OhMyTofu

Hey, I just searched through the forum, and couldn't find a topic regarding any gauge issues.
Well, my civic's gas gauge seems to be inaccurate and I don't know what the problem is. It fluctuates a lot of the times, like when it's really at half, it'll be at half, go below half for a while, go back to half and so forth. The gas gauge seems to keep on moving back and forth and it gets really annoying.

And also, I'm driving a stick. I'm not sure, but shouldn't the tachometer read at 0 RPM when you're idle? For some reason, mine is always read at between 0 and 1. Is this normal, or is it just inaccurate? I've been curious about this for a couple weeks now.. someone please advise? :[

fcm

Check the gauge cluster ground(s), your tach should read around 600RPM, [about half way between 0 RPM and 1000 RPM] at idle, once warmed up.

The gas gauge could also be a grounding problem or it could be the gauge or the sending unit in the gas tank.

Start by checking the grounds. 94

OhMyTofu

Turns out that the gauge is fine. I found out that, while on, the idle RPMs SHOULD be half way, like you said, so long as the engine is on [720-800 RPM] is right.

I talked to a guy at an auto place while doing a brake&light inspection, he said it could be the 'float' [sending unit] inside the gas tank isn't reading the meter properly anymore and may need to be replace. I forgot what he said exactly happens to the float. But he said this is just a high possibility of the cause, and isn't for sure.

Grounds? What do you mean?

fcm

If gauge, [tach] is fine, grounding is probably not the issue with the gas gauge, it will be the gauge itself or more likely, as mentioned by your guy, the sending unit, [float] in the gas tank. 94

OhMyTofu

Ahh.. I see.
Do you have any idea on how much it'd cost or how to go about getting this checked out?

fcm

What year Civic? 94

h22ej8

Sorry to hi-jack, any info on where the cluster grounds at?

i'm having an intermittent problem with my cluster freaking out, but it's not always on (functional), or always off (dis functional) while driving.

I've found 4 grounds (under kick panel, behind hood release lever; steering column; center dash support; and behind kick panel next to main relay)

fcm

You would have to Google up something like ground point location, [your MM&Y/trim level]however, I would confirm that it is a grounding issue, [to cluster] because your problem is intermittent, the best/easiest way to test for it is to install a "telltale"...
Connect up a 12V test light so you can see it while driving, one end, [test light ground] to instrument cluster ground lead at cluster harness plug, the other end, [probe] to 12V+.

When intermittent problem occurs, is the test light on or off?

If on, problem is in the cluster, [gauge] or signal to the gauge.
If off, it is a wiring, [grounding problem].
If off, using a jumper lead from chassis ground point to ground lead/terminal in cluster harness plug, would get you the needed ground until a proper fix can be made, if ever.

Without being more specific then, "my cluster freaking out" that is all I can suggest.

With the grounds points you found, "found 4 grounds" did you remove, [undo] them and clean both contact surfaces and then reconnect them, making sure they were tight? 94

h22ej8

FCM, i did clean them and re bolted them to the chassis.

Heres a full description of the issue;


Alright, heres the deal.

I swapped an LS Integra cluster into my ej8 2 years ago, and it's been doing great, no issues ever. Until thursday night.


Thursday night i went to start the car after installing a new clutch master/slave, and doing a valve adjustment. The battery was dead and the ECU main relay lost power (you could hear the 'click' when they'd loose power). No biggy, happens all the time (i have an odessy battery thats 3 years old) so i jumped the car and first time i fired it up nothing on the cluster was working but the battery light would come on then shut off (like normal, on ACC position). So i shut the car off, fired up the truck i was jumping it off of and let it run for 10-15 min then everything was back to normal on my car. (parking brake light was on, check engine light cycled, turn signals work)

Next morning i start it to go to work and back to the same BS that was happening the night before. I pull the cluster out and blow off the connections, check all the wires i can see/feel and make sure all is well. Plug the cluster back in, fire it up and everything works normal. It does fine the 3 miles back to my house from work.

Go to leave later that night and as soon as i get to the end of the block the whole cluster went dead (temp, fuel, rpm, speed, all lights info related ie: check eng, battery, parking brake, oil, turn signals) then as i got onto the highway (had a friend following me setting the pace) the cluster would come/go and TRY to work. The RPM's/speedo would jump up to right about how fast i was going and sit there for a split second then drop back down and either sit at 0 again, or jump between 20-40, etc. etc. It was always random and never between any set RPM/speed range.

I noticed when i'd hit the brakes and start slowing down, and got to around 30mph (decel) the cluster would come back in and work fine. However, acceleration from a stop the cluster would wig out as soon as i revved the motor to start moving. Also, my hazards still work but my turn signals do not always work. And my signals do not come/go around the cluster. Sometimes they'll work when the clusters working, sometimes they work but the clusters not working, and so on. Again, it's also completely random as to when they do/dont work.

So;

I've gone through ALL of the wiring i can get to without pulling the dash out, I've checked all KNOWN grounds (steering column, under kick panel behind hood latch, on center dash support, and by main relay)

I've checked all fuses related to INTERIOR electronics (radio, clock, instrument lights, back up lights, alt fuse, battery fuse etc.) and all look to be OK and are tight within their socket.

The car still runs fine (vtec works, 2step works, etc.) which tells me the ECU is getting all of the information, but the cluster is not receiving the information consistently like it is supposed to.

So i am at a loss, and i need to get this fixed today as the car goes back on the dyno for more tuning tomorrow. Hoping i wont have to pull the dash, and the whole engine bay harness and start going over everything in order to fix this.

FCM, i appreciate your input.


Also, updated from that bit (which i posted on another forum earlier today)

I swapped to a better battery out of my sisters hatch and now the cluster acts normal except for when i shift the car hard (banging gears, etc.)

fcm

Sounds like you are losing cluster ground, either use a telltale or run a jumper ground from the cluster plug ground to chassis ground and see what happens. 94