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how good are the stock chevy gauges?

84CUCV

84CUCV

3/4 ton status
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anyone know how good the stock chevy gauges are? working on my other k5.. oil gauge says only 20! :( way to test it?? maybe the gauge is shot? way to test? thanks
 
mine only went upto 20, swapped with a guage from another cluster, and it was 60 normal and 45 after it warmed up, real low milage unmolested truck so maybe it has 45lbs of pressure? doesnt burn or leak a drop.


Its easy to swap the gauges out, if you were closer id let you use one for test purposes.
 
I've been told by several people that facotry gauges are basicly idiot lights that move. With the exception of the voltage gauge, I wouldn't put too much faith into them. I mean look at the gas gauges in these trucks (I know part of it is the sending unit problems), how accurate are they. I'd trust a cheap mechanical gauge over the factory electric ones.
 
I like to test them with spares, doesn't even have to be from the same vehicle. For example, I have a fuel gauge from a very early S-10 shoved in the cluster of my '79.

As for accuracy in working condition, it's hit or miss. Some are accurate, some are just close.
 
how would i test the oil pressure? want to sell this need to make sure its good. thanks for the help need to get this done soon
 
Best way is to beg or borrow a mechanical gauge. Unless they are incredibly cheaply made or have been really abused, they are pretty darn accurate.

If the mech. shows good pressure, but you don't want it to go with the truck, you are going to have to show the buyer it running with that gauge hooked up.

There are actually a few people I would trust if I were buying a used truck and they told me that they had checked it with a mech gauge and that it had good pressure, just ignore the dash gauge because it was not right.
But not many......

J.
 
any decent mechanic has at least one mechanical oil pressure gauge in their box... i probably use mine once a month... have a couple in my drawer... you can probably pick up a cheapie at Autozone for $20 or so.. just leave it hooked up so the buyer can see it...
 
I learned a trick from a mechanic one time for testing the temp gauge. Should you be getting no or possible inaccurate readings from your temp gauge, ground the wire connecting to the temp sensor while a buddy watches the gauge. If the gauge tacks all the way to the right, you know that your gauge is good and the problem could be your sensor. If you get nothing, it’s your gauge.
I’m not sure that this will work with the pressure gauge and help you or not…
I’m no mechanic. Good luck.
 
ciffer said:
are there any convenient oil pressure taps on a 350?
Click to expand...

top of the block by distributor hole, right where your stock sending unit may be. I know they are tapped on my 80 camaro, remove square plug (if hole is not currently in use) and then bang, right there.
 
There is also a port right above the oil filter as well, I have my sending unit in down there, and use the port up tops for my turbo oil line.

And to answer your question -- I've always found that the electric gauges are close enough to accurate that I trust them. Every once in a while I get an old truck with a bad gauge in it, but swapping them out is cheap / easy. I know what values are normal, and if the gauges read that, then I am usually fairly confident they are telling me the truth.
 
cardoff_giant said:
I learned a trick from a mechanic one time for testing the temp gauge. Should you be getting no or possible inaccurate readings from your temp gauge, ground the wire connecting to the temp sensor while a buddy watches the gauge. If the gauge tacks all the way to the right, you know that your gauge is good and the problem could be your sensor. If you get nothing, it’s your gauge.
I’m not sure that this will work with the pressure gauge and help you or not…
I’m no mechanic. Good luck.
Click to expand...


I do that on 2nd gen dodge fuel senders to test guages all the time. ground out sending unit wire. fuel guage should full sweep.
 
Yup. Even my 8.1 runs at 25-35 psi at operating temp. Been like that since new and hasn't changed in 75k miles. An old stock SBC 350, 20 psi is good to go. IIRC the old stock oil press guages topped out at 40 or 50 psi and that was redlining the guage.
 
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