I bet I allready know the answer,
but maybe someone else might know a shortcut.
when I drive my 69 the gas gauge needle
bounces around.
when the car is still (not moving)
the gauge is fine.
do I have a bad sending unit?
Gotta drop the Tank? :(

Man, you must be psychic! I was just getting ready to go over to a Corvette forum and ask EXACTLY the same question about the gauge on my 56 Vette! It has just recently started this same thing. Is it the sending unit, the gauge, bad connection, bad ground, anyone got a clue?

Well, isn't the sending unit always moving? Doesn't fuel slosh? Take some readings up near the gage.

If it kind of just moves around a little, that's normal from the float on the sender moving. If it goes to half past full, you have a bad ground on the sending unit wire.

When I say The Needle Dances,It moves more than
just a little. say I have a 1/2 tank of gas,
when idle (no movement).
when cruising,the Needle moves from 1/4
to 3/4,to all different readings!
its like "DANCES" graemlins/clonk.gif
This is not a normal thing.

That sounds like it could be a sending unit problem or a connection on the back of the gauge itself. Check all the connection from the back of the gauge to the sending unit, then if nothing comes of that, I would replace the sending unit.

Check the unit for a good ground. graemlins/beers.gif

Originally posted by al carson:
Check the unit for a good ground. graemlins/beers.gif Not meant to hijack this thread, but we have a 95 lumina that when you get 1/4 way below 1/4 of a tank the car runs out of gas. It has left my mother stranded a few times. When you get to 1/2 tank, good luck knowing how much gas is in the tank because it dances badly. Any ideas?

When you find out what's causing the dancing problem on your car, please let me know! I've got an '82 Caprice with the same problem. The gauge is fine when idling, but the slightest little bump will send the gauge bouncing below empty to past full.

The Lumina problem sounds like a sending unit problem. Does the gauge bounce around at all when you have more than a half tank?

Originally posted by Jonathan:


The Lumina problem sounds like a sending unit problem. Does the gauge bounce around at all when you have more than a half tank? No

My van had a plastic baffle in the tank that came loose that the sending unit would rest on and give a false reading. You may wnat to check if that might be the case with the lumina. Dancing needle no idea as I've got a 78 vette that has done it since I bought it in 84. The guy I bought it from said it did that from day one(he bought it new). Pete

I think it might be a bad sending unit. :(