'63 Fuel gauge not working

[mge825y]

All good and helpful info!

I’m out of town now. But, when I get back I plan to pull the yellow wire at the sender and check for continuity and ohms when the ignition is “on”. If I’m not getting continuity from the sender wire, then I can start tracing it back to the gauge. Otherwise I’ll need to pull the sender itself to investigate further.

All this is starting to come back to me now. I did all this years ago but also had my hands in so many other areas as the list of needs and improvements back then was long.

I really hope it is not the sender itself because when I replaced it a few years ago, it was a bear to get the sender and gasket installed right and tight.

Maybe before I do anything else I’ll do as suggested and shake the back-end to see if I can shake something loose or back into place!

[TonyC]

the locking ring would be metal to metal.

Good catch, Fraser. I forgot all about the retaining ring; so the sender would have grounding to the tank anyway. Sorry, but thanks for the jog.

---Tony

[Mike]

With car on grounding the sender wire quickly like an earlier post mentioned should make the Guage move. If it doesn't you know either the problem isn't the sender or there's more the one thing wrong.
On the plus side at least the sender is easy to get to that year.

[mge825y]

I have been out of town since I first reported my fuel gauge issue. Now that I'm home, I cranked up the Lincoln and the fuel gauge is working!

I'm chalking it up as another minor Lincoln "miracle" !!

[Dan Szwarc]

It will be a miracle if it doesn't break again. Enjoy it while it lasts.

[mge825y]

It will be a miracle if it doesn't break again. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Is there a no "Miracle Crapping" policy too?

Over the years, I have experienced few Old Lincoln minor "miracles". Okay, well maybe not true miracles in the Devine category, but does seem to fit in Webster's definition of "a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences." Here they are:
- The fuel gauge that that quit and then started working on it's on.
- The radio's power antennae mast that quit and then started working on it's on.
- The speedometer that never worked and then started working on it's on.
- Finding the intact factory build sheet taped to the underside of the package tray after the original one under the seat was chewed into confetti by mice decades ago.
All of these made me happy and didn't result in extra time or money to fix. And, when it comes to old Lincolns, one must take good luck / miracles / happiness when and where one can find it!

What minor Old Lincoln miracles have you witnessed?

[Dan Szwarc]

Nope. Miracle Crapping is allowed. They're my rules. I make 'em up. :wink

The front brakes on my Lincoln have 5 or 10 miracles every drive. They lock up at one light, then miraculously don't at the next. Sometimes, two or three lights in a row they work!
It does it on its own.

[dralexander]

Great Thread here. I have, and suppose many others have, bought one of these "NEW in Stainless" sending units from our Vendors. Then, realize that the fuel guage reads a QUARTER or a liitle more LOW. On further inspections, I have , and suppose many others have, sent their NEW sending unit in, or gave up, and bought ANOTHER "New in Stainless", and had the same results. A QUARTER Low reading.
Then gave up.
On a further note, when cornering the Vendors on whether THEIR "New In Stainless" made in China by American Indians Unit was any better than the competition, got varying opinions. One being that my Ground was defective. NOT True. The best reply from a Vendor I got after asking about their superior NEW IN STAINLESS unit, was that they made sure it "Worked before Shipping". How do you do that ? Answer: Use a Multi Meter and see if it changes on full and Empty. My Question: What were the readings. Answer: More Empty, and Less when FULL. My reply. Does it read ZERO when it is FULL. Mine Does. Vendor: Well, the sending unit at least shows if you have fuel.........
I can run a Multi Meter. I even Grounded the Tank to the Frame. About 3 NEW in Stainless Sending units have all performed the same.
These Sending units we are able to get now, NEW In Stainless are NOT RIGHT. You cant get ZERO Ohms on a reading on these New Stainless units.
The old Sending units Rust, and fall apart. Before it did, I checked, and the OEM unit would read ZERO.
Maybe this will help us OCD got to get it Right owners, to realize that all is RELATIVE on these New Units. I HATE to say we have to live with it, but unfortunately, my search for OLD not rusted out OEM units is UnObtainable. My thought was to get an old unit, and send it to one of the instrument restoration folks in Hemmings, and have an accurate unit, but so far, I havent been able to solve the problem on my 1958 Continental Mk III.

