some gauges arent working..

[xsmokey11499x]

my dash lights and gauges have really never worked right since I bought my truck.. My speedo works.. volt gauge works. Gas gauge works somewhat..
But my oil pressure, Temp and My Tach dont work.
my tach is stuck at like 2500 RPM. never moves.. oil pressure never moves.. its about 1/4 way up. temp gauge moves sometimes.... sometimes it goes up a little. then back down

so.. how do i get the tach and other gauges workin?

its an 81 k5.

 

[Z71paramedic]

My guess is they just need replaced. What year truck (sorry if it says)? I imagine if you're talking about an older truck everything is mechanical, so it's probably just a matter of replacing the gauges themselves. If it's newer with electric gauges it could be the gauges or the sending units (water/oil/fuel). Tach sounds bad period.

Depends on how much you want to get into it, but you may be better off just putting a whole new cluster in it. I just put new autometers in mine. Member name 'ion' on here works for classicdash.com and he gives a sweet ck5 discount

 

[xsmokey11499x]

sorry I didnt say..

It's an 81 k5. all mechanical.

 

[Z71paramedic]

yeah, my bet is that the cluster is just shot. You can pull it and check with a multimeter if they're getting signal to be sure.

 

[xsmokey11499x]

thanks..

and I guess my luck with this truck.. It has to be a 81-82 cluster right?

 

[Z71paramedic]

thanks..

and I guess my luck with this truck.. It has to be a 81-82 cluster right?

That I'm not sure on. I'd wait till one of the square body guys can clear that up for you.

 

[dyeager535]

'81 was the last year of the tach, at least as far as I've ever seen proven.

I can't remember what shares what for circuits on the circuit "board" on the back of the cluster, but I'm betting you've got some bad contacts either between the gauges or the cluster connector. I'd suspect the cluster connector itself, since you have more than just one thing not working.

I'll be hard wiring my cluster, along with an actual locking connector, I'm sick of the intermittent operation.

 

[ion]

What has most likely gone out is your printed circuit board. GM did a wonderful job at making them a pain in the ass to work on. I can make you up a dash with auto meter gauges, guaranteed to work 100% better than the stock GM one, and for about half the price of buying new factory gauges and printed circuit boards.

 

[K85 Octane]

the mechanical gauges still use the printed boards?

I was at first thinking the engine ground was bad or something, since all the non-working gauges run to the engine. But mechanical gauge I don't know, never worked with them.

 

[ion]

Yep they did. the gauge itself plugs into a socket that is on the board. The oil line is run all the way to the circuit board and is read there and the gauge is supposed to pick up the signal.

 

[TheBeast_88K5]

What has most likely gone out is your printed circuit board. GM did a wonderful job at making them a pain in the ass to work on. I can make you up a dash with auto meter gauges, guaranteed to work 100% better than the stock GM one, and for about half the price of buying new factory gauges and printed circuit boards.

*cough* I need one for an '88... *cough*

 

[ion]

pm sent to both of you

 

[TheBeast_88K5]

pm sent to both of you

Replied.

Great deal!