bench testing

fordman · Post by **fordman** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:34 am

i have some parts i need to bench test. two 71/72 cluster and 5 or 6 fuel senders.

to test the ipvr i just supply 12 volts to the incoming side right? and then test for flashes of 5 volts coming out or atleast flashes of power coming out?

once i get a gauge cluster tested. i can then hook up the sneding units to test by running power straight to the ipvr and then the sender wire right to the gauge properly right? and then grounding my circuts.

Thunderfoot · Post by **Thunderfoot** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:15 am

Yes that should work, just remember that you will have to connect the ground from your 12V source to the instrument panel ground wire and also ground your sending units to this same ground when your checking them out, they will ground through the housing.

fordman · Post by **fordman** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 3:33 am

that is the way i planned to ground them. i was just trying to get my mind clear on how to do it out fo the truck.

so how would i check the other gauges in the panel out of the truck. water oil and alt?

Thunderfoot · Post by **Thunderfoot** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 12:34 pm

To check if the oil and water gauges are working just ground the wire for them and the gauge should go clear past the high mark (same way as the fuel gauge). Let me think a bit on the Alt gauge of a safe way to test it...

fordman · Post by **fordman** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:06 pm

i got to thinking about this and i am not sure. so i wanted to ask. to test the charge gauge. hooking up a dc converter to the gauge incoming and then running a wire between two certain points in the incoming wire. wouldnt that simulate how the charge gauge is hooked up and measure the difference. such as i would run power to the ipvr. and then in two different places in the power line to the ipvr. i would splice in to wires going to the gauge and that would see if the gauge works. does that sound correct?

fordman · Post by **fordman** » Sun Feb 27, 2011 2:28 am

well i hooked it up that way and i got nohting on any cluster i have here. so that didnt work. i guess i need to hook up a battery into the circuit and use the power supply as the alternator. and then i can test it. so it will be hooked up exactly as original.

Thunderfoot · Post by **Thunderfoot** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:58 am

Sorry I didn't get to this like I was planning this weekend... What I was going to try was just using a battery either a 1.5 volt AA, C, D battery or 9 volt battery and just hook both the wires to the battery. If you hook them up one way the needle should move one direction and then swap the wires and it should move the other direction. When testing it I would just quickly touch the second wire and watch the needle to see what it does as I'm not sure how sensitive it will be.

fordman · Post by **fordman** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:17 am

that test does work. i had one cluster that wouldnt work the alt gauge and two that did work using that test. so that told me whihc cluster was the one with the bad alt gauge. now i can get rid of them.

Thunderfoot · Post by **Thunderfoot** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:07 pm

Good deal

I'm curious, how much/far did the needle move and what size battery did you end up using??? it will be good info for a tech article.

fordman · Post by **fordman** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:17 pm

i used a brand new out of the package 9 volt battery. and it would peg it either way as i put the wires on and then swapped the wires from one side to the other side.

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