Well after a year or so of looking in the local junk yard I finally found an SR5 cluster. Only problem was that after I voided my warrenty, the oil pressure gauge stopped working (Yes I have the right sender). There is a cut in two of the lines in the circuit board that may have something to do with it. Either that or the gauge burned out for no reason. So, my question is is there any way to reconnect the lines? Something like soldering a wire over the break, but not soldering. This stupid thing is becoming way more of a pain than it needed to be, and my stock cluster is broken now.

 

you can solder wires from where the trace attaches to the next place bypassing the break.

Now I do this quite often fixing boards if you can`t solder that good maybe a friend that does.

 

Thanks! I tried some soldering on the old cluster and it was pretty easy actually. Unfortunately, I looked at the wiring diagram on the FSM and there is continuity between the C11 terminal that powers the gauge and the A3 that goes to the sender. FSM says 44 ohms is correct, mine showed 42 then an hour later 5 then the next day 10, I'm not entirely sure on how my multi meter works so my guess is I'm wrong. I always had the right sender in there so I dont think I burned it up. Would I be able to visibly see if the gauge was burnt out?

 

I would look real close at the connection where the sending unit attaches to the wire.

Did it get corroded might not be able to see with the naked eye

These gauges are pretty simple very seldom go bad .

perhaps the sending unit has gone bad. remember the sending unit grounds into the block.

 

I originally had the sender out of the junkyard truck but replaced it when the gauge stopped working, hoping that was the problem... it wasn't. When the gauge went out i "tested" it by touching the terminals to the battery quickly, just long enough to see it go up I didn't let it go all the way up which is how i heard they burn out. Would just touching the terminals to 12v kill it? I figured that it would be fine but...

 

OK well now I'm completely lost...
I decided to try bypassing the wires to the cluster, hooked one to the posotive battery terminal and one to the sender connector. Multimeter shows 12v, hook to the gauge terminals...and... nothing. If I hook strait to the battery, 12v gauge goes up.
I really hate this mod.

 

for the sending unit to work it has to see pressure

as the pressure changes depending how it works the resistance changes then the gauge needle moves up or down.

The do go bad.

I most often put a mechanical gauge in and be done

Did you get the correct sending unit if it is wrong it won`t work

you didn`t do any tape or non conductive thread sealer that the sending unit is not grounding

 

I DID IT!!!
Finally figured out what was wrong. Not burnt gauge, not the sender not the circut board.
When I first swapped the cluster in I didn't have the small little bulbs, and when I filled those in I filled in all the big bulbs with the left overs from my old cluster. There is one bulb on the lower right that is an "oil pressure light'' that cant be seen from the outside, it goes right around the pressure gauge and defeats it.
How has nobody made this mistake before? Everything works now and my sanity has been restored.

 

Glad you found it.

I had never thought of that