Abe, I think this is a prime example of fretting over something not needed. You were tinkering with the cluster and now no pressure on the gauge, yet the dip stick is good. Don't drive it if you don't need to but on the other hand don't park it because you are excited about an issue that may not be there at all.

I do like the mechanical gauge idea, but no knocks, dip stick hi, calm down, take a deep breath, drive on.


John

 

Agreed, John. It makes sense that the message is not getting sent to the gauge since I had the cluster out. But since this year cluster has one plug in instead of separate leads to each gauge and the gas and temp and alt gauges work. So to be sure I'll let it sit. Will look at it today after work.

Thanks all for your help.

 

Update:
I took out the gauge cluster Thur evening and double checked the plug with all the wires on the back the cluster. This year truck has the circuit board on it. Put it back in and started the truck. Still no oil pressure showing on the gauge.

Today I got my son to come help me ground out the sending unit. I know I could have done it myself but I couldn't get the alligator clip of my grounding wire to stay on the sending unit. So I clipped the one the end on air deflector (if that is what you call it on these trucks) and showed my son where to hold or attach the other end to the top of the sending unit. I told him I will tell him when to do it. I started the truck and lo and behold the needle on the gauge went right to the middle where it should be! Now maybe because I touched the lead on top of the sending unit to make a better contact or.... prayer does work!

I didn't tell my wife this because as you can see below my wife calls this truck The Old Clunker. She says its one thing after another.... I looked at the price of sending units and the price and labor involved to replace the oil pump. Whew! I dodged that bullet!

Thanks for all your help and advice! I will keep an eye on the gauge and keep my fingers crossed... and thanking God!

 

Brother, you didn't have a thunk, klunk, or anything else Oh Sheet. I learned years ago that it's better to have oil on the stick than numbers on the gauge.

Tighten everything up good and drive.


John

 

Abe, You did not need to start the engine to test the sending unit just attach your ground wire then go just turn on the ign switch with out stating eng. and if good & ground to any part of the vehicle it will pin the gauge at high, and if it was a gas sending unit wire it would go to full.

All with out starting just key on..

All this stuff is out lined in old Motors repair Manuals..
Orich

 

Yes, that makes sense. As it turns out I never did ground it as the needle went right up to the middle of the gauge when I started it this time.

 

abe, I feel your pain when it comes to telling the wife about "the truck needs a new xxxxx. My wife has the same feeling about my truck-Ms. MoneyPit-.She wants me to sell it and get a smaller one. So "we" can drive it around together. I guess that 1 ton with 159 wheel base is a bit intimadating.

 

I tell her I could have bought a newer truck but then we would have a monthly car payment and even newer trucks still money put into them once in a while.

So you have an F-350 too. It must be a flatbed with a 12 foot bed if you have the 159" wheel base. Lets see some pics.

 

I have pictures on the build thread. '69 F350 rebuild- just beginning- I think the last post date was on the 4th (of Feb)

 

Oh, yeah. I remember your truck now. I didn't think it was the 159" wheel base. It doesn't look that long in the pictures. My bed extends pretty far beyond the rear wheels. How is it running?

 

Well Abe, you aren't exactly living in the dry heat of Phoenix but if you were I'd bet on it being the printed circuit board that train referenced. Especially since you were just there. Maybe back there to with age but out here those printed circuit boards would dry out and crack. Right through the solder or copper traces that powered lights and/or a gauge. I'd do the ground test too. If the gauge still don't move then yank the cluster back out and look for a crack in the circuit board around that gauge..

 

I've got it running now, I just need to get the other carb rebuilt and check the brake system.