2 electrical questions regarding gauge install
10-01-2006, 04:05 PM
#1
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2 electrical questions regarding gauge install
Just trying to make sure I understand how to install my new Autometer gauges. When complete, I will have three electrical gauges mounted in a panel in the center console. These are my questions:
1. To connect the Autometer gauge lighting into the cars lighting wiring, which wire should I tap into? In other words, where is the best place to tap into a 12v wire that is switched on by my headlight switch? And can I run the lighting for all three guages off of this one switched wire?
2. Is it ok to power three gauges and my car stereo off of one +12v lead? In other words, can I use the same hot wire that powers my stereo to power my three guages?
Any additional tips would be appreciated. Thanks again, fellas.
1. To connect the Autometer gauge lighting into the cars lighting wiring, which wire should I tap into? In other words, where is the best place to tap into a 12v wire that is switched on by my headlight switch? And can I run the lighting for all three guages off of this one switched wire?
2. Is it ok to power three gauges and my car stereo off of one +12v lead? In other words, can I use the same hot wire that powers my stereo to power my three guages?
Any additional tips would be appreciated. Thanks again, fellas.
10-01-2006, 04:19 PM
#2
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RE: 2 electrical questions regarding gauge install
run the lighting off of your dimmer switch. THats where ive always ran gauges. Any light in the car thats controlled by the dimmer switch is cool to run the wiring for the guage lighting to.
Running two gauges off of one wire is cool, but the radio and more i wouldnt do, just because your asking for something to melt or catch fire.
Like i said, run the gauges to ANY wire coming from the dimmer switch and you'll be good, you want the gauges to come on the same time as your instument panel lighting, so you need to run it off of your dimmer switch for that to happen....at least thats what ive always done/found
Running two gauges off of one wire is cool, but the radio and more i wouldnt do, just because your asking for something to melt or catch fire.
Like i said, run the gauges to ANY wire coming from the dimmer switch and you'll be good, you want the gauges to come on the same time as your instument panel lighting, so you need to run it off of your dimmer switch for that to happen....at least thats what ive always done/found
10-01-2006, 04:26 PM
#3
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RE: 2 electrical questions regarding gauge install
ORIGINAL: 88stangaruu
run the lighting off of your dimmer switch. THats where ive always ran gauges. Any light in the car thats controlled by the dimmer switch is cool to run the wiring for the guage lighting to.
Running two gauges off of one wire is cool, but the radio and more i wouldnt do, just because your asking for something to melt or catch fire.
Like i said, run the gauges to ANY wire coming from the dimmer switch and you'll be good, you want the gauges to come on the same time as your instument panel lighting, so you need to run it off of your dimmer switch for that to happen....at least thats what ive always done/found
run the lighting off of your dimmer switch. THats where ive always ran gauges. Any light in the car thats controlled by the dimmer switch is cool to run the wiring for the guage lighting to.
Running two gauges off of one wire is cool, but the radio and more i wouldnt do, just because your asking for something to melt or catch fire.
Like i said, run the gauges to ANY wire coming from the dimmer switch and you'll be good, you want the gauges to come on the same time as your instument panel lighting, so you need to run it off of your dimmer switch for that to happen....at least thats what ive always done/found
10-01-2006, 04:34 PM
#4
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RE: 2 electrical questions regarding gauge install
Like, they dont have to be directly at the back of the dimmer switch...like press the headlight switch down so that just your side marker lights come on, alright...anything that lights up, you can run the power to the gauges to, because...in some way (cant really get my brain to work with me right now.) but the dimmer switch and the headlight switch are interconnected, so, you can run the power off of your corner light wires if you wanted to. What ive always done is..for the gauge lighting...i run both wires together and connect them to a 2 gauge bigger wire and then splice it in at the dimmer switch, then i run both the grounds into one wire and run it down to the underdash support someplace for the ground.
As far as gauge power wires, i do the same there, run both gauges power into one larger wire and then to a power source.
Hey, these arnt retarded questions.....i was such a dumbass when i started wiring stuff i didnt know what a crimp connector was....
THats pretty retarded.
As far as gauge power wires, i do the same there, run both gauges power into one larger wire and then to a power source.
Hey, these arnt retarded questions.....i was such a dumbass when i started wiring stuff i didnt know what a crimp connector was....
THats pretty retarded.
