Two instrument problems...help!

[danalyse]

All of a sudden my gas gauge wants to peg itself regardless of fuel in the tank. What should I look at first and beyond. Also my temp gauge was fluttering and now it is stable and only barely getting out of the blue zone. Is it functioning properly and if not what should I look at and/or replace first.

[jlevie]

I assume by "peg" you mean that the gauge indicates full. That would probably be from a shorted sensor or a short in the wiring between the gauge and the sensor(s). The temp gauge problem (which can also be a problem for the fuel gauge) could be a bad connection where the gauge fastens to the PCB in the cluster. Tightening the nut may help, but the real fix is to disassemble the cluster and re-flow solder on the pad. A failing SI board is another possibility as far as the temp gauge is concerned as a a wiring or sensor problem.