Smiths Classic Gauges Fuel And Temp

[Guest Jonnyround2003]

Both my gauges don't read correctly in tried everything fitted a voltage stabiliser gauges don't work with 12 v going to them brought a gauge to sender matcher made no difference tried earthing the gauges no difference the only thing I noticed is the ohms readings off both of them jump around any ideas anyone

[Guest grimbo]

Bad ground or something is lose, the resistance (Ohms) can very a lot with heat, damp and rust. Miss matched wire sizes ect the list is endless

[Big Jim]

You'll struggle to get the Ford fuel sender to match the Smiths clock anything like, the best that I've got is when it's full to the brim, the gauge reads 3/4, but it reads empty when it should. I did this by bending the wire arm so that when it was very near to the bottom of the tank, the gauge read empty

The temp gauge MUST have the Smiths temp sender to match it. The gauge needs a stabilized 12v to one side, then the other side goes to the sender, this I've had no problems with once I had the correct sensor.

Check your wire joints, if you've got any of those blue squeeze on connects, junk them immediately, solder & heat shrink. I also don't like the crimp-on connects, mine was built with these bloody things, and they've given me no end of problems when I put it back on the road recently. I must have cut dozens out and made proper joints!

[Guest Jonnyround2003]

Thanks big Jim which sensor do have yours connected to I have two sensors on my car also a weird thing happened to me after tunning the car for a bit I diconnected the sensors and the gauge still kept rising ?

[Big Jim]

Which gauge are you talking about?

If it's the temp gauge, I rewired the whole dash as per Haynes shows as a unit, but using all separate gauges. I can't give you the wire colours as you haven't got the crappy sierra loom which mine is.

If you have a reading on the gauge when it's not connected to the sender, then you have that side of the clock going to ground somewhere, take -ive the wire off the gauge and just run a temp wire to the sender. (MUST be a Smiths sender to get the correct reading)

 

Only one sensor is for the gauge, there is one for the cooling fan, and possibly one for oil temp or/and pressure. (I know where each is on the Pinto, but not on your engine)

[Guest Jonnyround2003]

Yes fuel and temp guages mine are separate yours must be the Sierra ones then . I'm buying new gauges with sensor sensors now think this is the only way to sort it

[fry61]

Have you sorted the fan yet, is it pulling or pushing air through the radiator??

[Guest Jonnyround2003]

Yes fans fine pulling air through its my gauge reading incorrectly and the sender now reading the correct temperature bringing the fan on to early

[Big Jim]

Yes fuel and temp guages mine are separate yours must be the Sierra ones then . I'm buying new gauges with sensor sensors now think this is the only way to sort it

NO, Mine was built with the standard sierra dash, but I remade the dash using Smiths clocks all round. Wired them up myself by following the Haynes wiring dia, and apart from having to get a genuine smiths temp sender, and adjusting the arm on the tank fuel sender, I've had no problems.

[Guest Jonnyround2003]

Did you use the genuine ford fuel sender big Jim and did you use the stabaliser

[Big Jim]

The Ford sender works ok, but I did modify the arm to give me the best reading possible, as I said before, it's not completely correct, as it only shows 3/4 when the tank is full, but it is correct showing empty when it is near enough empty.

 

How I set it, I removed it from the tank, make a basic 2 level wooden jig so that when it was sat on the top, the bottom was the same measurement as the depth of the tank, with it connected via a couple of extra pieces of wire, I bent the float wire until I got the best that I could. then refit it to the tank, It works Ok