Power wire for glow guages

[chris712vt]

hey guys, I searched, and revived a similar thread with my question but it wasn't answered. So I'm hoping a new thread with a better title helps get some attention and help.

Anyway I installed my indiglow guages yesterday evening, and in the few minutes I had before it got dark I searched under my steering column for my Parking light power wire. That is the one I'd like to splice into with the power wire for these guage faces. However, there are a whooole lot of wires under there, can anyone help me figure out which it is? I don't have a voltmeter to just check each one.

When I rewired my tail lights after my eclipse conversion the parking lights were the green with white stripe wire, but I didn't see that one under the dash last night. hopefully I'll find it today but any help or advice would be grealy appreciated!

 

[Eastwood95]

Hmmm, Non turbo........

You should just go ahead and buy a test light from autozone/advance........that's the easiest way to find a switched power wire for you lights.

I know on the turbo cars we use the green/white striped wire under the drivers side door kickpanel....

 

[chris712vt]

actually I have a better idea now, just run the wire under the center console and use the power wire from that little bulb in the ash tray. I only use that as a change holder so I don't need a light in there.

 

[roni-wan]

I connected my reverse gauges to my lighter, its pretty easy.

 

[99gst_racer]

Just pull the cluster wiring out a little bit, grab a 12V test light, test for the power wire that illuminates the stock gauge cluster, and splice into that wire. That will turn them on with the parking lights. This is exactly how I did mine.

 

[chris712vt]

I'd do that if I had a voltmeter, but since I don't I'm going to splice into the ash tray light since I know that comes on with the parking lights and I don't use it. thanks guys i appreciate the help!

 

[guitarhero14]

I used the cigarette lighter light to splice into

 

[trackTSIawd]

hmm i used the dimmer switch

 

[99gst_racer]

I'd do that if I had a voltmeter, but since I don't I'm going to splice into the ash tray light since I know that comes on with the parking lights and I don't use it. thanks guys i appreciate the help!

You dont need a voltmeter. You just need a 12v lightbulb tester. They can be had for like $4 at Walmart or any hardware store.

 

[Eastwood95]

Yeah, I know the cigarette lighter gets power when the ignition is turned on, so if you tapped into that one, the gauges would always have power when on. Isn't the ashtray lightbulb always on with switched power too?

 

[chris712vt]

update - I used the power wire for the ash tray light, and yes that comes on with the parking lights the same as the cig lighter light does.

however, while driving tonight they cut out on me after maybe 10 minutes of being on. could the guage faces be pulling too much power through what was meant to only be a tiny little bulb? is there a fuse directly for that, or should I just wire them from the cig lighter instead and see if that works?

 

[trackTSIawd]

I dont understand why you wouldnt use the dimmer switch... Then you can adjust the brightness. Plus it's right there... I mean it's probably half the work of taking your center console out.

 

[chris712vt]

that would have been a good idea, i just didn't see your idea until after I was done. my guages have their own dimmer switch on them though and I like having the two separate controls - keep my guage faes bright but the rest of the inerior lights dim.

so any reason why they'd blow a fuse or just stop working from the ash tray wire?

 

[chris712vt]

another update... I went out to the car tonight to check the guages just for the hell of it and they turned on! now I'm really confused that they cut out last night but work again tonight, and I haven't even done anything.

 

[trackTSIawd]

Probably had a bad connection... how did you go about splicing the wires together?

 

[Eastwood95]

Yeah, bad/loose power or ground connection.........doublecheck it..

 

[chris712vt]

ok, might have to redo it then. I've done lots of wiring before, and I'd usually either solder them or use butt connectors... but this time I felt like trying some other connectors I've had sitting around called "tap splices" that clamp down on both wires. They are supposed to cut into each of them and make the connection. Anyway I guess maybe they didn't work well enough, I'll pull them apart and use some butt connectors today and see if it changes anything.

(I didn't just tap into the ash tray bulb, I cut it off and connected those wires to my guage power and ground)

thanks for the help guys, I appreciate it!

 

[trackTSIawd]

Those connectors are nice for keeping stuff tidy but they dont connect very well... maybe make sure its squeezed together all the way.

 

[eagle97talon]

hmm i used the dimmer switch

How exactly did you do this? I havent taken off the dimmer panel yet, but how many wires are in there, which one did you tap?

 

[Talesin]

Those little vampire taps are pretty notorious for providing crappy connections. If you're wiring, just solder and properly splice/heatshrink the connections. Only way to get a reliable and solid connection.