Dr Greg K Alexander
Houston TX

[dralexander]

Above correction;
Mine Doesn't

[papawayne]

Greg: "New in Stainless" sounds to me a whole lot like "ran when parked". The first Lincoln I looked at was about 30 years ago, probably a 64, and the seller advertised it as "ran when parked". When I got there, the whole front end of the car was twisted sideways, the victim of a terrible crash. The seller should have said, "ran when crashed". Wayne

[mge825y]

Great Thread here. I have, and suppose many others have, bought one of these "NEW in Stainless" sending units from our Vendors. Then, realize that the fuel guage reads a QUARTER or a liitle more LOW. On further inspections, I have , and suppose many others have, sent their NEW sending unit in, or gave up, and bought ANOTHER "New in Stainless", and had the same results. A QUARTER Low reading.
Then gave up.
On a further note, when cornering the Vendors on whether THEIR "New In Stainless" made in China by American Indians Unit was any better than the competition, got varying opinions. One being that my Ground was defective. NOT True. The best reply from a Vendor I got after asking about their superior NEW IN STAINLESS unit, was that they made sure it "Worked before Shipping". How do you do that ? Answer: Use a Multi Meter and see if it changes on full and Empty. My Question: What were the readings. Answer: More Empty, and Less when FULL. My reply. Does it read ZERO when it is FULL. Mine Does. Vendor: Well, the sending unit at least shows if you have fuel.........
I can run a Multi Meter. I even Grounded the Tank to the Frame. About 3 NEW in Stainless Sending units have all performed the same.
These Sending units we are able to get now, NEW In Stainless are NOT RIGHT. You cant get ZERO Ohms on a reading on these New Stainless units.
The old Sending units Rust, and fall apart. Before it did, I checked, and the OEM unit would read ZERO.
Maybe this will help us OCD got to get it Right owners, to realize that all is RELATIVE on these New Units. I HATE to say we have to live with it, but unfortunately, my search for OLD not rusted out OEM units is UnObtainable. My thought was to get an old unit, and send it to one of the instrument restoration folks in Hemmings, and have an accurate unit, but so far, I havent been able to solve the problem on my 1958 Continental Mk III.

Dr Greg K Alexander
Houston TX

Greg - I initiated this thread when I was dealing with my gas gauge issues. The good news for me, is that my fuel gauge works. The bad news is that it doesn’t work as accurately as I would prefer, but it’s better than the alternative of it not working at all. I've learned that with old Lincolns, this is a victory albeit not a perfect one. Or, as you concluded - It's all relative.

When I got my car, it had been sitting for 20 years with gas in the tank. The gas did not age well like wine. So, one of my first tasks was to drop the tank, have it boiled out at the radiator shop, sealed inside and painted outside. I cleaned the metal fuel rail and replaced the rubber portions. I had the carb and 3-port fuel pump rebuilt. The sender was a big fouled-up rusty mess. So, I purchased a new one from one of the Usual Suspects. Over the next several years, I had intermittent problems – it worked or it didn’t. I’d replace the constant instrument voltage regulator, pull the gauge, check the ground at the tank or, the sender for continuity. Sometimes, my fiddling with it worked. Sometimes it didn’t. Didn’t know what it was then or now. But when it started working, I didn’t mess with it anymore.

When I drive it these days, I track the mileage and my fuel purchases very closely. I have figured out that when the gauge moves down and shows that I have a 1/4 tank left, it's really closer to 1/3. Again, it's not perfect, but it's working. I'm sure you are right that the new sending units have flaws and we deserve better, but working and slightly inaccurate (to me) is better than not working at all. Good luck with with your '58 ! If you find a vendor that makes / sells a better mousetrap, let us know.

