How-To: Installing Oil Pressure and Volt Gauges
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How-To: Installing Oil Pressure and Volt Gauges
How-To: Installing Electric Oil Pressure and Volt Gauges
___________________________________________________
basic tools needed:
16 or 18 gauge wire ( I used 16)
Wire cutters
Sharp pocket knife, or similar item
Female connectors
Some O-ended connectors
Haynes manual (optional for wiring diagrams)
Various Screwdrivers
Pliers or crimpers
Lighter
Heat Shrink Tubing
Scissors
Oil Pressure Gauge Socket
3/8 Tee Connector all females
3/8 to 3/8 connector
3/8 to 1/8 adaptor for sensor
Yellow Tefflon Tape
Time to do it right
___________________________________________________
First the A-Pillars need to be removed. Be careful, as I broke a clip on my passenger side one. They just snap off.
Next the dash needs to come off. Four screws total, 2 on the sides, and 2 in the vent on the top.
Remove the dash and set somewhere aside until ready to re-asssemble. I did not have the extra connector as mentioned in another post.
The next few steps can be done in any orders, but is basically all wiring. I first measured and cut all my wires to correct lenghts and put the connectors on all of them.
I used heat shrink connectors from advance auto, and O-ended connectors.
I took some advice from the instructions and installed a 4 amp fuse on the ignition wire for both gauges.
For the gauge lighting, I tapped into the solid orange wire. This wire allows the gauges to be dimmed. (LED's will not dim as much, at least with my Phantom II gauges) I stripped the wire, but not actually severed it.
I then wrapped the other wires around it.
For the oil pressure Ignition On power, I just tapped into the Yellow/Red wire on the top of the dash near the cluster.
For the volt gauge wire, I tapped into the cig. lighter wire, black/small red stripe. This was the closest actual voltage I could find. I tapped into 3 wires with my multimeter and those were all .10 volts lower than the cig. lighter wire. I had to run the wire all the way down to the cig. lighter because I could not find the wire anywhere else but down here (also can't seem to find the cig. lighter in the haynes wiring diagram)
View from back of an electric Phantom II gauge
GND for ground, I for Ignition, S for the sender, and then the lighting.
Total I have
2 LED power cables
2 Ignition/Acc on power switches, one for the Oil gauge and one for volts
4 grounds, one for each of the gauges, and the other 2 for the LED lighting grounds (or actual lightbulb)
1 Sender cable to the engine compartment to hook up to the aftermarket oil pressure sender
Lots of wires
Picture of where I hooked up the grounds by the fuse box
Cleaned up a lil bit, and wires into the pillars once put together. They pull a lil tighter and nicer. Just make sure you have a little slack to work with. (doesn't look "clean" in pics, but wiring is held together and underelectrical tape in stock harness)
Gauge lit up
Here you can see 2 of the 4 small platic buttons that old the pillar pod in place. The other two are at the top.
Another view to show how flush it fits
Misc pictures of install. Note my oil gauge sender is not hooked up in these pictures.
Car raised
(Folgers was to catch the "cup" of oil that come out when you pull the sensor. To bad mine was only a small dribble)
The wire for the oil pressure sender runs through a grommet in the firewall with all the other wires.
The stock oil sender has a green plug on it (on my 03)
Installing the sender can be a pain. It's not rocket science, but the location makes it hard. First I made sure all my connections are very tight and wrapped with tefflon tape. All of my connections have at least 3 loops.
The first 3/8 to 3/8 I wrapped both sides and screwed it in the block, very tight.
Next I connected the aftermarket sender to the tee fitting. If you do not do this, it will be extremely hard to tighten the Tee to the 3/8 to 3/8 adaptor. Reason for doing this is to use the sender to screw in the Tee.
I then screwed the tee in along with the sender, using the sender to turn it.
Now for the hard part. Getting the Tee facing straight up, you need to put in the stock sensor. First get it as tight as possible with your hand. The you NEED to get an open end wrench big enough and tighten it more. If you don't, you have a high risk of a leak. (talking up to 100 lbs of pressure here) It took me 2 hours just for this one sensor to get it very tight. (had to use adjustible wrench, pain, and also phone ringing about 10 times while under the car. lol)
Picture of sender assembled on block, best I could get.
Here is a picture, but instead of the hose going out at the top, the stock sender goes there, and the aftermarket straight out.
NOTE: Not my picture. Credit to Jonnymopar
Location of sender:
NOTE: Not my picture. Credit to ???
