Aftermarket gauge questions?
07-14-13, 05:51 PM
#1
Aftermarket gauge questions?
I have an AEM oil temp gauge and got the RP oil adapter, but I was looking for advice:
1) Where to route wiring through the firewall. I really don't see any place on the driver's side - Any advice?
2) Is connecting to cigarette lighter a good place for power.
3) Instructions say connect to cluster for dimmer control How do I do this? I really don't see any place.
1) Where to route wiring through the firewall. I really don't see any place on the driver's side - Any advice?
2) Is connecting to cigarette lighter a good place for power.
3) Instructions say connect to cluster for dimmer control How do I do this? I really don't see any place.
07-14-13, 08:05 PM
#2
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1. you can probably route the wires through the hole where the engine harness goes into the firewall on the passenger side, route it through the actual driver door opening, or run it with the body harness that goes to the light controls and body ecus.
2and3.i think the cig lighter might still have current going to it when the key is off. usually the best place to get power for gauges is something that only has power when the key is in the on/run position so it doesnt drain your battery. you can just run the power from the same wire that gives power to the gauge cluster or just tap power directly from the ignition switch wires.
2and3.i think the cig lighter might still have current going to it when the key is off. usually the best place to get power for gauges is something that only has power when the key is in the on/run position so it doesnt drain your battery. you can just run the power from the same wire that gives power to the gauge cluster or just tap power directly from the ignition switch wires.
07-15-13, 03:54 AM
#4
Related...
I was told I could draw gauge power from the stock cluster's harness, but I can't for the life of me figure out which pins are which, and would be suitable... In my case I'm going to be running 3x Prosport 45mm Ambers in an always lit while on config..
The alternative I read was to wire in a relay for just the gauges [such as: http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-PAIR-12-VOLT-PREMIUM-SPDT-RELAYS-SOCKETS-CAR-ALARM-40-AMP-40A-12V-AUTOMOTIVE-/350823467240?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51aeb548e8 ]
But it feels kind of silly to offer 30A of current for just some gauges... I know they'll only draw what they need, and the relays are super cheap, but is that really the best way?
Also, as far as power/sensor wires being pushed through, my search earlier today suggested the speedo cable hole, but I'm not sure how much room it provides [in my case I need 7 very small wires with connectors to pass through, plus power if necessary]
I was told I could draw gauge power from the stock cluster's harness, but I can't for the life of me figure out which pins are which, and would be suitable... In my case I'm going to be running 3x Prosport 45mm Ambers in an always lit while on config..
The alternative I read was to wire in a relay for just the gauges [such as: http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-PAIR-12-VOLT-PREMIUM-SPDT-RELAYS-SOCKETS-CAR-ALARM-40-AMP-40A-12V-AUTOMOTIVE-/350823467240?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51aeb548e8 ]
But it feels kind of silly to offer 30A of current for just some gauges... I know they'll only draw what they need, and the relays are super cheap, but is that really the best way?
Also, as far as power/sensor wires being pushed through, my search earlier today suggested the speedo cable hole, but I'm not sure how much room it provides [in my case I need 7 very small wires with connectors to pass through, plus power if necessary]
07-15-13, 05:30 PM
#5
My gauge calls for a 5amp fuse. Hard to believe a relay would be needed. I'm not sure what you are referring to regarding the cluster harness.
I saw the speedo cable pass-through but really don't want to pursue that path. But maybe I will. Unfortunately, I won't have time this week to install anything.
I saw the speedo cable pass-through but really don't want to pursue that path. But maybe I will. Unfortunately, I won't have time this week to install anything.
07-15-13, 06:05 PM
#6
Speedo cable grommet is your best bet...it's only inches from your sensor location and puts the wires right where they need to be behind the cluster. Plus, it's easier to fish wires through than the main harness grommet.
Why do you have so many wires to push through the grommet?
Typically, I'd expect only one wire from each gauge to need passthrough to the engine bay.
Power and regulated lighting (post-dimmer) are both available from the harness that plugs into the stock cluster.
Why do you have so many wires to push through the grommet?
Typically, I'd expect only one wire from each gauge to need passthrough to the engine bay.
Power and regulated lighting (post-dimmer) are both available from the harness that plugs into the stock cluster.
07-15-13, 08:47 PM
#7
[Sorry for hijacking!]
The Prosports run 2 wires for the water temp, 2 for oil pressure, and 3 for boost/vacuum.. Plus I need to source power for them [I can't remember who, but someone said to just tap their power into the stock cluster harness.. But I must be terrible at reading that diagram because I can't figure out a good source to draw + from..]
The Prosports run 2 wires for the water temp, 2 for oil pressure, and 3 for boost/vacuum.. Plus I need to source power for them [I can't remember who, but someone said to just tap their power into the stock cluster harness.. But I must be terrible at reading that diagram because I can't figure out a good source to draw + from..]
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07-15-13, 10:31 PM
#8
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Tap the power off the ignition switch.