[Lee]

Great Thread here. I have, and suppose many others have, bought one of these "NEW in Stainless" sending units from our Vendors. Then, realize that the fuel guage reads a QUARTER or a liitle more LOW. On further inspections, I have , and suppose many others have, sent their NEW sending unit in, or gave up, and bought ANOTHER "New in Stainless", and had the same results. A QUARTER Low reading.
Then gave up.
On a further note, when cornering the Vendors on whether THEIR "New In Stainless" made in China by American Indians Unit was any better than the competition, got varying opinions. One being that my Ground was defective. NOT True. The best reply from a Vendor I got after asking about their superior NEW IN STAINLESS unit, was that they made sure it "Worked before Shipping". How do you do that ? Answer: Use a Multi Meter and see if it changes on full and Empty. My Question: What were the readings. Answer: More Empty, and Less when FULL. My reply. Does it read ZERO when it is FULL. Mine Does. Vendor: Well, the sending unit at least shows if you have fuel.........
I can run a Multi Meter. I even Grounded the Tank to the Frame. About 3 NEW in Stainless Sending units have all performed the same.
These Sending units we are able to get now, NEW In Stainless are NOT RIGHT. You cant get ZERO Ohms on a reading on these New Stainless units.
The old Sending units Rust, and fall apart. Before it did, I checked, and the OEM unit would read ZERO.
Maybe this will help us OCD got to get it Right owners, to realize that all is RELATIVE on these New Units. I HATE to say we have to live with it, but unfortunately, my search for OLD not rusted out OEM units is UnObtainable. My thought was to get an old unit, and send it to one of the instrument restoration folks in Hemmings, and have an accurate unit, but so far, I havent been able to solve the problem on my 1958 Continental Mk III.

Dr Greg K Alexander
Houston TX

I do not have exact sender resistance readings for 1958, they are not listed in the manual. However, the same King-Seely style bimetal heated elements, for both temperature and fuel level, combined with a voltage regulator that dropped output to ca. 5 volts was still being used in the late sixties. And by then, the factory manual contained a procedure, which was to substitute a 73 ohm resistor to check calibration at empty, and a 10 ohm resistor to check calibration at full. It would surprise me if that algorithm was changed, but I've been wrong before. What is the stainless units resitance readings at full and empty?

[papawayne]

Over here in our little nest of vintage lincolns, we have learned to stop at the same place at the same time to get gas, never more than 200 miles from the last stop. Checking everything as a group keeps us from "individual think" and attracts gazer attention too. It is sort of fun. GPS and telephones are wonderful replacements for walkie talkies. which we used to use. Unfortunately, one of us is already deceased and we are all off the highway and on the exit ramp. Wayne

[LithiumCobalt]

I’ve got one of these newer units in the box still ready to drop into my Mark III when it finally arrives in a few months. I hope it works. Bought from Classique, which is always a gamble.

[frasern]

Long version; I know I'm not supposed to post truck stuff here, but it may be relevant. Last summer, I tackled a problem with my '84 diesel truck, I removed the rear tank and found it was rusted beyond use, unusual for a diesel, I believe someone had put a used tank from a gas truck in it. And the sender had a leaky, homemade pickup, well, no one sells a correct sender, they all want to sell you a gas sender, which will work, but it does not have the bypass valve or flat pickup, and I was not going to buy a new tank, if I can't get a correct pickup for it.
Well, I took the tank from a '96, same basic thing, but a much larger sender hole, and it uses 12 volts, so not compatible. I modified the early rheostat onto the late sender, reshaped the arm to give full reach without touching, and put it in, it works, however, I am experiencing the same thing posted here, it reads low, more so in the upper 1/3 I think. Same electrical part, so what has changed.
Here is what I am wondering, is the resistance in the later pickup tube, stainless, higher than in the early tube, mild steel? Would this affect the reading more at the upper reaches? If so, could that be the reason these repop senders are reading low, and would adding a ground wire from the rheostat, instead of the flange, help?

Short version; Try adding a jumper from the rheostat to the underside of the ground rivet.

Edit, I may have disproven my own theory, I measured the resistance on a piece of mild steel, and some stainless steel, and really didn't see a difference. Still think it would be interesting to install a jumper and see if anything changes.