Once you take an actual look and attempt to tackle this job yourselfs, it really isnt that hard. I have taken advice from the site though which helped out some Hope this helps you.
___________________________________________________
basic tools needed:
16 or 18 gauge wire ( I used 16)
Wire cutters
Sharp pocket knife, or similar item
Female connectors
Some O-ended connectors
Haynes manual (optional for wiring diagrams)
Various Screwdrivers
Pliers or crimpers
Lighter
Heat Shrink Tubing
Scissors
Oil Pressure Gauge Socket
3/8 Tee Connector all females
3/8 to 3/8 connector
3/8 to 1/8 adaptor for sensor
Yellow Tefflon Tape
Time to do it right
___________________________________________________
First the A-Pillars need to be removed. Be careful, as I broke a clip on my passenger side one. They just snap off.
Next the dash needs to come off. Four screws total, 2 on the sides, and 2 in the vent on the top.
Remove the dash and set somewhere aside until ready to re-asssemble. I did not have the extra connector as mentioned in another post.
The next few steps can be done in any orders, but is basically all wiring. I first measured and cut all my wires to correct lenghts and put the connectors on all of them.
I used heat shrink connectors from advance auto, and O-ended connectors.
I took some advice from the instructions and installed a 4 amp fuse on the ignition wire for both gauges.
For the gauge lighting, I tapped into the solid orange wire. This wire allows the gauges to be dimmed. (LED's will not dim as much, at least with my Phantom II gauges) I stripped the wire, but not actually severed it.
I then wrapped the other wires around it.
For the oil pressure Ignition On power, I just tapped into the Yellow/Red wire on the top of the dash near the cluster.
For the volt gauge wire, I tapped into the cig. lighter wire, black/small red stripe. This was the closest actual voltage I could find. I tapped into 3 wires with my multimeter and those were all .10 volts lower than the cig. lighter wire. I had to run the wire all the way down to the cig. lighter because I could not find the wire anywhere else but down here (also can't seem to find the cig. lighter in the haynes wiring diagram)
View from back of an electric Phantom II gauge
GND for ground, I for Ignition, S for the sender, and then the lighting.
Total I have
2 LED power cables
2 Ignition/Acc on power switches, one for the Oil gauge and one for volts
4 grounds, one for each of the gauges, and the other 2 for the LED lighting grounds (or actual lightbulb)
1 Sender cable to the engine compartment to hook up to the aftermarket oil pressure sender
Lots of wires
Picture of where I hooked up the grounds by the fuse box
Cleaned up a lil bit, and wires into the pillars once put together. They pull a lil tighter and nicer. Just make sure you have a little slack to work with. (doesn't look "clean" in pics, but wiring is held together and underelectrical tape in stock harness)
Gauge lit up
Here you can see 2 of the 4 small platic buttons that old the pillar pod in place. The other two are at the top.
Another view to show how flush it fits
Misc pictures of install. Note my oil gauge sender is not hooked up in these pictures.
Car raised
(Folgers was to catch the "cup" of oil that come out when you pull the sensor. To bad mine was only a small dribble)
The wire for the oil pressure sender runs through a grommet in the firewall with all the other wires.
The stock oil sender has a green plug on it (on my 03)
Installing the sender can be a pain. It's not rocket science, but the location makes it hard. First I made sure all my connections are very tight and wrapped with tefflon tape. All of my connections have at least 3 loops.
The first 3/8 to 3/8 I wrapped both sides and screwed it in the block, very tight.
Next I connected the aftermarket sender to the tee fitting. If you do not do this, it will be extremely hard to tighten the Tee to the 3/8 to 3/8 adaptor. Reason for doing this is to use the sender to screw in the Tee.
I then screwed the tee in along with the sender, using the sender to turn it.
Now for the hard part. Getting the Tee facing straight up, you need to put in the stock sensor. First get it as tight as possible with your hand. The you NEED to get an open end wrench big enough and tighten it more. If you don't, you have a high risk of a leak. (talking up to 100 lbs of pressure here) It took me 2 hours just for this one sensor to get it very tight. (had to use adjustible wrench, pain, and also phone ringing about 10 times while under the car. lol)
Picture of sender assembled on block, best I could get.
Here is a picture, but instead of the hose going out at the top, the stock sender goes there, and the aftermarket straight out.
NOTE: Not my picture. Credit to Jonnymopar
Location of sender:
NOTE: Not my picture. Credit to ???
