Gauge Problhems

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RAYHAY27

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I recently took on the project of fixing my younger brother's 1999, 2-door, Z71, Chevy Tahoe. I am having a problem with the instrument cluster, and don't know what to do. My little brother bought a used instrument cluster from ebay to replace the old one. The problem with the old one is that the odometer quit working (supposedly snapped cable out while mud riding in woods) and the dealership told him the only way to fix it was to replace the old one. So he replaced it with the one from ebay.

The used on has a few problems and I would greatly appreciate any help anyone has to offer on fixing it. For starters the gas guage vibrates back and forth rapidly. It reads accurately, but it does will not stop vibrating about the point. I think this may be a bad ground or loose connection, but my brother said it did not start until the instrument cluster was replaced.

The second and most important issue is the temperature gauge. When I got the truck the guage set at the 100 degree mark (left most mark), and never moved no matter how long the truck was running. I replaced both temperature sensors and the thermostat. Now the guage goes past 230 degrees (about 3/4 of the way to the right) before I see the thermostat kick in and bring it back to around the 230 degree mark. I have no idea if the truck is overheating or not. The warning lights have come on more than once. I also replaced the thermostat a second time thinking maybe I got a bad one, but the problem has persisted. My brother also told me that the temperature guage sat at 210 degree mark with the previous instrument cluster.

My question is would a new instrument cluster fix these problems or do I have a serious coolant system problem?

Also the new instrument cluster has been installed for almost a year and my brother ran it with the temp guage not working (sitting at the 100 degree mark).
 

clkelley

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Sounds to me like the gas gauge has a bad stepper motor. As for the temp, if you have replaced everything else in the cooling system, and the gauge itself, I would tend to guess that you may have a radiator issue. Whether it is not allowing airflow through it properly from dirt and debris, OR it could be clogged on the inside with rust buildup, etc. Insufficient coolant flow through the radiator can cause those types of symptoms.
 

RAYHAY27

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The radiator was just replaced about a year ago. Is it possible that air in the system could cause this?

I only drained out some of the coolant when replacing the thermostat and sensors. I was in a hurry.
 
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