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Fuel gauge ??

IGOCOMMANDO

IGOCOMMANDO

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Idaho
I just did a gauge cluster swap on my '88 Comanche. The original cluster had gauges, not idiot lights. Just didn't have a tach. I got a cluster from an '87 Cherokee with gauges and a tach. Eveything works fine except the fuel gauge. The replacement gauge reads 1/2 tank when I fill it up. My question is: do the XJ's and MJ's use different gauges? Thanks.
 
Just a guess but my YJ would do that, just in the opposite direction, it would be empty at 1/2 tank. The solution might be the same though, mine turned out to be dirty contact strips at the cluster. A little pencil eraser scrubbing of the contact strip and contact spray cured the problem.
I doubt there is any difference in the clusters between an 87 XJ and an 88 MJ, but heck anything is possible. I don't have an 87 parts disc to check, it jumps from 86 to 88.
 
Sending unit should be 1 ohm at empty, 44 ohms 1/2, and 88 ohms full.

No difference in XJ/MJ that I know of.

There might be an adjustment on the back of the gauge. fill the tank, test for 88 ohms from sending unit, adjust gauge to full?
 
i just did a dash cluster swap on my 87 mj 5 spd it just had a spedo and very big fuel guage and idiot lights i took a cluster out of a 88 mj with an automatic and it had all the guages the only ones that work right is the spedo, tach and voltage guage the oil and fuel are peged way over what they should be and the temp doesnt register at all and i have no dash lights any sugestions
 
Igocommando - I'm interested in this because I have the same thing; an 87 XJ with full gauges, except I have the goofy big fuel gauge where the tach should be. I also have a gauge cluster from an 88 XJ with all the right gauges, including a tach, but was afraid of burning something out. (I read in P4WOR that they did a gauge cluster swap and fried the fuel gauge; but it was between an 88 and a 94 cluster package.)

Thor - From what I've read, the temperature & oil pressure sending units need to be swapped out. There's two different sending units, one is for the idiot lights, and the other is for a gauge. Wish I had part #'s for you, but I don't. The reason the speedo is working (I think) is because it's cable-driven. I don't know why your fuel gauge and dash lights aren't working.

:)
 
Search.. and you will find it. There are easily a few threads on the sending unit swap.
 
XJPhoenix said:
Igocommando - I'm interested in this because I have the same thing; an 87 XJ with full gauges, except I have the goofy big fuel gauge where the tach should be. I also have a gauge cluster from an 88 XJ with all the right gauges, including a tach, but was afraid of burning something out. (I read in P4WOR that they did a gauge cluster swap and fried the fuel gauge; but it was between an 88 and a 94 cluster package.) :)
Click to expand...

Kinda wierd. After the 3 fill ups, it started working better. It now reads 7/8 when I fill the tank. That's the same thing my '92 XJ does. All my gauges work now. As long as you are swapping the gauge to gauge cluster, everything should be good.
 
thor42 said:
i just did a dash cluster swap on my 87 mj 5 spd it just had a spedo and very big fuel guage and idiot lights i took a cluster out of a 88 mj with an automatic and it had all the guages the only ones that work right is the spedo, tach and voltage guage the oil and fuel are peged way over what they should be and the temp doesnt register at all and i have no dash lights any sugestions
Click to expand...
You have to swap the oil/temp sending units to work. Did you verify the bulbs in the swapped in dash are good?
 
IGOCOMMANDO said:
Kinda wierd. After the 3 fill ups, it started working better. It now reads 7/8 when I fill the tank. That's the same thing my '92 XJ does.
Click to expand...
Same swap into an '89 XJ and mine never reads over 7/8 full either. Not sure why. Mileage to 1/4 tank (usually my fill up point) is the same, but the gauge never goes any higher. Even with a few extra 'top off' squeezes on the pump.
 
im not too worried about oil and temp right now but mainly just my fuel guage i read in another thread that the fuel guage can be adjustable but i have no idea how to do that (if its even possible) and my bulbs are good and i do have a mecanical spedo i was just throwing everything out their that worked and didnt. i am heading to the junkyard tomarrow maybe ill try to find a headlight/dimmer switch to swap for my dash light problem and im going to look around for the oil/temp sending units. but anyway does anyone have an answer for the fuel guage
 
is there an adjustment on the fuel gauge? I fill mine up and it only reads half. Not sure if there is a mech adjustment or if it reads off pressure. Any help?:twak:
 
No adjustment in the sender, it is just a variable resistor.
 
89RockHeep said:
think its possible i could have bent the arm the floats attached to? fuel pump has been in and out about 4 times in the last 3 months
Click to expand...

That could do it, but I would check the ohm reading from the sender with a full tank, the gauge should read full at 88 ohm, assuming you have an 89 xj/mj.
 
I just filled up my Jeep (97 4.0 Auto) for the first time and the gauge only went to slightly below 7/8th. I put alittle over 13 gallons in the tank (haynes says the tank holds 13.5 gallons). I replaced the idiot cluster with a full cluster from another 97 XJ.

Has anyone found a resolution to this?
 
dagr8tim said:
I just filled up my Jeep (97 4.0 Auto) for the first time and the gauge only went to slightly below 7/8th. I put alittle over 13 gallons in the tank (haynes says the tank holds 13.5 gallons). I replaced the idiot cluster with a full cluster from another 97 XJ.

Has anyone found a resolution to this?
Click to expand...

I believe you have a 20 gallon tank, the 13 gallon tanks are in the MJ trucks, or so I have been told.

Changing the cluster shouldn't make a difference, unless the gauge is slightly out of whack, and I don't think it is adjustable.

You can test the ohm value of the fuel sender, I don't have the correct values for a 97, do a search they are posted here on another thread.

Also, there is a mod to the fuel tank vent that some do to allow up to 25 gallons in the 20 gallon tank, but in warm weather you have to leave the fuel level a little low unless you are going to drive quite a distance after fueling or there will be excessive fuel coming out from heat expansion. Do a search here for the tank mod.
 
joe_peters said:
I believe you have a 20 gallon tank, the 13 gallon tanks are in the MJ trucks, or so I have been told.

Changing the cluster shouldn't make a difference, unless the gauge is slightly out of whack, and I don't think it is adjustable.

You can test the ohm value of the fuel sender, I don't have the correct values for a 97, do a search they are posted here on another thread.

Also, there is a mod to the fuel tank vent that some do to allow up to 25 gallons in the 20 gallon tank, but in warm weather you have to leave the fuel level a little low unless you are going to drive quite a distance after fueling or there will be excessive fuel coming out from heat expansion. Do a search here for the tank mod.
Click to expand...

Hmmm......My Grand Marquis does something similar in the summer time. You have to pull the nozzle halfway out to fill it up. On the Grand Marquis, it's a vent issue. I wonder if Jeeps suffer from the same issue. I'll have to try that the next time I fill up.
 
In earlier years the XJ's had a standard smaller tank, and the 20 gal was optional. After a certain year (early 90s) they all had 20gal tanks.
 
Johnnie Walker said:
In earlier years the XJ's had a standard smaller tank, and the 20 gal was optional. After a certain year (early 90s) they all had 20gal tanks.
Click to expand...

Sounds reasonable to me! :roll:
 
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