CJ Fuel Gauge Wiring

[abologist]

Hello All,

I have a 81 CJ-7 that has some wiring issues to say the least. I'm trying to get my fuel gauge to work. I'm looking at a wiring diagram from Chilton's Manual and it looks like you bring a red wire to supply the power to the gauge. My question is....the red wires under the dash are always hot (w ignition on or off) does that sound right?

Any Help would be much appreciated
Marc

[Will_M]

Depends on how badly the prvious owner(s) screwed with the wiring.

Best thing you can get is a multimeter and measure the voltage off the wire you want to use.

On a side note, why would you want a constant on circuit to power a gauge that is only really needed when the vehicle is running? Look for a wire that is only on with the ignition on. That will save battery power when you really need it.

[lowdown]

You only want to feed the gauge power when the ignition is on like Will suggested. Red wires are generally power feeds (+12v) while blacks are generally grounds (to the frame and/or body). I'm not familiar with how Jeeps are wired, but there should be a primary power feed for each of your in-dash gauges..like volt meter, water temperature, oil pressure, etc. The original power feed for the fuel gauge should stem from that same feed. And no, this primary feed should not be constantly hot (constantly supplying voltage), other wise the gauges would be constantly on, not just on with the ignition.

Where are you located?

[timberwolf]

try this... it helped me out

http://www.jeeptech.com/electrical/gauges/

also try and search

www.cjoffroad.com

theres a few good threads and linkd to articles in there too