Autometer Gauge Wiring. What gauge?

[latham83]

Hey Im getting a oil pressure, water temp, and volts gauges from autometer..all electrical 2 5/8 for the gauge cage...they are coming on tuesday but i wanted to pick up the wire tomorow..i downloaded the instructions from autometers website and i think it says to use 18 gauge for the power and ground and 18 Gauge Twin conductor just for the senders themselves...is this true??
would lowes have this stuff? any special kind? thanks guys

 

[mike93lx]

you need to get multistranded wire and it never hurts to go thicker.

if you need to make any splices, solder them, and cover them in heat shrink. radio shack will have small spools of primary wire in different colors, plus anything else you need to take care of it. for the twin conductor wire, take two equal length pieces of primary wire, put one end in a bench vise, the other in the chuck of a drill. spin them tightly and they will never come apart. that way you can buy just two spools of wire (probably red and black) and be able to do everything

 

[latham83]

so if i got like 16 gauge here that would be fine?? its not too much for the gauge?
i think they reccomend 18..what did everyone else do?

 

[BlackFox5.0]

Thier minimum is 18g, the biggest you should go is 14g. 16 is fine, your only powering a light bulb (if they are mechanical) even if they are electrical, it's not like oyur pulling massive amounts of amperage.

16g is more than enough.

 

[latham83]

so for all my senders i gotta use twin conductor though right...what guage in that..16 or 18..doesnt matter?
can i tie the grounds for the light bulbs and the the main gauge themselves all together?
also wheres an EASY place for me to tap into for lighting the bulb..and for the ignition wires?

 

[jrichker]

Either 16 or 18 gauge will work fine. The current draw of the electrical instruments and gauge lighting is so low that 18 gauge is more than enough. The advantage of the 18 gauge is that it is slightly more flexible. What is more important is that the wire insulation be able to stand the heat of the engine compartment. Look for insulation that is rated at 150 degrees Centigrade or better.

 

[latham83]

alright i gotcha....thanks man...so 16 or 18 for all the power and lighting, but JUST twin conductor for the senders 16 or 18....and all should be rated for high temp...150* C or better...right?

 

[jrichker]

alright i gotcha....thanks man...so 16 or 18 for all the power and lighting, but JUST twin conductor for the senders 16 or 18....and all should be rated for high temp...150* C or better...right?

You got it...

 

[latham83]

hey man before you leave lol...i can wire stuff up pretty good cause i went to school for it but im just wondering...where the BEST place to tie all these wires off at..since im using the gauge cage..i thought that it would be ALOT cleaner if i just routed ALL the wires out the firewall and then found places for them...can all the grounds from light bulbs and the gauge itself be tied all together somewhere? like on the block....For tapping into the igntion wiring..wheres the best place to do that? can i hook them up to the starter relay? which nut on there would u put it under though...i think theres 3 i forget..

 

[ebby69k]

You can get all your power right inside the car. Why would you need to go the starter? Tap into the radio wires.

 

[latham83]

yea but thats 3 guages each one having power for the lights and the gauge them selves..
so its its 6 grounds...3 wires taping into ignition, and 3 for lighting power...and 2 for the senders which get routed out through the firewall..
i can tap all those wires into the radio harness?? wont that overload something?!
where would i tap into it ..what area...before or after the wiring harness for the head unit i have

 

[jrichker]

The gauges draw very little current, maybe 1/4 amp each. Using a common ground inside the car is OK as long as you know that the engine to chassis ground on the back of the engine block is good. If you have a 3G alternator, you need a 4 gauge ground wire from the engine block to the chassis ground up next to the battery.