98 F-body gauges question

Alex41

Weekend Racer
Nov 4, 2013
84
0
6
Fort Belvoir, VA
I have an 81 Malibu with a 98 Camaro LS1/T56 pull out swap that I purchased from a friend recently. He had some digital cyberdyne gauges in it that didn't really jive with the LS1 set up so he gave me the stock 98 cluster. I've gotten nearly everything figured out except the fuel gauge. It's hooked up to the wire the cyberdyne was and it worked (albeit with some weird number system) but when I wire it to the stock cluster it goes to E immediately. I know I have nearly half a tank of fuel in it.

The great part about this set up is that he had the pigtail from the cluster already labeled for the corresponding wires so hook up was super easy. I re-checked it on LS1 Tech and they are all labeled right.

The question is what OHM rating is the 81 in tank sender? It should be the 0-90 one which is good since the 98 cluster accepts the 0-90 set up. If it is then what do you guys think I need to look at to get it to work?

The fuel sender isn't stuck either since the old gauge counted down in these odd increments of 9 starting with ful, 169, 159, ect.

Thanks. Alex.
 

Alex41

Weekend Racer
Thread starter
Nov 4, 2013
84
0
6
Fort Belvoir, VA
Small update...

I was looking around the passenger kick panel area where the PCM wiring come into the car and found a 3 prong connector that wasn't plugged into anything. It had a grey wire labeled return by the previous owner, purple wire labeled fuel gauge, and a pink wire also labeled fuel gauge.

Knowing GM really doesn't change the wire colors for most of the major items I stepped back and thought a minute. The pink wire takes the signal from the fuel sender and sends it to the PCM. The purple wire is the same color purple as the one on the back of the 98 gauge pigtail that was labeled fuel gauge. This means the purple wire is the returning signal from the PCM to the gauge.

The gauge now moves but the tank was plum full and the needle was only on 1/8th of a tank. After driving around 100mi it has moved to E. This means we are getting somewhere now and it may just need to be calibrated through the PCM to recognize the tank capacity and or ohm rating of the sender.

Any thoughts or arguments ?? Alex.
 

Alex41

Weekend Racer
Thread starter
Nov 4, 2013
84
0
6
Fort Belvoir, VA
No real update on the fuel gauge issue here. The guy helping me tune it hasn't come back by in weeks. I hate having to rely on some one else to do stuff for me. Anyway, here's the pic of the cluster installed in the dash.

Malibu9_zpsd5b7ce09.jpg



This is what it was when I bought the car.

Malibu3_zps4e525bc0.jpg
 

Alex41

Weekend Racer
Thread starter
Nov 4, 2013
84
0
6
Fort Belvoir, VA
I have and there's no drop down the line so it's not grounding out anywhere. I have purchased a temporary fuel gauge and hopped it into the signal wire. That one works GREAT but for what ever reason, the factory cluster isn't "tuned" right. I've heard stories of people needing to use the G van fuel sender tables, any validity from any one in that? Thanks. Alex.
 

Alex41

Weekend Racer
Thread starter
Nov 4, 2013
84
0
6
Fort Belvoir, VA
Holy crap :shock: I don't know. That is a serious mind blowing question right now. I'm going to have to look into that. Thanks for a direction there bud.
 

BAD78BU

Weekend Racer
Feb 13, 2007
63
0
0
Texas
Alex41 said:
No real update on the fuel gauge issue here. The guy helping me tune it hasn't come back by in weeks. I hate having to rely on some one else to do stuff for me. Anyway, here's the pic of the cluster installed in the dash.

Malibu9_zpsd5b7ce09.jpg



This is what it was when I bought the car.

Malibu3_zps4e525bc0.jpg


Did you make the gauge cluster surrounding piece?
 

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