Gil’s Garage
Gil Baumgartner
CTCI Authenticity Chairman
It is very simple to check the temperature and fuel gauges that have been removed from the instrument cluster. The procedure is the same for 1955, 1956 & 1957 gauges. Use a good 6 Volt lantern battery and hold the terminals of the gauge to the terminals on the battery. It doesn’t make any difference which terminals are used, the gauge or battery can be turned either way. TempGuage1
Hold them until the gauge needle goes full scale from its power off position. It should only take a few seconds. If it does not move or go full scale the gauge is defective. TempGuage2
The gauges can be checked in the vehicle by grounding the yellow wire for the fuel gauge and the white wire with red tracer at the temperature sending unit for the temperature gauge. With the gauge grounded and the ignition switch on the gauge should go full scale. If it does not go full scale check the lead wire to the gauge for continuity. If the lead wire is good and it does not go to full-scale the gauge is bad.
CAUTION- Do not leave the gauge grounded and the ignition on, it can short out the gauge windings and destroy the gauge.
Gil