[tjones]

I am trying to hook up console gauges without buying a wiring harness. I bought the harness that hooks to the gauges themselves and have every gauge working except the ammeter. Does anyone know how to hook the ammeter up?

 

[TOMSTV]

One side goes to neg.- ground. the other pos+ goes to the ign.switch wire. here's a pic... http://albums.photopoint.com/j/albumindex?u=1536714&a=13177222
hope this helps.

 

[tjones]

Thanks Tomstv. This picture really helps.Do I need to run any special gauge wire? Also what is the field rheostat and the battery wire disconnect? I was also wondering where this picture came from?

[This message has been edited by tjones (edited 06-05-2001).]

 

[TOMSTV]

I got the picture from page 1381 of
"CHILTON'S AUTO REPAIR MANUAL 1964-1971" an oldie but goodie book.
The picture is about trouble shooting electrical probems, but it does show how an AMP meter is wired.
I would add to use a good regular grade size of wire maybe 12 gage or so, plus an inline 25-30 amp fuse for safety.

[This message has been edited by TOMSTV (edited 06-05-2001).]

 

[Rdcmro69]

tomstvI am doing the same project and I just made a copy of your picture. I also would like to know what the field rheostat and battary wire disconnect are. Also can you tell me if the black & white wire on the amp gauge goes to the top or to the bottom prong?

 

[TOMSTV]

I can't help ya with that, as i only have a standard pic. My guess is that the black wire would be the neg.- ground wire. what the pic shows is the meter going between pos+ and ground, when the car starts, or the lights go on,the meter will show a draw on the line to neg-. and when the battery is chargeing, the meter would show pos+.

 

[Mark C]

Don't hook either wire to ground you will vaporize the ammeter windings. The ammeter on a stock console setup is not an ammeter, its a millivolt meter. It measures the voltage drop in the red number 10 wire running from the positive terminal on the battery over to the horn relay. If voltage is higher at the battery end of the wire indicating current is flowing out of the battery to the car the gauge indicates a discharge, if the voltage is higher at the horn relay terminal indicating current is flowing towards the battery from the alternator the meter indicates a charge. The full span of the meter is probably about 5 or 10 millivolts. If you run battery voltage through the meter to ground you can figure on buying a new gauge.

One wire goes to the terminal block attached to the radiator support in front of the battery and the other goes to the same terminal on the horn relay the the #10 Red wire attaches to. If you bought the wiring harness to do this it's obvious which one is which because one is about 2 feet longer then the other. Wires are 14 gauge from the factory, black jacket to the terminal in front of the battery, black with white tracer on the horn relay terminal. Both wires have fusible links in them to prevent melting your wiring harness should one short out. If after you hook them up and the gauge reads backwards just swap the two wires around. Inside the console you will also need to add a ground wire to the extra stud on the back of the meter to get the gauge to work.

------------------
Mark Canning
1969 Indy Pace Car
350/300HP RPO Z11

[This message has been edited by Mark C (edited 06-05-2001).]

 

[Rdcmro69]

I am using the factory harness on the console side. I got it with the gauges. I do not have the other end that plugs into the car. I cut the plug off of the harness and plan on wiring as follows. Gray is going to the lights and I'm getting that from the light in the console for the shifter. A red wire goes from the fuel gauge to the temp gauge and then out where I assume it hooks to a power source. I plan on hooking up a jumper fron the existing fuel gauge to the console gauge to check before I cut. The green wire comming out of the temp gauge, which has the red going to the fuel will tie into the green wire in the car going to the temp light. I have never wired anything in a car before, but after spending a few hours checking things out and looking under the dash and looking at the wiring diagram in the book it seems to make sense. Also will the temp senser that screws into the engine block have to be changed form the one used with the stock idiot light?

 

[Mark C]

The temperature switch in the engine will have to be changed, since it is just a switch. The temperature sender is completely different, its just a variable resistor.

