gas gauge problems

[Gene Zick]

I put 5 gal of ethanol in my 57. She bucked and bronked like a wild stallion. I drained the tank and put premium in it. I had just replaced the float in the tank. Now my gauge is not working again. Does anyone know if have to remove the steering wheel to remove the instrument cluster to install a new gas gauge? Achevrolet mechanic said yes. hELP!

[reborn55]

First, pull the steering wheel off and remove the lower cover from under the cluster and remove the lower cover bracket. If it is an automatic, disconnect the shift indicator wire by unhooking it from the right side of the steering column. Reach behind the cluster and unscrew the speedometer cable from the speedo. You should also be able to pull out all the wire connectors from the gauges and the light bulb sockets from the back of the cluster, or you could do it later when you are able to pull the cluster out enough to reach behind it.

Then you have 2 choices: 1)You can unscrew the 3 screws in the turn signal housing and pull the turn signal housing up. This reveals the locking ring the screws were screwed to. So rotate and release the locking ring from the notches in the top of the column tube. Remove the shifter lever and pull the shifter housing up so that it clears the cluster housing. Watch your turn signal and horn wires, since you may have to loosen them to have some slack when you pull up on the turn signal housing.
Or 2) You could loosen the clamp on the firewall from the steering column, and the clamp that holds the column to the bottom of the dash and slide the entire column up enough to clear the bottom of the cluster housing.

Then remove the 4 screws holding the cluster housing to the dash, 2 on top and 2 under each side. There should be 2 nuts to remove from behind the cluster on the bottom. They would be on the 2 long threaded studs that are visible when looking up underneath the cluster.

Pull the cluster away from the dash tilting the top towards you. Pull it out enough to reach behind it, if you didn't pull all the wire plugs and sockets from the back of the cluster before, you can do that now. Otherwise lift the cluster out of the dash.

This was taken from post at chevy Talk