Gauges

[LeonL]

Hey all,

I recently won the following from ebay:

-Autometer boost gauge 30/30 (manual)
-Autometer Narrowband AFR gauge (digital?)
-Autometer Oil pressure 100PSI gauge (electric)

The gauges didn't come with the fitting kits so need a little help as to what it is i need to purchase to get these working?

For the boost gauge its simple enough, i just need some tubing and an adapter to fit the tubing to rear side of gauge.

The narrowband AFR gauge kinda confuses me. Am i right in thinking i just use my current Lamba sensor with this? How would i go about doing so? Completely useless with wiring  

The oil pressure gauge. I believe i need to purchase a oil pressure sender to go with the gauge from autometer correct? I plan to have an oil cooler early next year so should i buy a Mocal sandwhich plate and then i can plug the oil press sender into that, correct?

Illumination of the gauges, after checking out some older topics the best place to wire the lighting from seems to be the lighter illumination. I cant seem to gain any access to this though so how have people done it? =\

Any information is more then appricated as i'm a complete "noob" when it comes to sorting these gauges out

Thanks

Leon

[Jimsiss]

AFR guage - if you don't want to cut the wires then you can use scotch locks (aslong as you make sure its sealed against the weather with some electrical tape it'll be ok) but the best way is to strip part of the signal wire casing off and solder the AFR guage signal wire straight to it and then wrap it in electrical tape to stop it shorting or the weather getting at it. On the loom the signal wire is the purple one on the lambda connector, so you can either use the cars loom or the lambda's wire on the other side of the plug.

Oil pressure guage - you can screw the sender into the oil pressure switch holes in the back of the head.

Boost guage - this is simple like you said but just to be safe I'd put an inline filter in the pipe to make sure you don't get oil travelling down the pipe and into your guage. It's always good to use clear pipe for boost guages so you can see if its blocked or not anywhere.

As for the lighter illumination wiring you can get the lighter out by removing the surround on the heater controls (just unclips) and unscrew the bottom two screws. Then you should be able to remove the ashtray and lighter part of the dash (if I remember correctly and haven't forgotten any screws). The illumination wire on the lighter should be blue and grey and you can either scotch lock into this again or do it properly and strip the wire back and solder onto it (taping it up after)

[LeonL]

Hey,

Thanks for the reply, very helpful and greatly appricated

Some wiring came with the gauges which the previous owner must of been using. He seems to have used bullet connectors. So i can run a wire from the signal wires/illumination wires and then bullet connect it to the wires already connected to the gauges right?

Also how would i go about wiring the earth on each of the gauges?

I'll go purchase some wiring some time this week, while looking on the internet i noticed there are alot of different "Amp" wirings, which "Amp" would i need?

And the final question, one wire on the AFR and oil pressure gauges need to go to a 12v fused iginition wire...How would i go about doing that?

Really sorry for being such an electrition noob
Cheers

Leon

[Jimsiss]

To be honest soldering is always better but you can use crimps (I have as a temporary measure to get my innovate LC-1 wideband and guage wired in).

There is an earthing point under the dash on the passenger side (a stud with a bolt on it, already has several earths on it), just put a ring crimp on the end of the earths and bolt them onto that.

As for the 12v fused ignition live there is a black and blue cable under the dash with a black single pin plug on the end that isn't connected to anything, I used that as its live on both the ignition positions as opposed to just the first.

[hayesey]

scotch locks are the brainchild of the devil!  Crimps or soldering.  Personally I dont think you can beat a proper soldered joint.  Scotch locks will just let water in and the joint will rust over time

[LeonL]

Well i only plan to use the scotch lock to connect the AFR signal wire to the O2 sensor one which goes to ECU. Will use lots of electrical tape to protect

Will also use scotch lock to connect lighting wire to lighter illumination, will also use electrical tape but can't see it getting to bothered by the weather.

Earth wires and iginition wires i seem to have sorted. Connecting both gauge wires (AFR and Oil pressure) together into one, then onto the earth bolt and iginition wire (once i find it).

Cheers

[MartinB]

For the AFR gauge, on my car the insulation on the lambda sensor cable had previously been removed so I soldered the AFRM cable straight onto the relevant cable and protected with insulating tape. I I connected the + and - straight to the battery so I don't get any inteference from other sources such as headlights, sidelighhts etc.

[LeonL]

Cheers Rae, will do

Okay to scotch lock the wires under the dash though right?

Anyone able to point me in correct direction for "black and blue cable under the dash with a black single pin plug on the end that isn't connected to anything"....Searched under dash and cant seem to find it?

Cheers

[hayesey]

don't use scotch locks on anything, ever!  They are shite.

[LeonL]

don't use scotch locks on anything, ever!  They are shite.

Blah fine! I'll solder everything

Saves me having to buy some scotch locks anyway

Still cant find this iginition wire mentioned!

[LeonL]

Cheers Rae, will do

Okay to scotch lock the wires under the dash though right?

Anyone able to point me in correct direction for "black and blue cable under the dash with a black single pin plug on the end that isn't connected to anything"....Searched under dash and cant seem to find it?

Cheers

scotch-locks are evil, you should solder them all and cover with heatshrink (or do with scotch locks and tape )

i usually use the black/yellow wire that goes to the rear demister switch, as this is a switched live.
you'd be best putting a small fuse in the circuit too like a 1amp or something!

Would a 3 amp be alright?

[LeonL]

Okay cheers

I'll get on the case and replace it with a 1amp when i can