One side of the temperature gauge gets switched 12 Volts, the other side goes directly to the temperature sender in the engine. There is resistor that goes across the other two terminals (should have come with the gauge when you bought it.) The bottom terminal (with the resistor) gets connected to ground.

You can not operate both fuel gauges at the same time, the circuit won't work properly. You have to make the commitment to the new gauges.

I have a scanned wiring diagram for the console gauges themselves I can try to post tonight. Do you have a manual trans, or auto? If I get it uploaded I'll post a link to it.



------------------
Mark Canning
1969 Indy Pace Car
350/300HP RPO Z11

 

[tjones]

All you guys have been a big help,thanks. Markc, I would like to see that diagram if possible. I have a manual transmission. I have all my gauges working except the ammeter but I decieded today to break down and buy the aftermarket harness just to neaten things up and to be safe. Rdcmro, I just hooked the pink wire from the temp gauge and the fuel gauge to the pink wire in the plug from the old fuel gauge andthe other wire for the new fuel gauge to the same color wire in the old plug and it works.

 

[Rdcmro69]

Ok guys the wiring picture is comming together, but now my question is how in the hell did you get your hands in there to cut the fuel gauge wire to splice for the new gauges? I even had my dash most of the way out and I still can't reach in there to get at it. I think I'll have it made if I can get by this one

 

[Rdcmro69]

Markc I have an automatic. I finally got the fuel wires cut and spliced. I will be looking forward to getting the diagram. Thanks to both of you guys for all your help!

 

[Mark C]

Here you go:

Warning some of these files are in the 700K file so, so if you are using a 56K modem be prepared.

Photos of the rear of a gauge cluster:
http://www.townisp.com/~markcanning/camaro/gauge1.jpg
http://www.townisp.com/~markcanning/camaro/gauge2.jpg
http://www.townisp.com/~markcanning/camaro/gauge3.jpg


------------------
Mark Canning
1969 Indy Pace Car
350/300HP RPO Z11


Mark - I got a complaint that you linked to copyrighted material. Sorry but I had to remove the links...

[This message has been edited by DjD (edited 09-08-2001).]

 

[RickD]

Wow, great effort. Mark, is there any way you can reshoot the gauge 3 picture showing the wires hooked up? The shadows make it difficult to see clearly. Sorry to be nit-picky. They're such a help.

 

[302XRAM]

Hey Mark....I would also like to see you reshoot that one.
AL.

 

[Mark C]

This is as good as it gets:
http://www.townisp.com/~markcanning/camaro/69conguagebck.jpg

These are just photos I have laying around my hard drive. Hopefully this and the others will show you what you need. As much as I like helping out, I'm not going to pull my gauges cluster out of an A/C, 8 track equipped car to take some photos. It's a major pain to get it back in, and connect the 12 pin connector infront of the console. My hands don't appear to be as small as they used to be any more.


------------------
Mark Canning
1969 Indy Pace Car
350/300HP RPO Z11

[This message has been edited by Mark C (edited 06-07-2001).]

 

[Rdcmro69]

MarkC and the rest of you guys I can't thank you enough. I have everything working except the amp meter. I did not try to hook it up tonight.That is tommorows project. I just took it for a ride and it really works! The car had real nice autometer gauges in it but they were in the way and when a friend of mine gave me the gauge cluster I just had to give up the autometers. The oil pressure reads about 6 or 7 pounds less than the auto meter and the temp only goes slightly less than 1/4 up. My car always runs at 180 degrees. I put the correct temp senser in the engine block, Where should 180 be on the stock gauge?

 

[RickD]

I have a 180 thermostat and my gauge is also at 1/4.

------------------
Rick Dorion
69 RS Conv,355,M20,4:10

 

[mccorry]

Ditto here....180 and 1/4

------------------
Steve McCorry - Central Ohio Camaro Club
'69 Camaro RS/SS-350 - Daytona Yellow
'95 Camaro Z-28 - Sebring Silver
click here to see my webpage ---> www.mindspring.com/~mccorry (updated 5/18/01)