Tin

i got these gauges --
http://www.procarparts.com/store-det...=onlinestoreDB

i put them in and everything, but i guess i connected the red and black wires wrong. i connected them by the screws in with the other black and red wires already there, near the chime. however, the gauges aren't lighting up. where am i supposed to connect them? or could i have dont something else wrong?

«§»Craig B«§»

iTrader: (5)

hopefully you didn't mess anything up back there
you should always test the wires first before connecting anything

connect your red wire to a red wire with yellow stripe
the black should be ok

test the wire to make sure it has power when the lights are turned on only
test the black one for coninuity with another ground point (bare metal on the car)

Pyrophilus

I got the same overlays from the same place for my '92 GXE.

My speedo had a dead RPM, so I ended up getting a '91 SE gauge with the white needles.

I wired my red wire to one of the wires off the headlight switch harness. To find which one, I made a 12v test light out of 12v DC bulb from radioshack and soldered alligator clips to both ends of the bulb. I clipped one end to a ground (screw near top of the steering column (with column cover off), and clipped a hypodermic needle (ahem! I have them because I am a scientist, working in lab, not for any other reasons) to the other end. I suppose you can clip any old needle on the other end though.

Anyway, I used the needle (which is clipped to the bulb), and with the headlamp switch to "parking lamp" position, I poked the needle through various wires on the turn signal harness, until I found one that lit up the light (there are several). I verified forrect one by turning the headlamp switch on and off to see that the test light was turning on and off. I used my quikstrip (quikstrip.com) to peel away some layer of this wire, but then I guess you can also use a wiretap (radioshack probably has them). As for the black ground, I ended up soldering a round-eye connector on the end and screwed it under the very same screw that I had the test light clipped on to.

I really like the gauge. Only annoying thing is the barely audible high-pitched "hum" that you can hear from the "relay" looking control box... I stuck it behind the speedo using 3M foam tape, to minimize the "hum".

BTW, I left my dash bulbs in, so that the needles would glow. Make sure you have sealed the edges of the gauge pods, because if you do not, you might have light peeking through.

Good luck.

Tin

before starting with anything, do i need to disconnect the battery?

Pyrophilus

You can, but I didn't disconnect my batt.

I just wired everything, checked and re-checked the connections and made sure it all made sense in my head, and then connected the ground, and then the hot wire (I guess you can connect hot first, but then after that, I don't like the thought of a ground wire dangling and touching any other metal parts of the car except the one that I want it to touch). But then again, you are talking about such a small voltage and current that there wouldn't be any sparks.

I think the better idea is to remove the headlamp fuse (after you have isolated the wire that you want to tap into) rather than disconnecting the battery.

«§»Craig B«§»

iTrader: (5)

I'd wire it into the car's illumination system which comes on when the parking lights are on (and lights up all the buttons and dash lights) so that your gauges would come on with just parking lights and not only when the headlights are on. Also, if you wired it to the headlights, the gauges wouldnt' be lit when the high beams are on (since headlights turn off then)

you dont NEED to unplug the battery, but it'd be a little safer to do it that way so you wont blow any fuses or anything else if you mess up

Tin

where would be the car's illumination system?

«§»Craig B«§»

iTrader: (5)

"connect your red wire to a red wire with yellow stripe"

Tin

ohh ok thanks, i thought u might of meant somewhere else. thanks a lot, i will try this tomorrow

Tin

i did that, and it worked...but im not positive if this is right or not. but i just finished it, and its still very light out right now, but it looks like (im not sure) that the gauges are still on, even tho i don't have the lights on, and the car is off. i turned the dim to the lowest, and i'm not sure if they are on or not. but i kno that i can control the dim switch even when the car is off. the switch has 3 functions: one for blue, one for green, and one for dim. what if the gauges never go off and my battery goes dead??

there were two connections where i could have done it, where there was a yellow white with a red stripe. i connected it to the bottom one, after trying the top one and seeing that it didnt work....

«§»Craig B«§»

iTrader: (5)

red wire with yellow stripe, not yellow with red

again, you should always test the wires before you turn anything on
spend $5 on a voltage test light and be sure you're making the right connection

Tin

i only saw a yellow one with a red stripe, and it worked!

only, i had to connect it to the top one bc the bottom one made the gauges constantly stay on.

i was wrong about the switch, it wasnt a blue/green switch, it was a on/off, and then theres a dimmer (min/max and blue/green)

in order to turn off the gauges i have to flip it to off and turn the **** to max...

BUT....theres a hum when on max...

now Pyrophilus, how do u get rid of the hum?? i get that too, only im not sure where its from...might be from behind the gauges.

i can fix it by not turning on the dim all the way up, but putting it to a point where the gauges are off, and at the same time it not humming. however, there maaaaay be a slight possibility its still on...

Tin

does the hum use any battery?? and how do i get rid of it?