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has anyone actually had this problem with installing a new gauge cluster?

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Old 09-20-2012, 06:08 AM
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has anyone actually had this problem with installing a new gauge cluster?

my boy bought a gauge cluster because he needed to replace his old one. so we get it and install it and everythings fine, but then the gas gauge plummets down as far as itll go. so we take it back out and check all the connections and tighten screws ect. and it fixes it a little but it works intermittently.

do these gauge clusters really short out this easily? i was told that it shorted out because we didnt disconnect the battery first. i dunno ive never disconnected a battery before just to install a gauge cluster. do these things really short out this easily or is the seller just BSin my friend?
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Old 09-20-2012, 06:18 AM
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Ive never disconnected the battery to pull the gauge cluster and Ive never had a problem
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Old 09-20-2012, 06:46 AM
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ive never done it on ANY car. simple plug and play parts that arent an airbag? why would you disconnect the battery for that?
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Old 09-20-2012, 07:01 AM
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Seller must be BSing cause I've removed my cluster so many times without disconnecting the battery and I've never had any issues.
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Old 09-20-2012, 07:31 AM
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word i told my boy to file a paypal claim
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Old 09-20-2012, 07:48 AM
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Does he have much gas in the car? My old guage cluster used to do this. But it was just when I went around a sharp corner when I had about 1/4 tank left. It would go well past E but then come back up.
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Old 09-20-2012, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by ShocknAwe
Does he have much gas in the car? My old guage cluster used to do this. But it was just when I went around a sharp corner when I had about 1/4 tank left. It would go well past E but then come back up.
hes got a 1/4 tank, but he isnt driving it around. so its not the corner thing. the needle goes all the way down slowly, just like it fills up. and it doesnt just go to empty. it goes ALLLLLLL the way down. but its intermittent seemingly to the gauge cluster connections. as in messing with them makes it come back or go away. definitely wasnt happening with the old gauge cluster.
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Old 09-20-2012, 07:56 AM
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Mine went well past E as well. When the tank is super low it happened to me
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Old 09-20-2012, 08:01 AM
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Originally Posted by ShocknAwe
Does he have much gas in the car? My old guage cluster used to do this. But it was just when I went around a sharp corner when I had about 1/4 tank left. It would go well past E but then come back up.
It moves like that based on the position of the fuel level sender. Take a left turn and watch it rise, take a left and it will drop.
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Old 09-20-2012, 08:44 AM
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Sometimes it went down just going straight lol. It was a crazy guage needless to say but the light would come on the same time regardless. Now I have money and dont have wait to fill up.....awww the old days
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Old 09-20-2012, 08:46 AM
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yeah he probably got a bad cluster. He did get the same year as his own, right? 95/96/97 OR 98/99?
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Old 09-20-2012, 08:58 AM
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Originally Posted by ShocknAwe
Does he have much gas in the car? My old guage cluster used to do this. But it was just when I went around a sharp corner when I had about 1/4 tank left. It would go well past E but then come back up.
mines does the same thing goes up and down but only when its close to E
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Old 09-20-2012, 10:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Amerikaner83
yeah he probably got a bad cluster. He did get the same year as his own, right? 95/96/97 OR 98/99?
yes.

im familiar with the level moving while turning, thats no big deal. even when i ran out of gas my needle never went down half this far.
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Old 09-20-2012, 11:07 AM
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my needle goes down when I drive the car... it starts at the top, and the more i drive the more it goes down

just teasing, GG. Have your buddy get his $$ back, he got a bad cluster bro
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Old 09-20-2012, 11:45 AM
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hear that, luckily he used paypal
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Old 09-20-2012, 04:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Amerikaner83
my needle goes down when I drive the car... it starts at the top, and the more i drive the more it goes down

just teasing, GG. Have your buddy get his $$ back, he got a bad cluster bro
Have you tried putting more gas in it? That should make the needle go back up.
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Old 09-20-2012, 04:40 PM
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Originally Posted by schmellyfart
Have you tried putting more gas in it? That should make the needle go back up.
That's a temporary fix, though. And quite expensive. There's gotta be a better way
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Old 09-20-2012, 05:05 PM
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if you tape the needle to the F then youll never run out....
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Old 09-20-2012, 05:10 PM
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ooh that might work...

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Old 09-20-2012, 05:44 PM
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Originally Posted by ChrisMan287
Seller must be BSing cause I've removed my cluster so many times without disconnecting the battery and I've never had any issues.
Took mine out a couple of times with no problems when putting back in....
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Old 09-21-2012, 08:34 AM
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did you swap the gas gauges to see if it was faulty?

and now the whole cluster is faulty? swap back in the old one to see if it does the same?
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Old 09-21-2012, 11:26 AM
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cant swap back in the old one. he had to do a wire swap he was having center console issues. its all resolved now but this gauge cluster has problems. when i tightened the screws on the back it seemed to help for a minute.
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Old 09-21-2012, 11:48 AM
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i pulled over 100 clusters never once disconnected the battery, they dont short out like this,
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Old 09-21-2012, 11:54 AM
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thanks, thats what i figured. same here.
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