Did you go 12 volts, if yes you need a reducer, 12 to 6. You also can have the gauges wired reverse. Walt.

Walt, no I have the stock 6v pos. ground system. I'm going to take the instrument panel out today check for reverse wiring & voltage from the voltage regulator to the gauges.

thanks for your input

J

results:
Wires are not crossed. The Instrument Voltage Regulator has 6.3v in & 6.3v out. I understand that it should have 5.7v out so it appears it is a bad IVR. Will try to find a new one & report results

regards

J

J, the voltage readings are what they should be. It's really incorrect to say it puts out 5.7v. What is does, with a "make and break" thermostatic strip, is to briefly but regularly interrupt the voltage supply so as to make the average current what it would be if it were supplying a steady 5v. Ordinarily you don't see the make-and-break supply happening, as the needles are highly damped so they can't move quickly. When you get it working correctly, look closely and you can see a little movement back and forth in the needles.

Here's a pic of the original connections to the regulator. Connect power to the "empty" terminal on the VR.

Park, as you know, I have 12 volts and a Dennis Carpenter voltage regulator. Haven't resolved the gas gage non-reading yet. I guess since I can hardly get up to where the instruments are located. Anyway, would I connect the regulated wire from the 12/6 v thing to the empty terminal as shown above or should it go to the instruments. The temp. gage sender is disconnected. Not even sure there is a IVR on the back since I think I need a bore scope or two phones with Skype on both. Serious on the phones; you can transmit videos from phone to phone with one held in a remote place and the other in front of you !!

[quote="J Lombard" post=12985]I finished wiring & installing the gauges & switches in my '53 Hornet. I turned the key & the old girl came to life on the first try!!!!!!!! Now for some problems. the fuel & temp gauges just stay to the right of the gauge & don't move. Any thoughts????

J

I just finished a long answer and it didn't post 😆

Your 53 gauges stay to the right when the car is off, or do they go all the way to the right whem you turn the key? I believe they should rest to the left. Try removing the wires from the sending units and check for voltage and see if your gauges go to the left. The gauges will go all the way to the right if there is a grounded wire. Maybe the wires are reversed?

[quote="Richard Dryman" post=13010]Park, as you know, I have 12 volts and a Dennis Carpenter voltage regulator. Haven't resolved the gas gage non-reading yet. I guess since I can hardly get up to where the instruments are located. Anyway, would I connect the regulated wire from the 12/6 v thing to the empty terminal as shown above or should it go to the instruments. The temp. gage sender is disconnected. Not even sure there is a IVR on the back since I think I need a bore scope or two phones with Skype on both. Serious on the phones; you can transmit videos from phone to phone with one held in a remote place and the other in front of you !!
Richard, there is a bit too much info missing for me to generate an answer. One thing I do notice is that Carpenter IVR you have isn't the one needed. They list it for the older cars, up to the end of the 6v era. You need one that's for the early 12v Fords, starting with the '56s. In their current on-line catalog I'm not seeing one of those. Previously they were showing a solid-state electronic unit that took 12v in and put out a regulated 5v. That's the one I've recommended in my 12v conversion notes, but now it seems not to be listed. I 'll try to sort that out with them this week.

Any update on your problem?

Eddie

Just got back from fishing trip to Idaho & dropping my stainless off to Rick Monroe. I have a few honey - do chores to get caught up on then I can get back to my instrument problem. Will let you know.

regards

J

Think my problem is basically the same problem. SO, been slowly trying to go thru my gage problem also ('53 Hornet); same reading when key is on; when sender wire is disconnected; or when sender wire is grounded; and the reading is Not what the tank contains. The new IVR Park found does give 5.07 volts so that is correct. The thing I am curious about is that both gages also go to the top(right-full) when the ignition is off. Have heard that the gage should be on empty when ignition is off. Some say maybe panel is upside down--comment? The instrument panel is a bear to get to ( I am still sore from installing the IVR for 12 volts to 5 volts) therefore, it is really necessary to analyse as much as possible before getting upside down, taking tank sender out, etc; difficult to even take voltage readings. I need comments from those who have gone down this road and so do others. Eddie, you see that my sender wire has no effect. but I am going to disconnect the wire AT the gage and check. Thanks guys.

OK guys, I haven't fooled around with these things in about 20 years so I could be mistaken. On my 50 C8 the needles hang down and rest in the off position to the right. When you turn the key on the needle shows how much fuel is in the tank. The temp stays to the left until the car warms up. On my 51 C6 and 54 H the needles are at the bottom of the gauge and rest in the far left position with the car off. When you turn the key on you can read the fuel and when warm, the temperature.

With the wire disconnect at the tank and the key off, there show be no voltage on the wire and the needle should rest to the left. When you turn the key you should get voltage on the wire. If you ground the wire with the key on, the needle should go all the way to the right. Now that's what's supposed to happen.

Since that's not happening, take a VOM and check for a ground on the wire with the key off. If you see one the you have to track it down. Since you have 2 problems it could be that 2 wires are crushed under the dash someplace since one wire goes to the rear and the other goes to the front. If you don't see a ground then turn the key on and you should see voltage (make sure your meter lead is grounded properly. If you don't see voltage then you have and open in the wire going back to the gauge. You could have 2 wires that are crushed and have an open going to the senders and a ground going to the gauges.

The next part is the hard part. Disconnect the wires at the gauges and check for continuity. (opens and grounds) With the wires disconnected at the gauges they should read to the left. If they don't, then try tapping the gauges with something, you might have pinned the needles when you were fooling around and they got jammed. It might even be possible that the fuel wire is going to the temp and the other way round.

It's strange that both of you are having the same problem with the same year car.

Good Luck guys and keep posting.

Eddie:
I am most embarrassed to answer your question but I guess I owe it to anyone following this thread to 'fes up to the problem. So here, reluctantly, is the answer. Some months ago I purchases a replacement glass front cover for the fuel/temp gauge. I replaced the old glass cover with the new one & put the gauges back into the chrome instrument cluster. When I saw Park Waldrop's picture of the instrument voltage regulator I noticed mine was upside down from his. So I took the instrument gauges out, turned the glass cover over, replaced the gauges back into the chrome instrument cluster & now the needles sit to the left of the gauges as they should with the ignition switched off. I'm sorry for the trouble anyone went to to solve this problem that really wasn't a problem.

regards to all

J Lombard

I haven't got under my dash to turn my gages the correct way yet; thinking of taking the seat out first. The people who put the dash back together also got the gages upside down. The temp gage is wired to be the fuel level and fuel gage wired to be the temp. I put my camera up there and took a photo of the back and it was obvious to the 'ole Hudson timers' that it weren't right. The correct back orientation is as per Park's photo. SO: I need to remove the two phillip head screws and flip it; easier said than accomplished.

BUT, an still confused on this. If I flip the gage part{containing both gages} around and install so gages won't be upside down, won't the gages be connected at the top and the end of the needles be at the bottom ??????? That doesn't seem right ?????
photos of gages

1st: with key turned off

2nd: Park's orientation

3rd: My gages from the back {I did NOT do the plastic terminals-so refrain.}

Gauge needles pivot from the top, not the bottom.