how to check oil press gauge, put of car

[c9zz]

ok, i did a search but didnt find what i was looking for. the inst. cluster is off the car, how can i check my oil press gauge to see if it is working? i was under the impression i could ground the sensor wire on the gauge and it would peg? i'm getting nothing.
please
(this is factory '69 gauge cluster)

[bartl]

Is your printed circuit still attached? Locate the power wire that goes to the Instrument Cluster Voltage Regulator. Connect the + side of a 12V battery to that pin. Connect a jumper from the gauge's pin to the - side of the battery. Gauge should go full scale.

[TheRktmn]

The gauges are made to run on 5 VDC (that's why the voltage regulator is on the back of the cluster).
The gauge should go beyond full scale when grounded, read full scale with 10 ohms of resistance and a half a needle width under zero at 73 ohms.
Running 12 VDC through the gauge will release the smoke and then the gauge won't work.

[bartl]

Originally Posted by TheRktmn

The gauges are made to run on 5 VDC (that's why the voltage regulator is on the back of the cluster).
The gauge should go beyond full scale when grounded, read full scale with 10 ohms of resistance and a half a needle width under zero at 73 ohms.
Running 12 VDC through the gauge will release the smoke and then the gauge won't work.

That's why you want to find the feed to the IVR and use it.

[TheRktmn]

Originally Posted by bartl

That's why you want to find the feed to the IVR and use it.

Exactly. But if someone else is reading this and has a gauge out of the cluster and wants to test it they may not realize that the IVR has to be in the circuit to use a 12VDC source.