Clueless as to wiring my gauges and n20 up

[90_Red_LX]

I'll admit I've never done wiring before, never studied it, so I'm completly lost when it comes to doing this type of stuff other than connecting the same colored wires together and crimp em.

I have a triple gauge pod on my a-pillar, n20 pressure, air/fuel, and fuel pressure. It says I need a 12v power source, what would be the best ones to tap into? Or do I need to run em into the fuse block?

Dad knows how to do this, and I've talked to him but he works over 12 hours a day at the shop and I'd hate to eat all his free time doing something that I know I can figure out; also I really would like to get this down so I can add something else under my belt.

Anyone have any basic guides or anything that might help me understand better? I have a feeling this is a lot simpler than I'm making it out to be. I just don't want to overload something and watch my car burn down with as much time and money I've put in the thing. Thanks.

 

[HISSIN50]

For the power supply, you can use almost anything that has 12 volts in the run position. Or use the igniton wire (in the column) for cranking and run power.

For lighting, fuse 13 is on the dimmer circuit.

For both circuits, add a small fuse (I use 1-3 amp fuses, depending upon the application) so that if any of your wiring is bad, the fuse you added should blow without taking the donor circuit's fuse out.



We could write volumes about each gauge install. Much is covered in old threads so post up specific questions you have (to keep extraneous replies to a minimum).

Good luck.

 

[redneck15431]

Well I am an electrician, and an Electrical Engineer major..so I can help ya out here. The gauges should come with a wiring schematic. If you follow the schematic then it will make your wiring experience so much easier. It's hard to explain the symbols on the schematic just by typing in there since I can't type out those types of symbols but I'm going to try and attach an image and label them for you to help you out and get you started. I'm not even sure how to attach an image on here but I'll figure out something. A really good place to wire from is right from the solenoid. I have wired things straight from the battery with an inline fuse, but I personally wouldn't reccommend that. I try not to mess with the battery too much. You can also wire things to the fuse box. I think it really doesn't matter, just as long as you end up with a fused, complete circuit. Use fuses for EVERYTHING you wire on a vehicle.

Another thing to keep in mind is the type of wire and gauge wire you use. The instructions may or may not tell you what gauge wire to use, and how big of a fuse to use. The larger the gauge wire, the smaller the wire conductor itself is. The smaller number gauge, the larger the wire. It's important to keep that in mind, since different gauges of wire handle different amounts of Amperage (current). If the instructions says to use a minimum #16 gauge wire, I go with 14 or 12 to be on the safe side. Also, make sure you use stranded wire, which is the braided together kind, instead of the solid. It's so much easier to work with due to it's flexibility in these types of applications. I'm going to try to find a schematic that I can label and post on here.

 

[90_Red_LX]

Thanks. My big issue I think is I'm scared of turning the whole project into a hack which I'm sure can happen really quick with wiring, and it would just eat me up if that happened.

 

[HISSIN50]

You do not want to wire them from the battery or solenoid because the gauges will be hot at all times. This creates additional parasitic draw.

Most gauges require but 18 AWG wire (their draw is nominal). There's no need to jump sizes unless your wires will be 30 feet long. Autometer (for instance) has PDF instructions on their site as I recall.

Good luck.

 

[redneck15431]

Here is a schematic of a car charger. Just a simple schematic that shows you what different symbols and things mean. I don't mean to confuse you, but just basically ignore the voltage source coming from the transformer. The 12V battery is the destination, not the source as I labeled it. But in your case, the 12V battery will be the source. If I could find my book with all the schematic symbols in it, then I would scan it and post it on here, but I think it's upstairs and I don't want to make a bunch of noise while everyone is in bed...lol. If you need more just let me know and I'll be glad to help ya out.
Good Luck man.