Steering Column Repair: ignition trouble chevy pickup, tilt column, gauge wires

Question
I have a 1991 Chevy 1500 w/tilt column. I am asking for direction on what to check to diagnose these symptoms- turning ingnition on does not send power to fuel pump anymore,instead the oil press gage maxs' out. (on position only, not turning engine over).
as well as temp gage fluctuating. When ign. is turned off and even key removed, oil gage drops to 40 and stays until ing. is turned on again and pegs the gage. Ignition was replaced 2 yrs prior with no probs until recently. Do I focus on ign. and contacts in the column or what? Thank you very much for your time.    Dustin

Answer
Dustin:
It sounds like you have lost a good ground connection to the body, causing all of these irrational symptoms.  Check the wire going from the negative terminal of the battery to the body, from the engine to the body, and any 12 gauge wires fastened to the metal frame of the dashboard.  If any of these are rusty, broken or missing, repair them.  None of these should have power as they are all ground straps.
You can certainly check the ignition switch with a test light to make sure you're sending  and have power.  All of the orange and red wires should be hot all the time, the brown and pinks should be hot with the key on and the purple or yellow should be hot in the 'start' position only.  If any of these are not correct, let em know & I will guide you to the problem.  the power originates at the starter.  There are fusible link wires there that can cause a 'no power' problem in the column as well.

Good luck
Doug