fuel guage

hi
i have a problem with the fuel guage on my celebration xjs, its now stuck on full in fact goes beyond full, it doesn't even return to empty even when the ignition is off, the light seems to work okay, i wonder if there is a common problem and before i rip the dashboard out i wonder if there is an easier cure, any help would be greatly appreciated,
love the site incidentally

Hi there,
perhaps by now you will have got the problem sorted, but I have had similar dashboard problems on 3 xjs I have owned. A 1990 3.6 auto, 1985 XJSC, and my current baby a 1985 3.6 manual.
In all instances I have first removed the instrument pod (5 minute job)and then cleaned every single contact at the rear of the pod. Unless you can see any obvious breaks in the circuit and the problem still persists it could be that the tank sender unit is faulty, but more likely than that there is a break that you cannot see, or the microscopic wiring within the gauge itself has broken.
I'm afraid it's a case of trial and error, but I have ended up buying working instrument panels from ebay and swapped odometer etc to make a good dash. They are also very prone to rusting through leaky windscreen seals a very common fault.
It can be a real hassle to sort, but very satisfying when sorted.
Hope this has helped.
Cheers
Richard