1998 Zest 2 - Fuel Gauge Fault - djw5
Hi, would appreciate some help with my fuel gauge not working on zest 2 1998 model.
Fuse ok, checked wiring block connector onto sender unit and its ok. Can you tell me how to test gauge and sender unit to check which one is faulty please.
many thanks
dave

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 31/12/2007 at 18:35

1998 Zest 2 - Fuel Gauge Fault - Screwloose

How many wires go to the tank unit?
1998 Zest 2 - Fuel Gauge Fault - djw5
Hi,thanks for your reply,its a brown coloured block connector thats numbered 1,2,3,4,5,
1 has a yellow wire
2 has a white wire
3 has no wire to it
4 has yellow wire with green paint blobs on it
5 has green wire with yellow blobs on it

and the wire into number 5 links directly into the same connector as number 4 wire.

hope thsi makes sense

thanks
dave

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 02/01/2008 at 12:36

1998 Zest 2 - Fuel Gauge Fault - Screwloose

Based on that; it looks as though the fuel gauge is the yellow wire on pin 1. The wire on pin 2 should have 121 printed on it somewhere and 4 and 5 should be earths with M121 printed on one of the yellow/green wires.

If it has; briefly earth that yellow wire on pin 1 through a bulb-type testlight [or a sidelight bulb] with the key on and the gauge should rapidly go to full.
1998 Zest 2 - Fuel Gauge Fault - 659FBE
I've been round the loop with one of these. In my case the problem was in the instrument panel. There is a flexi-pc connecting the car's loom to the gauge electronics (it's electronically damped and the WL is switched on voltage level with an "off" delay so it doesn't flash). The track to the fuel gauge plug-in daughter board is torturous with many zero ohm links. These look like resistors with a single black band.

VDO have an unbelievably lousy way of connecting these to the (unplated) track - a bit of folded up metal. This cannot and does not constitute a gas tight crimp.

Use a small hot soldering iron with fluxed tin/lead solder (none of the leadless junk) and solder a link made of thin insulated connecting wire to the two ends of the fuel gauge track. This bypasses about half a dozen of these links.

Before I fixed this fault, the gauge would seldom register above about 1/2 with a full tank but "gained" fuel as the vehicle was used. PSA missed a trick here.

659.
1998 Zest 2 - Fuel Gauge Fault - djw5
Hi 659, many thanks for your response, will try what screwloose suggested first,it looks fairly simple. Might need a bit more help from you and a mate who can solder if its the problem you describe so will see how we progress.
cheers
dave
1998 Zest 2 - Fuel Gauge Fault - djw5
Hi Screwloose, very grateful for info,the wires are identified as you state and i have earthed the yellow wire but no movement on the gauge. Does this now mean the gauge is faulty,if so can you give me test for gauge please.
many thanks
dave
ps i hope its not the fault the other guy is describing,getting a bit technical for me!!!>>
1998 Zest 2 - Fuel Gauge Fault - Screwloose

Unfortunately... that was the test for the gauge and the wiring.

Unless this model also has a coolant temp gauge that isn't working, then it's pod out time and testing the printed circuit for breaks and bad joints.

If you get the wire number off the yellow wire at the tank end, then you can ID that same wire number on to the pod and try the same earthing test there. [Key-on, of course.]