My oil gauge is registering 80 pounds when the motor is off. Could it be the guage or the sending unit? What would you check first?

Thats OK my tach reads 1200 rpm with the key off.
The question is does it read right when it is running?
Steve

what year is the car? What does it read with the switch on, engine not running? If it goes to zero when you turn on the switch, and registers when you start up, you should be fine. Your 69 shouldn't do that though, it's a mechanical gauge.

Dave,
This problem is on my '77. The gauge stays constant on 80 pounds, car on or off. This gauge is not like the one on my '69. This gauge is electrical and either it is the sending unit or the gauge, but how can I check which one? The sending unit would be the easiest to change, but how do you know it is not the gauge. Thanks for your reply and help!

Unplug the wire to the sending unit with the key on and look at the gauge. Then ground the wire, and look at the gauge. One way it should read max, the other way should read 0. If it does that, the sending unit is bad. If it always stays at 80, the gauge or wiring is bad. (reading high all the time the wire could be shorted).

Ken Styer

Ken,
Thanks for the reply. I'll try that tonight.