10-01-2006, 04:38 PM
#5
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RE: 2 electrical questions regarding gauge install
ORIGINAL: 88stangaruu
Like, they dont have to be directly at the back of the dimmer switch...like press the headlight switch down so that just your side marker lights come on, alright...anything that lights up, you can run the power to the gauges to, because...in some way (cant really get my brain to work with me right now.) but the dimmer switch and the headlight switch are interconnected, so, you can run the power off of your corner light wires if you wanted to. What ive always done is..for the gauge lighting...i run both wires together and connect them to a 2 gauge bigger wire and then splice it in at the dimmer switch, then i run both the grounds into one wire and run it down to the underdash support someplace for the ground.
As far as gauge power wires, i do the same there, run both gauges power into one larger wire and then to a power source.
Hey, these arnt retarded questions.....i was such a dumbass when i started wiring stuff i didnt know what a crimp connector was.... THats pretty retarded.
Like, they dont have to be directly at the back of the dimmer switch...like press the headlight switch down so that just your side marker lights come on, alright...anything that lights up, you can run the power to the gauges to, because...in some way (cant really get my brain to work with me right now.) but the dimmer switch and the headlight switch are interconnected, so, you can run the power off of your corner light wires if you wanted to. What ive always done is..for the gauge lighting...i run both wires together and connect them to a 2 gauge bigger wire and then splice it in at the dimmer switch, then i run both the grounds into one wire and run it down to the underdash support someplace for the ground.
As far as gauge power wires, i do the same there, run both gauges power into one larger wire and then to a power source.
Hey, these arnt retarded questions.....i was such a dumbass when i started wiring stuff i didnt know what a crimp connector was....
THats pretty retarded.
Let me clarify my last question. Right now, the only switched hot wire behind my console where I am mounting the gauges, is that which is going to my stereo. So I guess I can connect one gauge to that wire (along with the stereo). So now, I have to figure out where to wire my other two gauges into the power supply. Any suggestions? Does it matter?
10-01-2006, 04:43 PM
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RE: 2 electrical questions regarding gauge install
You wouldn't want to run 2 off your dimmer and 1 off your radio cus one will be on all the time and the other 2 will only come on when your lights are on. Run a peice of 12 gauge wire from your dimmer to your gauges, put a 15 amp fuse in the wire and hook up all 3. It is only for the lights, you will be fine. Just find a good ground(radio ground) and you are set.
10-01-2006, 04:44 PM
#7
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RE: 2 electrical questions regarding gauge install
Uh....i guess you could run the 3rd gauge (light and power since its only one gauge) off of the backlighting for your instument panel..or your A/C controls lighting, or down at the fuse panel where the dimmer switches fuse is, you could do a fuse tap there since its only one gauge, i did this for my tach lighting, just take the dimmer switch's fuse out and stick the wire down in on the positive side and stick the fuse back in on top of the wire, worked for me not the best advice though, but i mean, ive had it there for 3 yrs and no problems, so have some of my friends in their cars so im not telling something thats gonna mess your car up.
The stereo...i have no idea about. I guess anything thats got power to it. Id try to find somebody that knows what their talking about (like speaker guys) and ask them what they run their power off of....cause to be honest i have no idea on that one.
The stereo...i have no idea about. I guess anything thats got power to it. Id try to find somebody that knows what their talking about (like speaker guys) and ask them what they run their power off of....cause to be honest i have no idea on that one.
10-01-2006, 04:53 PM
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RE: 2 electrical questions regarding gauge install
Thanks again fellas. 5.0stanger, I didn't mean running two gauge lights off the dimmer, and one gauge light off of the radio. I was going to run all three gauge lights off of the same power source. I was referring to the power to the gauges themselves. 88stangaruu recommended that I not run all three gauges off of the same hot wire, so I was wondering where to wire in the third gauge (since he recommended that I only wire two into the same wire). Thanks for your help.
10-01-2006, 05:00 PM
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RE: 2 electrical questions regarding gauge install
88stangaruu, yeah, I've run stuff off of the fuse box before by sandwiching wires up under fuses. I'd like to avoid doing that if possible, as that setup just sort of bugs me.
10-01-2006, 05:03 PM
#10
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RE: 2 electrical questions regarding gauge install
actually i ran my power source all the way to my starter sillinoid...all of them including my tach...on lthe lights do what i and most have said to the dimmer.