G'day everyone!
It's been a little while since I've posted or checked u on this forum thanks to uni and work. I've been busy in my rare free time working on a new dash for my clubman, some may have seen these photos before, please forgive me.
Now it's all made up and looking pretty I need to wire all my guages up. the speedo I've got no worries with and everything there works fine. I'm having trouble wiring the fuel and temp guages however. These are genuine smiths gauges I bought off ebay for a good price. I know the wiring is all there in both of them as in my fiddling around i've got the needle to bounce from side to side with 12V added.
I've not been able to get either of them to work once I've wired them up and am not sure how that even is supposed to be done. I know I've got the right sensor wires as I looked at the wiring diagram and the curcuit board from the original 2 pod cluster.
I suspect that there is a spade for 12v, sensor wire from the sender and a ground. however, I'm not sure if this is the case as that doesn't seem to be prevailing. I also tried wiring in the voltage regulator from the original cluster but that hasen't helped either.
Who can tell me which spade terminals do what? Sorry about the pictures and I cannot find a wiring diagram of a guage of this era online


there are 2 spade connctors that are conjoined and one that stands alone on both guages

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-----Better is the enemy of good-----
-1976 Yellow Devil Leyland Clubman-
-1970 Morris Mini Van - Work in progress-

You need a voltage stabiliser, these gauges run on 10 volts.

Doogie

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I won Hay once, here's the pic to prove it..


Hay, it's not about the car, it's not about the venue, it's about the people that come here. Peter Dwyer, Mayor of Hay NSW.

The "sensor" wires will act as the ground and the variable resistance they give is what changes the reading on the meters.

The other connectors will be for power to complete the circuit. The dual connectors will be so you can jump this power between gauges without having to run long feeds for every gauge.

Usually the gauge body will act as a ground for instrument lights - but if using on a wooden dash will have to add an earth wire to somewhere (eg the parcel shelf). I usually run this from the mounting screws.
Hopefully the power to the bulb is self evident.

The gauges may have to run via a voltage stabiliser for accuracy .. but others may be able to clarify / explain that. < Doogie already jumped in...>

Thanks guys for your help so far. Now that I am using the voltage regulator, I'm not getting a resultant 10V. I'm still getting out from the regulator exactly what I am putting in (12.35V). I've tried all the terminals but no luck. should i be using a different type of regulator?

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-----Better is the enemy of good-----
-1976 Yellow Devil Leyland Clubman-
-1970 Morris Mini Van - Work in progress-

What type of regulator/stabiliser are you using? 12v is definitely too much, should be a steady 10v for the gauges.

Does it have an 'I' and/or a 'B' labelled on the regulator? You plug your battery 12v into the B terminal and your gauges into the 'I' 10v terminal

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I wish I had some sort of witty quote in my signature

I'm using the regulator from my 2 pod cluster which is a 76 year model. I have wired the regulator so I've got the battery going into the B terminal and the guages are coming of the I terminal. I still am getting 12.35V from the I terminal. I assume thats the issue then?

If i did use 12V on the gauge, shouldn't that mean the guage shoots to the high end of the sectrum? It does move when I apply 12V to it, but only about a milimeter

_________________
-----Better is the enemy of good-----
-1976 Yellow Devil Leyland Clubman-
-1970 Morris Mini Van - Work in progress-

So in your original post, you said that you got the needle to bounce? Is that with just straight 12v into the gauge? I assume it went high when the 12v was fed to your gauge? does it only moves a mm when it's running through the reg?

To me (and please anyone correct me if I'm wrong) but it sounds like either an incompatible or faulty voltage reg.

You can buy replacement ones from a member on ausmini made for the smiths gauges. send the user 'Wombat' a PM asking about the stabilisers for the smiths gauges. They're like $20 and they give a steady 10v to your gauges


EDIT::: also, is everything grounded/earthed when testing through the regulator?

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I wish I had some sort of witty quote in my signature

Yes I have had the needle bounce to the top on the temp gauge when i had it wred incorectly. the fuel gauge only moves about a mm when i add 12V. Im confident now that its just the voltage is incorrect and my stabiliser is faulty.

_________________
-----Better is the enemy of good-----
-1976 Yellow Devil Leyland Clubman-
-1970 Morris Mini Van - Work in progress-

Neither of these gauges work with a regulator. They work on 12 volts. B for battery T for transmitter.
They both require a sender 83-3 ohms. Not 250-19 used on the post 1964 bimetal gauges.
You can have the clubman fuel sender rewound to suit. The temp senders for these gauges are no longer made. NOS senders are expensive as a consequence.
All others posts are incorrect I'm afraid.

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1960 Morris Mini Minor

Calibration of the gauges should also be checked. It is very easy to move the two nuts on the back which changes the span and points radically.

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1960 Morris Mini Minor

Whew! I've died and gone to Instrument Maker heaven

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"Show me the Mini!"

There are only a few of us left.

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1960 Morris Mini Minor

They did Instrument Trades in Melbourne? Was it part of Uni Entrance exams?

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"Show me the Mini!"

Another quick question. I also have a smiths tacho. Will that require 10V or 12V?

_________________
-----Better is the enemy of good-----
-1976 Yellow Devil Leyland Clubman-
-1970 Morris Mini Van - Work in progress-

Bugger, sorry for the bum steer jpodge!

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I wish I had some sort of witty quote in my signature