87 donor fuel gage replacement HELP???

[Busamike]

Here's my story. I did not build this beauty. So I am backwards engineering her as I go. The 87 Fox donor gas gage reads full always and that helps me, not at all. I have ordered the Autometer Cobra gas gage in 16-158 ohm range. How do I hook it up. I have looked behind the dash and see what they have going on back there and, Wow, comes to mind. Anyway what I need is, can I just remove wire A, from the fox gage, then B, and C, over to the Autometer?? I don't know the colors of the wires, hence my ABC thing I have there. Then there's this anti slosh board?? Basically, how do I do this. I am getting rid of all the donor gages and replacing them all one at a time over the winter. Going to use mechanical oil pressure and water temp., Easy there, But the electric gages, yikes. Basically not just the Fuel gage but can I just move the correct color coded wires from the fox gages one by one to the new gage then throw away the fox stuff. Or... Is this way to simple and must be Stephen Hawking complicated??? I thank you one and all, and Merry Thanksgiving my friends. Mike , Oh 87 fox 5.0, Mk3 Cobra

[michael everson]

All aftermarket gauges need power ground and signal if electric. Also dash light power. As long as you know which wires are which, then yes you could transfer them over. Can I talk you out of the mechanical gauges? Your dash then becomes tethered to you car and you run the possibility of an oil leak in your car. There is really no upside to mechanical gauges.
Mike

[Busamike]

That's the thing, I guess when I get under the dash, gonna be fun 6 ft 3, 230 lbs tucked in that passenger floor, Ill figure it out. But was hoping there were color coded wires that were used from the factory that plugged into the fox gauges. Knowing that, I can just plug and play. I was just hoping for someone who had used the cut up fox gauges and knew how to wire them. I have looked everywhere and can find no answers to my dilemma. And I just have never trusted the electric gauges. I have always run the mech oil pressure and water temp gages in all my cars. I have only had an issue once many years ago with the oil line.. In the car.. all over, in the car. Went to the 1/8 inch copper lines since that fateful day and never had another issue. But also if I went electric Id be in the same boat with trying to figure out the wiring upside down crammed into that small floor. If only I can get some info on how the cut up gages were wired. That's a lot of verbiage there, sorry. Thanks guys, Mike

[Norm B]

Before you start working under the dash check the sending unit at the tank. The fuel level sender on the 87 is the centre connection on the tank. Try disconnecting it and see what the gauge reads. There could also be a short in the wiring or the gauge pod behind the dash and hooking the wires to a new gauge is not going to fix that.

Norm

[Busamike]

Awesome. Thanks so much. So I might be better off just to run new wires and forget about the mustang wiring. Like you said all I need is the ignition hot, ground and the sender wire. Hmm

[Jeff Kleiner]

Pegged on full indicates an open. This can be either in the wires between the sender and gauge or in the sender’s printed circuit grid. Start by checking continuity on the wires.

Jeff

[FFinisher]

Pegged on full indicates an open. This can be either in the wires between the sender and gauge or in the sender’s printed circuit grid. Start by checking continuity on the wires.

Jeff

Yeah, what he said,I would check to make sure it’s plugged in- while you are there, jump across the two posts and see if it pegs to empty