Tach/temp/oil/volt gauges in a 1985 Olds Cutlass

Maintenance/Repairs
1

Hi all,



My 85 Cutlass Supreme has the “standard” fuel gauge and speedometer and that’s it…



I’ve seen aftermarket tach/temp/oil/voltage gauges at Walmart and other stores that seem pretty standard and universal to install.



Will these aftermarket gauges work on my Cutlass, and are they easy to install?



Thanks,

Jad

2

They’ll work alright and if you install them yourself, it’s cheaper.

Follow the installation instructions that come with them and pre=position them before drilling holes, as you may not be happy the way they look.

Unless you have a REAL power plant under the hood and race (the 1/4 mile) on the TRACK, don’t mount them on top of the dash.

3

You could always check junkyards for a full cluster, then just swap it in. http://www.car-part.com is a good source. On these cars all youll need to do is change the temperature sender on the engine, but youll have to do that anyway even if you add an aftermarket temp gauge. A full cluster may or may not have a tachometer, and the wiring for the tach may or may not be in the car.

4

Thanks for the suggestions. No power plant under the hood here, just a 305, but I would like more information while driving, especially when it comes to temp and stuff like that.

Glad to hear my 1985 will support those gauges. I’ll have to figure out a nice spot for them now.

Thanks again,
Jad

5

It can be a bit of a job to do if you’re going to install them in the instrument cluster to replace the ones that are currently there.
Often these gauges have a mount that can be placed under the dash somewhere and that’s much easier.

Other than that, it’s not difficult.
One thing to watch out for in regard to the oil pressure gauge. The lower end gauge sets use a small nylon hose that must be routed from an oil pressure sending unit T-fitting (included). The hose goes to the oil pressure gauge and you must make sure the hose is not kinked, routed over sharp edges, and allowed to have a little bit of slack to absorb engine torque movement.

The higher end sets will use wiring instead of a nylon hose. This is preferable IMHO, but is more expensive.