Alright guys I'll keep the questions coming. My intro thread is in the ENGINE section, where I'm asking about some hard starting issues with my '72 T-Bird. Now I have some electrical issues...
Issue 1: Wipers are weird. I have the intermittent type wipers. They don't work on the 1st speed setting, but work fine of the second setting. The delay part of the ipers (turning the knob to the left), works fine. Why is this? It's kind of annoying having either intermittent wipers or high speed wipers and nothing in between.
Issue 2: Fuel gauge is inaccurate. When I got the car, the gauge didn't work at all. So I removed and cleaned the sending unit, replaced the float, cleaned it's plug, rebuilt the IVR in the dash with a 7805 transistor, and finally got the gauge to read....a quarter low. So I bought a NOS IVR off ebay and installed that. Now the gauge reads...a quarter high. I've read you can adjust the regulator and even the gauge if need be, but I'd just like to know where to start so I can fix this effectively. The gauge now reads that 1/4 tank is empty and I'd really like it to work as it should. So should I start by adjusting the regulator or the gauge?
Fuel gauge issues
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Montana71-F100
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Re: Fuel gauge issues
The IVR affects ALL of your gauges so if your gas gauge is off, they're all off. I would start with it and keep an eye on the rest of the gauges.
The IVR is supposed to be 5 volts. You can check it by connecting a multimeter to the sensor and a ground on the gas tank. An analog meter will pulse to a peak of 5 volts. That's how the IVR works. It turns on and off to average the proper voltage so a 12 volt system works with gauges made for the old 6 volt systems. To get my gas gauge set correctly I ended up cranking it up to 6V. I don't know if that was the right thing to do. I suppose it affected my temp and oil pressure gauges too. I've never adjusted a gas gauge so I can't help you there.
The IVR is supposed to be 5 volts. You can check it by connecting a multimeter to the sensor and a ground on the gas tank. An analog meter will pulse to a peak of 5 volts. That's how the IVR works. It turns on and off to average the proper voltage so a 12 volt system works with gauges made for the old 6 volt systems. To get my gas gauge set correctly I ended up cranking it up to 6V. I don't know if that was the right thing to do. I suppose it affected my temp and oil pressure gauges too. I've never adjusted a gas gauge so I can't help you there.