Installing an Autometer EGT gauge+probe

This article is to cover the major points in installing an EGT gauge on your 1g dsm. The 2g dsm installation is the exact same.

If you want to install an EGT chances are that you already know what it does and different people want it for different reasons. I got this gauge mainly because I just installed a new motor and ecu and since I didn't have a datalogger at the time I invested in this setup. As we all know this is a very economical setup to make sure you are not running too hot internally.

I got this setup for a very nice price ...the list of parts is below:

*autometer lite 'pyrometer' gauge
*autometer 2 gauge a-pillar pod
*TRE EGT probe
*Electrical wire (i forget what gauge wire i used)
*and of course very important (PLEASE do not use any other type of wire) Stainless steel braided EGT probe wire

Using the autometer probe is optional but I suggest forking out $45 for a TRE probe as I did.

 

[Eclipse90GSX]

You remove the a-pillar by taking off the plastic pieces towards the hatch and sliding the whole a-pillar setup out (be careful not to damage the piece) this removal is straight forward, just make sure you unhook the pins slowly as to not break any of them. (you don't want the plastic to be rattling all the time)

btw: that's not me, thats a buddy of mine, Denver

 

[Eclipse90GSX]

Position the pod on your a-pillar and drill the holes...I suggest going to the hardware store and buying self threading screws that match your interior color. They have a special section in the automotive interior section of any hardware store.
Only the four corners of the pod were drilled here.

While drilling the holes please make sure they line up and your pod is straight. The worst thing is to have a pod with lots of holes in it. This can be done by inserting the screws as you drill the holes so the pod does not move while you are drilling the rest of the holes for the screws.

 

[Eclipse90GSX]

OOps!! Do NOT use excessive force when pushing the drill into the pod becasue this may cause the pod to crack at the edges...like shown below. Push very slightly just enough for the drill to go through.

Finished pod ready to go in after wiring. Note the same color screws

 

[Eclipse90GSX]

Routing the wires from under the dash up through the a-pillar is a annoying task, but it helps if you ziptie the end and use the ziptie to pull the whole 'harness' for the gauges up into the hole right below the a-pillar as you can see in this picture.

 

[Eclipse90GSX]

Now comes the fun part. the wiring has to be done. Since I had a 2 gauge pod both the boost gauge and the EGT gauge had to have power to them. I wanted the gauge lights to come on when the headlights were turned on so the power was tapped at the back of the lights for the radio/cdplayer unit. The specific locations of the pins behind the radio unit can be found out by using a multimeter and measuring the voltage varaition while switching your headlights on and off.

Be sure to have the ground hooked up as well. The EGT probe wire was run from the engine bay through the firewall (i forgot the exact location but i will edit this part as soon as i remember). For future reference mark and label your wires and group them together.

 

[Eclipse90GSX]

Now onto the engine bay. We tapped it at the #1 runner but the debate about where you tap it is endless. You can tap it at the runner or 02 housing or whereever you want, since it is your car.
first make sure your manifold is clean, then drill it STEP by STEP until you hit the correct size for the tap. for reference the TRE probe the tap size was 1/8"-27 National Pipe Thread (NPT) Tap. Make sure you use alot of lubrication (WD40 or cutting fluid)
I have no idea what the tap size for an autometer probe is so make sure you drill it to the correct size for the thread on your probe! If you go over you might have a loose probe or you might have to buy another manifold!

It is very important that while you tap and drill, you back it out to get all the chips out of the manifold. After drilling and tapping it right with minimal chips falling through, get a magnetic screw driver and pass it inside the manifold to collect any leftover chips. We did not do this as i did not have a magnetic screwdriver at the time, but do this at your OWN risk!

 

[Eclipse90GSX]

Next screw in the tre probe and run the wire any which was you chose. We ran it to the passenger side of the motor just because there were less moving parts in the way Make sure the wire doesnt touch anything as you route it through the engine bay. I didn't do this right and my EGT wire touched my temperature gauge sensor at the thermostat housing and it threw me off to see my temp gauge pegged one day! That was scarey, so make sure nothing touches the metal braided egt wire. VERY important.

This shot is without the heat shield, and I did not have one at the time. If you have a heat shield PLEASE use it! Drill a hole in the sheild for the probe wire to pass through. This is easy, just use a circular cutting tool like a dremel or mill.

 

[Eclipse90GSX]

Well once thats done you are ready to go! Push both your gauges in and make sure your EGT gauge is functioning by letting it warm up. Temperatures are different with different DSM's so do not depend on someone else's numbers and be freaked out if your's do not match.

Then go out and BOOST! If you have any questions please email or pm me and I will try my best to answer them.

Happy Boosting
Chatura