Here is another thought or 2.
Is your O2 sensor 3 wire or 4 wire? I am guessing 3. My stuff is all 4, but I do recall seeing a ring with a wire under it for a 3 wire which went off to ground on a car which I was working on. That ground is typically for sensor ground, not the heater. I know that sounds bass ackwards, but that is what I have seen. Heater ground is back through the controller...in your case the gauge.
Two of my cars run Megasquirt. At 10 volts the ECU gets sleepy and the cars wont start.
Here is another experiment. Start your car, then plug in the O2 sensor once already started. Does it keep running?