Tach + aux gauges wiring

[Florian]

Hey,

sorry if a thread like this already exists, I tried the search but it didn´t work.

I installed my new Tach and a three gauges auxiliary instrument panel today. I need to make four more connections to finish up the wiring:


Two of them are the gauge lights that I need to connect to the instrument panel light wire. Problem is that I don´t find that wire. It must exit the light knob right? Which color wire is it?

The other two wires left need a switched 12V source. So in other words I need a wire that only has got 12V when the ignition is on. One wire goes to the positive side of the Voltmeter and the other is the red wire from the tach. The instructions showed a vague drawing of connecting this wire to the fuse panel. And there are two contacts on the fuse panel where I could hook them up to but I don´t know which one.

Can anybody help?

Thanks!

Florian

[fordman]

in this diagram http://www.fordification.com/tech/wirin ... master.jpg wire number 297 or wire 932. will be switched hot from the ignition switch. as far as dash lights. it is usually a blue wire. up near the instrument cluster plug that is free with nothing hooked to it. it may have ared stripe on it i forget for sure.

[robroy]

Good day Florian!

sorry if a thread like this already exists, I tried the search but it didn´t work.

When it comes to custom wiring, it seems that no two trucks are perfectly identical, so in my opinion your thread's fully justified regardless of whatever other threads may exist.

I installed my new Tach and a three gauges auxiliary instrument panel today.

Excellent!!! I'm looking forward to seeing a photo.

I need to make four more connections to finish up the wiring:

Two of them are the gauge lights that I need to connect to the instrument panel light wire. Problem is that I don´t find that wire. It must exit the light knob right? Which color wire is it?

On my 1972 F250 with the factory gauge harness (instead of the simpler "trouble lamp" harness), I lit my gauges from the wire that led to C-10 pin #11. This wire is blue with a red stripe on it, and it's shown in the wiring diagram I drew for my custom dash.

Since that same wire feeds the heater control lights, and probably others that I forget, guys typically tap it to power the lights to add-on gauges. this post in my V3/Teleflex instrument cluster thread has photos that show how I tapped this wire to feed my custom instrument cluster. Maybe you could come up with something similar for your situation!

Of course, before tapping it, you may want to use a multimeter to confirm that it's hooked up the same way in your harness as it is in mine. It would be a shame to do all the work only to find out that your harness isn't wired in a compatible way!

The other two wires left need a switched 12V source. So in other words I need a wire that only has got 12V when the ignition is on. One wire goes to the positive side of the Voltmeter and the other is the red wire from the tach. The instructions showed a vague drawing of connecting this wire to the fuse panel. And there are two contacts on the fuse panel where I could hook them up to but I don´t know which one.

I'm not sure how guys hook things like this up to the fuse panel. I suspect that the instructions recommend this just because most cars don't have any other convenient place to tap a keyed/switched 12V power source.

If your Bumpside's set up like mine, you'll find that the keyed/switched 12V power wire's identified by its insulation: black with a green stripe. On my harness there was a convenient place to plug in extra stuff to that wire, which was a "three in to one" kind of connector shown in this photo. In my dashboard this connector was located towards the left, kind of hovering in the air above the headlight switch (more or less).

To plug in to this connector, I found a crimp-on bullet-style connector that worked. Here's a photo of the plug-in connector that Ford used in this place. I found that the Carquest TA-147 connector was a suitable match. There are a bunch of photos of the TA-147 in this post.

It's also possible that you'll find other useful information that I've forgotten to mention by browsing through my instrument cluster thread: Could I ask for advice on attaching my Teleflex/V3 gauges?

Florian, let me know what other information I can dig up!!!

Robroy

[Florian]

Thanks for your excellent replies guys! As usual, lots of high quality information in your thread, Robroy!

Photos are coming asap, Robroy!

I´ll search for the blue wire with the red stripe for the dash lights.


For the switched 12V source, I think I found the connector you were talking about, Robroy on the wiring diagram. It is connected to the 297 wire just like you said fordman!

I marked it here:

I'm not sure how guys hook things like this up to the fuse panel. I suspect that the instructions recommend this just because most cars don't have any other convenient place to tap a keyed/switched 12V power source.

Next to the fuses there are two prongs where you can hook up a wire. I think that is what they describe in the instructions. But I wasn´t sure which of the two would be the right. I can take a photo of it today.


Thanks!

Florian

[Florian]

Got it done today. Found the black wire with the green stripe at the fuse box. It´s 297A in the diagram posted above.

The blue wire with the red stripe for the instrument lights also goes to the fuse panel. I think it´s 19 or 19A in the diagram.

I just connected the aux wires to the wires before they enter the fuse panel. Didn´t use the prongs, they are not connected to these wires, they´re for something else.

I don´t know if it works yet. Gotta reinstall the front clip and battery first.


Thanks!

Florian

[fordman]

that sounds right wire number 19c was the wire i was thinking about.

[Florian]

Btw, it was yesterday one year ago that my truck broke down on the Autobahn and I started the rebuild Now it won´t be long till I finally can fire it up again

[Florian]

Which side of the coil does #16 go to? Positive or negative...I can´t tell from the diagram..



Thanks!

[fordman]

im going to guess and say posiitive.

[Thunderfoot]

Yes, the wire from the ignition switch goes to the (+) side of the coil the (-) side goes to the distributor to the points.

[Florian]

Perfect! Thanks guys!