Gauge issues. 85 C10

[Zach079xxx]

I've posted on here about my gauges before but no luck, so lets try it again.

Working gauges

1 - Clock
2 - Speedo
3 - Gas (after new sending unit was installed)

NON-Working gauges
1 - Oil pressure ( pegged )
2 - Temperature ( pegged beyond max )
3 - Volt ( Also pegged )

Heres my baby, last week at a car show / parade
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Off topic, but I also made some custom armrest trim too! What you guys think?!

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Guessing its a bad ground, but I have no idea where/how the cluster grounds. Can I add a manual ground, like some sort of wire..? Ever since I've had the truck the gauges haven't worked. I installed a set of mechanical gauges 3 days ago, but I really want my cluster to work. And honestly, if it is a ground, I hate to drive it knowing it could go downhill and burn. What should I look for? What color wire, if it is a wire, is the ground wire? How hard is it to remove the whole cluster without screwing up the speedo cable and all that goodness..

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys.

[natedogg]

Does your oil and temp gauge move at all? If so, I would replace the oil pressure sending unit located next to the distributor. Also, replace the temp sending unit located on driver side cylinder head. I did both and my gauges work correctly now.

[Zach079xxx]

Oil pressure is half way when key is off then pegs once running. My mind is blown.

Originally Posted by natedogg

Does your oil and temp gauge move at all? If so, I would replace the oil pressure sending unit located next to the distributor. Also, replace the temp sending unit located on driver side cylinder head. I did both and my gauges work correctly now.

[motornut]

Hi was it born a gauge truck?
straight Black is usally for ground.
I swapped my 78 over to gauges,I had to move wires in the plug but the main ground joint is about a foot from the cluster plug.
some people swap and don't change the senders.
any recent wiring you know of?

[65standard]

Your truck has a clock?

[Zach079xxx]

It's the original cluster as far as I know. The man said one day they just quit working he thought it was over heating ( pegged temp gauge ). It does have a 96-98 350 crate somewhere in those years he said. Original 305 was weak and old from the person he bought it off of, so he bought a crate around those years above. If its in 97 like he thinks, I would've been 3 turning 4 years old!

Key turned off



Key turned on


Here's my Quartz clock!





Lastly heres my mechanical gauges, oil pressure isn't hooked up because I cannot reach it without removing distributor, vacuum lines are in the way or something, IDK what I'm looking at. My girlfriends dad says thats it.

[Zach079xxx]

Pretty cool! Just found out my truck was built in Oshawa Canada! I'm from Virginia and the story goes a mennonite farmer bought this truck new in 85!

[Zach079xxx]

Any help?

[hatzie]

Temp gauge nailed at the top is usually a shorted sender wire or the wrong sender.

Oil pressure nailed at the top is a cut or unplugged sender wire, the wrong sender, or Teflon tape insulating the sender threads. Try grounding the sender wire. If everything is wired properly it should drive the needle to 0psi.

Volts nailed at the top is??? Check the power and ground splices to the gauge cluster wiring. John (motornut) has posted pictures of these splices several times.

[Zach079xxx]

Tried finding pics can't seem to find em!

How do I remove the cluster? I tried to today & I cannot get the speedo out, feels like I'll break something. And honestly I don't feel like j know what I'm doing lol

Originally Posted by hatzie

Temp gauge nailed at the top is usually a shorted sender wire or the wrong sender.

Oil pressure nailed at the top is a cut or unplugged sender wire, the wrong sender, or Teflon tape insulating the sender threads. Try grounding the sender wire. If everything is wired properly it should drive the needle to 0psi.

Volts nailed at the top is??? Check the power and ground splices to the gauge cluster wiring. John (motornut) has posted pictures of these splices several times.

[motornut]

Originally Posted by Zach079xxx

Tried finding pics can't seem to find em!

How do I remove the cluster? I tried to today & I cannot get the speedo out, feels like I'll break something. And honestly I don't feel like j know what I'm doing lol

here is a pic of the joints,
there are a couple of bolts to take out, holding the white shell in.
It kind of sits behind the lower steel lip,it wiggles out
look up behind and you need to push the speedo clip in towards the cluster,to release the cable.
the cluster plug is back there if you can reach it,other wise you usually can get it when it's out.
and some have a fiber optic cable run from the cluster to the ashtray.

[motornut]

so they did work at one point?
wondered if the donor had idiot lights,maybe didn't change the senders?
any pic of the senders?
does your battery drain down?

[Zach079xxx]

They never worked for me. The man said they just acted up one day and he never bothered with it. But you never know honestly.. Story goes it as an original 305 and he bought a 350 crate. It has to be a ground! If I pull the fuse when the key is off and move the pegs somewhere as soon as I put it back in and turn the key it will go back all the way up. Is the cluster worth taking out? Will I be able to see the problem? I'm 20 years old and this is my first major project. I don't wanna screw it up. I had everything out last night but the speedo cable I couldn't figure it out.

Here's a picture of the sender. Don't judge my oily beauty.

Originally Posted by motornut

so they did work at one point?
wondered if the donor had idiot lights,maybe didn't change the senders?
any pic of the senders?
does your battery drain down?

[motornut]

it's tricky to get the cluster out but once you figure it out, you will know it
IIRC-If I Remember Correctly

some years the choke was wired to the oil sender,for safety.
later FI wired the oil sender to the fuel pump.
wondering if your sender may be feeding.....something

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by Zach079xxx

They never worked for me. The man said they just acted up one day and he never bothered with it. But you never know honestly.. Story goes it as an original 305 and he bought a 350 crate. It has to be a ground! If I pull the fuse when the key is off and move the pegs somewhere as soon as I put it back in and turn the key it will go back all the way up. Is the cluster worth taking out? Will I be able to see the problem? I'm 20 years old and this is my first major project. I don't wanna screw it up. I had everything out last night but the speedo cable I couldn't figure it out.

Here's a picture of the sender. Don't judge my oily beauty.

That's your temp sender. Follow that green wire to the bulkhead plug on the firewall and look for where it was laid on headers or manifold or where the insulation chafed through on a metal part.

[Zach079xxx]

Yeah I know. But thanks I'll check out the wire. You outta see see my oil pressure sender. Mines so hard to get to because the dizzy & vaccum lines

Originally Posted by hatzie

That's your temp sender. Follow that green wire to the bulkhead plug on the firewall and look for where it was laid on headers or manifold or where the insulation chafed through on a metal part.

[motornut]

here is the one i replaced and the ones i used,with these ones the ez way to tell,there is quite a size difference.

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by Zach079xxx

Yeah I know. But thanks I'll check out the wire. You outta see see my oil pressure sender. Mines so hard to get to because the dizzy & vaccum lines

The oil gauge sender is buried just behind the intake manifold on the driver side. GM needed a 1/8npt extension & a 45degree elbow to fit em.

[Zach079xxx]

I'll take a picture tomorrow and show you guys.