Get the illumination off the ashtray light in the console.(or lighter light).
The gauge wires can go through the passenger side grommet at the firewall and the boost sensor can be mounted on the firewall.
I extended the sensor wires to accommodate the run to the oil and water.
With the Prosport gauges,I just paired the illumination and 12 volt wires(so you can't adjust it with your interior lighting) and grabbed power off a switch.The gauge starts red and then goes blue when in use.
Get the illumination off the ashtray light in the console.(or lighter light).
The gauge wires can go through the passenger side grommet at the firewall and the boost sensor can be mounted on the firewall.
I extended the sensor wires to accommodate the run to the oil and water.
With the Prosport gauges,I just paired the illumination and 12 volt wires(so you can't adjust it with your interior lighting) and grabbed power off a switch.The gauge starts red and then goes blue when in use.
07-16-13, 12:35 PM
#9
pull the trailing coil and main relay, take a phillips screwdriver and stab a hole in the emissions harness boot in the corner and run a thick wire through the hole. tie the thick wire to each of the plugs and pull them through the firewall. reassemble and done.
the cigar lighter is ok but ideally for accessories eventually it's a good idea to fuse a 12gauge battery wire and run it into the cockpit and install a new power junction block for accessories. the stock harness power supplies are already cluttered and adding more loads to the already taxed system isn't a great idea.
it's usually best to attach the gauge backlights to the parking lights versus the dimmer.
the cigar lighter is ok but ideally for accessories eventually it's a good idea to fuse a 12gauge battery wire and run it into the cockpit and install a new power junction block for accessories. the stock harness power supplies are already cluttered and adding more loads to the already taxed system isn't a great idea.
it's usually best to attach the gauge backlights to the parking lights versus the dimmer.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 07-16-13 at 12:38 PM.
07-18-13, 08:07 AM
#10
Thanks for the good info. I was trying to figure out where to put the gauge so I can see it without looking ricer. Anyone have an ideal location you can see while driving other than the pillar, steering column or top of dash? I thought the lower dash panel was perfect but it looks like that is a bad idea because its blocked by the steering wheel.
07-18-13, 12:30 PM
#12
I have my gauges tapped into the radio harness, you can get switched and 12v constant there. from there I run a wire under the dash over to my A pillar gauge pod. All wires run through the drivers side harness grommet, as well as the mechanical boost gauge hose.
07-18-13, 12:37 PM
#13
Nearly every wire except the appropriate signal wires can be found in the Gauge Cluster Subharness. If your gauges are mounted anywhere near the cluster, this will work out quite well. What I did for my boost & air/fuel gauges was splice into the subharness's main power, ground and illumination wires, then route the 3rd wire from each circuit off to a 3rd connector. It's the gray Delphi Metripack connector pictured here:
From there, I strung a 4-conductor cable through the dash down to the ECU and spliced into the proper signal wires (with another suitable Metripack connector, of course) for the Map sensor, O2 Sensor (Wideband in my case), Coolant Temperature and AVI #1 (for Oil Pressure).
From the Gauge Expansion Connector, you can run power, ground and illumination to each gauge. Coinciding with RotaryEvolution's advice, I did a simulation test using my bench power supply on the Harbor Freight Boost and Innovate LC1 Wideband gauges in regard to the illumination circuits. A Constant Power Illumination (Red/Blue wire in S4 cars) mockup worked fine, as did running the gauge illumination off of 5v instead to simulate the dimmer's output (Red/Green wire on S4s) at a very low setting. The only difference I noticed was that the HF boost gauge's backlight was slightly dimmer, while the LC-1 Wideband gauge behaved the same either way.
Some gauges may be a bit more picky in regard to illumination, but these two apparently don't care. And since my cluster backlights are always at full brightness, I saw no reason to do more work to string up a splice from the Red/Blue wire when the Red/Green one worked just peachy.
Finished product:
From there, I strung a 4-conductor cable through the dash down to the ECU and spliced into the proper signal wires (with another suitable Metripack connector, of course) for the Map sensor, O2 Sensor (Wideband in my case), Coolant Temperature and AVI #1 (for Oil Pressure).
From the Gauge Expansion Connector, you can run power, ground and illumination to each gauge. Coinciding with RotaryEvolution's advice, I did a simulation test using my bench power supply on the Harbor Freight Boost and Innovate LC1 Wideband gauges in regard to the illumination circuits. A Constant Power Illumination (Red/Blue wire in S4 cars) mockup worked fine, as did running the gauge illumination off of 5v instead to simulate the dimmer's output (Red/Green wire on S4s) at a very low setting. The only difference I noticed was that the HF boost gauge's backlight was slightly dimmer, while the LC-1 Wideband gauge behaved the same either way.
Some gauges may be a bit more picky in regard to illumination, but these two apparently don't care. And since my cluster backlights are always at full brightness, I saw no reason to do more work to string up a splice from the Red/Blue wire when the Red/Green one worked just peachy.
Finished product:
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