Once you take an actual look and attempt to tackle this job yourselfs, it really isnt that hard. I have taken advice from the site though which helped out some Hope this helps you.
Last edited by danman132x on Fri Sep 19, 2008 2:45 am, edited 6 times in total.
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looks pretty good. ill be doing my volt gauge tomorrow if i can get my stupid package from fedex, but more likely it will be on thursday.
-Frank
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- BlackRoseRacing
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ah thanks ... been wondering how they fasten ... got a bunch of guages lying around ... but never ordered the cover because when i call about it ... no one can tell me how it mounts up and when someone does a how-to .. they never include pics about it.spencersummerfield wrote:i believe it goes on top of the existing and you dril small holes threw both and black tabs hold it on like a cover.
that way it colour matchs the interior... at least thats how mine worked/
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I will be editiing it a little before. A couple of more pictures and some more wording detail. I did it last night just before bed, so I know I can improve a few points. Thanks
The full pod pillar is overtop of the factory one. It does not have the clips to hold it in place, but it holds up very well.
The full pod pillar is overtop of the factory one. It does not have the clips to hold it in place, but it holds up very well.
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Do you have the wiring diagram from the gauge? There might be a need to run 12V to a battery source instead of an ignition-on source. Kinda like if you wired your radio memory to ignition. It would remember the stations as long as the key was on instead of all the time.Supermanneon wrote:I got my guages install and everything..but i have 1 gripe...their reactive gauges and they have multi colors you can pick from...but for some reason it doesnt save when i turn the car off..everytime i turn it on i have to set them. Whats wrong??
Jon J.
2003 Neon SXT - new home, new owner. Thanks for everything, old friend.
1989 Daytona ES - 2.4L/A555 swapped
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Like JonnyMopar said, if you want to keep the color the same, you have to wire it to a constant source. When the power is cut, you loose the preset. Basically like the radio. If you cut the power, all your stations are gone. The wire I used is a switched source (dash lights etc)
I'm not familiar with your brand of gauges though.
I'm not familiar with your brand of gauges though.
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Video of the oil pressure gauge in action. I know, really late, but it shows that an electrical gauge is responsive. Everything still working great with my set-up too
http://youtube.com/watch?v=l2Pi7ewwd_U
http://youtube.com/watch?v=l2Pi7ewwd_U
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I'd also like to add since I dont' see it anywhere...
00-02 you don't HAVE to do the T-Fitting as you won't throw any codes and the oil light will not come on. Your oil light just won't come on if you get low on oil and by then you're probably screwed already since the pressure drop has to get pretty damn low in order for the light to kick on.
03+ you will need to do the T-Fitting since without hte stock sender you will throw a code for it not being there and possibly run into limp mode.
00-02 you don't HAVE to do the T-Fitting as you won't throw any codes and the oil light will not come on. Your oil light just won't come on if you get low on oil and by then you're probably screwed already since the pressure drop has to get pretty damn low in order for the light to kick on.
03+ you will need to do the T-Fitting since without hte stock sender you will throw a code for it not being there and possibly run into limp mode.
-Jason
Black '02 Neon R/T | White '02 Neon R/T - SRT-4 Engine Swap
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Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value. - Albert Einstein
Black '02 Neon R/T | White '02 Neon R/T - SRT-4 Engine Swap
^^^ no, that isn't what I look like haha
Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value. - Albert Einstein
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Sure will. It doesn't matter whether you have a mechanical one or an electric one.
I wasn't even sure I needed the stock sender when I did mine, but I wanted to keep it there no matter what. It's kinda tight back there, but there's room.
I wasn't even sure I needed the stock sender when I did mine, but I wanted to keep it there no matter what. It's kinda tight back there, but there's room.
Jon J.
2003 Neon SXT - new home, new owner. Thanks for everything, old friend.
1989 Daytona ES - 2.4L/A555 swapped
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Trust me, you won't break brass unless you do it on purpose. Your oil pressure rarely, if ever, gets as high as 80psi. Brass pipe fittings are usually rated somewhere between 1000psi and 3000psi. If you read about someone breaking a brass pipe fitting, it's more than likely because they tightened it to a ridiculous degree.
Jon J.
2003 Neon SXT - new home, new owner. Thanks for everything, old friend.
1989 Daytona ES - 2.4L/A555 swapped
Official "I'm Going To Drive My Neon Until Jerry Buys It" Club Member #11