hold their
value when shut off.... I'll look at my manual on the Dodge one evening....

My rack has a leak on it too, but it's small, I ain't gunna do anything with it....

Good to know about the alternators.... But I bet my '88 has a different mount than yours.

I'm gunna have to put up my picts from floor fixing on the '86 Prelude I did this past
July. I hate welding upside down.....

You got too much love into that truck to give it up !

.
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  #27  
Old 09-02-2015, 05:04 PM
MRX37 MRX37 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Username1 View Post

You got too much love into that truck to give it up !
Exactly!

And I think I know where you're coming from on gauges. GM does their gauge setup different, and something from the 70's, yeah that probably would have oil or something in it.

So... I spent today using a hacksaw to cut off a new tailpipe over at Parts galore, then got home and used my Dremel to remove the old pipe. Attached is a picture of the old muffler and tail pipe... where you can see my attempts to quiet it down long enough to get the money and time needed to fix it.

New tailpipe came from a 98 Dakota, so it doesn't perfectly match up but I can work with it. It's the right size for the new muffler which is the most important thing. Putting on the new exhaust tomorrow!

Also, seems like I might just need to replace an O ring or some kind of sealing ring to fix the power steering leak, so I'll probably do that tomorrow as well.

Also went online and found out how to reset the computer, so I'll see if that has any effect on acceleration.
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  #28  
Old 09-02-2015, 07:08 PM
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That tail pipe is pretty funny.... I should put up a picture of the one I still have to put back
on the wife's car.... Honda uses 2 bolt flanges on all the exhaust couplings, put SS bolts
on and removal is 4 minutes.... Whenever it gets a leak I take it off and weld little
patches all over it... Looks like we both get the last few cents out of those parts HA HA !

On the Dakota, I use the dremel to carefully cut the outer pipe, on the coupling joint.
When you said dremel, I figured you were doing the same thing.... I put them back
together with a thin film of anti-seize so they don't rust-weld, and thin enough not
to kill the O2 sensor....

I even put engine paint on the pipe after welding it... Helps a little....

This little story goes over two types of gauges used on old cars, It's not
bad, and it's been a while for me, I thought they worked a little different...

http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au...fuel_gauge.htm

Also, you know a lot of mechanics are not too far off from some of the
individuals here when it comes to fixing things. I have read several
threads here about some circuit not working, and some critical voltage
may be posted, and it's wrong, but the person doing the work has it
in his head that he wants to change some transformer, and gets it
puts it in, and it don't fix anything. If something is not working, most
of the parts are suspect until they are eliminated. Some people eliminate
the parts as suspect by replacing them each until the bad part is eventually
replaced because it's part of that system of parts. A lot of auto mechanics
are like that, especially when it comes to electrical stuff... I have seen it
many times before..... But the pain in learning how some of the parts work,
and understanding what the system may do if missing this little part, is what
a lot of people miss. Not that it's always their fault, it's not often easy to
be a good troubleshooter.... There are a few really good people here, and with
lots of experience.... I'm not sure what goes on with some mechanics, or
appliance repair people..... Not sure if it's money, knowledge, lack of, or
what.... Anyway, I love reading about the stuff you got going on with the
little Dodge that can do a lot !

.
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Last edited by Username1; 09-02-2015 at 07:59 PM.
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  #29  
Old 09-03-2015, 12:14 AM
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I've heard that on PS leaks, that if it's the O-rings, adding a little brake fluid will stop the leak.
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  #30  
Old 09-03-2015, 06:35 AM
MRX37 MRX37 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Electronic M View Post
I've heard that on PS leaks, that if it's the O-rings, adding a little brake fluid will stop the leak.
Might work, might not. Part's easy enough to get to, might as well fix it properly. Have the time and money now.
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