I bought a mechanical autometer boost gauge, I need help with the following:

1. Where can I buy the 1/8 inch hard vaccum line? I have regular rubber vaccum hose, will it work?

2. How do I route it to the inside of the car? Do I have to drill the firewall?

3. Where should I tap for the light with dimmer?

Thanks!

 

1) Should have come with the gauge. If it didn't, try your local performance shop, like SECO or similar. Silicone or rubber line will work just as well, provided that it doesn't kink and isn't shredded by the firewall, etc.

2) You can go through the driver-side fender well, or drill the firewall. Search about the driver fender, or just take a look. If you remove the fender lining, there's an easy way into the entry port above the ignitors (behind your cruise control box).

3) The easiest thing to do is tap a fuse. Just put a wire on the spade and re-insert. This makes it easy to move things later on. You can check with a meter until you find one that's switched power. Or, you can hunt for a switched power wire and tap it, but make sure of what it is, where it goes, what the load is on it, and make sure than any wire you replace is of the same gauge as the original.

 

For #3, that will get you light, but it won't dim. Best place is to tap the ashtray lamp. Just pull the shifter panel and you'll see it. I can't remember which one to hit, but that will work.

 

Sorry, I missed the part about the dimmer.

 

There are two wires on the ashtray lamp. Connect each of the light wires to one of the ashtray wires. It doesn't matter which one goes to which wire. This will give you power to your gauge bulb, and will make it work with the stock dimmer switch.

 

For #2, I went through an existing grommet on the firewall. It was very easy, took a few minutes. It was a long time ago that I did this, but I believe I unbolted the cruise unit it was right there underneath. I can look or take pictures when I get home if you need more info. Seems like it may have been the hood release cable.

 

For users like me with the D-Guage series, we're stuck as they have a common ground. For whatever reason they only dim off one of the wires and when they do, they're opposite the stock lighting. Kinda sucks.

 

if I remember correctly, 1/8 hard vacuum hose can be bought at an automotive store. If not Pep boys or Kragen, try more of a performance oriented auto store. For routing the vacuum line through the firewall take a coat hanger and poke a hole through the fabric boot that the seals the steering column at the fire wall. Route the hose along the firewall to the pasenger side of the UIM, where there is a closed off nipple that you can tap into. just use a short section of 1/8' I.D. ( inside diameter ) rubber vacuum hose to connect the hard vacuum line to the UIM nipple using zip ties to secure each end.

Gently take off the center console which uses clips to hold it in place. Tap both boost gauge wires into the ashtray wires . Solder them if you can.( I dint, and they have been fine for 5 years.) Once done, put the center column back on turn your headlights on and see if your boost gauge lights up. Cool thing is taht you can use the dimmer switch to adjust the brightness of your boost gauge. If it doesnt light up, either you did not connect the wire(s) well to the ashtray wires, the bulb is burned out on the boost gauge, or there is a short in your wires. good Luck!

 

Tried the rubber hose through the fender hole with no luck... I'll buy hard vacuum lines and use the steering column seal...

Just for fun I installed the gauge and got it in through the passenger window... I'll post a thread about it!

 

I ended up with some 'air hose' from my local Hose-Mart, it's plastic and much thinner walls than most vacuum / fuel line. They also had a better 'quick fit' adapter to fit it onto the back of the boost gauge, the adapter that came with my Autometer (mechanical , part# 3301 ) was somewhat cheezy.

I still haven't decided where I want to permanently install mine, I was thinking of doing a maxpesce style install, cutting into the dash cluster, but now I'm leaning towards somewhere more stealth like the glovebox or DIN pocket under the radio.

-s-

 

I bought it as a kit with a steering column pod

 

where did you buy it from?