Dash gas and temperature needle help

[98-EX-Leather]

My gas and temperature needles do not read accurate.

They vary and either one work temporary and vice versa. Sometimes both needles just drop below E for gas and C for the temperature.

My questions are:

- is there something wrong with the cluster? Can i purchase a replacement and it will fix this problem? Will the milage be accurate if i install a new cluster?

- is this a sensor issue? One at the fuel pump end and the other in the temperature end? If so, are these simple fixes?

Thank you in advance for the help.

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[RedRyder]

Mileage is stored in the cluster, but you could still buy a different cluster and swap over the internals so your new cluster reads the same mileage. There is a DIY on that I believe, not too hard.

 

[SupraGuy]

Most likely you have a loose connection, and depending on where that loose connection is, a new cluster may not be very helpful.

Most of these instruments work by supplying voltage, and having a ground through the instrument sender. There is zero chance that your fuel and temperature senders are in the same place, so chances are that the problem is not at the remote end, as there would need to be more than one problem. Assume that it's a single point where the problem is, and you're more likely to find it.

Just looking through the service manual I found on the forums here, and the fuel and coolant temp gauge are side by side in the circuit diagram. They share a power supply and ground connection, and have separate lines to their respective sensors. If it were a problem with power or ground, you'd lose both simultaneously, as well as the tach, speedo and about everything else on the dash as it all shares the same circuit.

Both of the sender circuits go to connector "C" (On the left as you look at the cluster from the top) and both are on the outside half of the connector. (Pins 2 and 11) Other pins in that area are the low fuel light (Pin 1) ABS indicator (pin 10) Right turn indicator (pin 8) the seat belt reminder light (pin 3) and the SRS light (pin 9). Some of these would be difficult to check for intermittent failure, but it's probably worth doing. Also, you probably wouldn't notice an intermittent failure in most of these, unless you have more serious issues and these lights are on more often than they should be.

I'd be willing to bet that if you were to check that the pins on the wiring connectors are good, (Sometimes they do wear and loosen) and that the connector itself is in good condition and plugged in solidly that you would no longer have these problems.