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JAMIEPACURN
01-27-2013, 05:33 PM
I'm in the process of hooking up my glowshift gauges (boost, oil temperature, and water temperature) and needing some help. The instructions are telling me to hook up the red wire to a 12 volt ignition source. I have the all 3 gauges wired to the fuse panel IGN1. All the gauges turn on when I turn my ignition on but I don't want my gauges to be lit up during the day time!!!! Will the gauges work if I hooked them up to the "tail light fuse"????? I'm thinking they would turn on when I turn the head lights on but not sure if the gauges would function properly by wiring them up that way.

Furthermore, the instructions are telling me to connect the orange wire to the headlight switch so that I can dim the gauges at night. Any idea what color of wire I would be connecting this orange wire to????

Keller
01-29-2013, 10:09 AM
I believe I have my gauge lights connected to "INST LPS" , which will only be hot when the instruments lamps or on. That would be in conjunction with the parking lights or headlights.

Mine also dim with the dash lights. Not sure if I have them wired to the fuse or tapped off a circuit the lights are fed from after the panel dimmer. Have a feeling its the latter...

JAMIEPACURN
01-29-2013, 03:11 PM
I was curious if you pull your fuse if your headlights remain on since you have them wired to your "instr LPS" fuse???? I pulled about every fuse in the panel and my headlights always remained on so makes me wonder if they are even wired up correctly or not.

Keller
01-30-2013, 02:20 AM
Headlights go through a relay. And if you have the auto light package, there is another sensor involved. They are NOT wired through the INST LPS fuse.

JAMIEPACURN
02-02-2013, 11:48 PM
I connected my gauges to the instrumet LPS panel but my gauges didn't even turn on as if they were not even getting power. When I turned my lights on the gauges didn't even light up so I hooked the red wire back to the IGN in the panel. My gauges work properly but would prefer not to have them all lit up during the day. What can I wire the gauges to in the fuse panel that will keep the gauge lights off and yet still function???????

Keller
02-03-2013, 11:15 AM
The "INST LPS" circuit.

Not trying to be an ass, but that is what that circuit does. If your dash lights work correctly, verify they are on that circuit by pulling the fuse. Also, be sure you are tapping the correct side of that fuse. and find a dash light wire to see that it is working correctly.

If the other dash lights don't work, the headlight switch or wiring might be messed up. The correct circuit offers the correct behavior, plus dimming via the switch.

JAMIEPACURN
02-03-2013, 07:06 PM
Mr. Keller,


With all due respect, I wish I could report to you that I'm a master electrician which is the farthest from the truth and I will be the first to admit that fact. I know just enough to be dangerous........lol Actually, for me even getting my gauges installed and working was a big accomplishment for me considering I saved myself a lot of money from paying some mechanic to do the job. I actually enjoyed doing this project while taking my time doing the wiring part of it right by using solder for connections, heat shrink tubing, and wire ties making it nice and neat. Now, with that all said perhaps I'm confusing the "LPS circuitry" with the "LPS fuse" in the fuse box panel. It sounds like I need to find a "hot wire" of some sort that leads into the fuse box and wire my red wire directly with that hot wire that is on the LPS circuit. What I did was I removed the 5 amp fuse from the LPS inst panel and installed a fuse pigtail wire (adaptor) where I could put the 5 amp fuse in the adaptor and install my red wire (The Power wire from the gauges) into the pig tail part of the adaptor. When I did this the gauges would not light up or even come on when the dash lights came on.

I appreciate all the information for you and Ken have really answered my questions. I'm sorry for not being an electrician so please bare with me. I'm learning a lot about these cars and still have lots to learn. I respect your knowledge base very much. You have been very helpful!


Thank you,


Jamie

Keller
02-04-2013, 12:13 AM
With all due respect, I wish I could report to you that I'm a master electrician which is the farthest from the truth and I will be the first to admit that fact.
Hey, I'm not an electrical engineer, either. However, looking at the factory schematics helps trace things down.
Actually, for me even getting my gauges installed and working was a big accomplishment for me considering I saved myself a lot of money from paying some mechanic to do the job. I actually enjoyed doing this project while taking my time doing the wiring part of it right by using solder for connections, heat shrink tubing, and wire ties making it nice and neat.
And learned a lot in the process, I'm sure!
What I did was I removed the 5 amp fuse from the LPS inst panel and installed a fuse pigtail wire (adaptor) where I could put the 5 amp fuse in the adaptor and install my red wire (The Power wire from the gauges) into the pig tail part of the adaptor. When I did this the gauges would not light up or even come on when the dash lights came on.
So you used something like http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/DOR4/85606.oap?ck=Search_fuse+tap_-1_-1&keyword=fuse+tap or http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Cooper-Bussmann-ATM-fuse-tap/_/N-255s?itemIdentifier=32416 ?

- Did you install the original fuse in the tap, as well as a fuse in the other side of the tap (if it is type in the second link I posted)?

- If you disconnect the fuse(s), do the OEM dash lights go out? (When the headlights are on...)

- I do have a suspicion that the tap, particularly the plastic one, has "sides", and can be installed "backwards". (Or in the case of the metal one, be on the wrong leg of the fuse.) Don't know if you have a voltmeter or not, but that might help you chase down the issues.

- You mentioned a 5A fuse. That is what is used for the INST LPS circuit. Are you sure you are working with that circuit, and not another circuit?

This diagram might help: http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/images/wiring_images/bulkhead_fusebox.jpg

JAMIEPACURN
02-04-2013, 03:04 AM
Here is a picture of the device I used. So I connected the black plastic fuse into the instr LPS fuse slot than placed one 5 amp fuse into the the side that allows you to hold 2 fuses. When I inserted this into the fuse panel the side port had the 5amp fuse hanging down so after reading your post maybe I was installing the darn thing in backwards. I'm positive I'm working on the right circuit because it does say the instr LPS takes a 5 amp fuse even though the previous owner had a 10amp fuse going into it. So what I will do is try and installing it the other way and see what happens. See, you already taught me something that I didn't even think of. Hopefully, that will take care of that whole problem. Oh by the way, thank you for that wiring diagram!!! What manual did you get that out of??? The only book I have is the 1986-1987 BUICK TURBO REGALS ENGINE BOOK written by Peter Hoffman. Did you get that out of a Haynes type of service manual????

Keller
02-04-2013, 09:13 AM
- The diagram is off this site, and all those diagrams come from the GM Service Manual for (presumably) the 1987 model year Buick cars. You can't get those anymore, I believe. Though sometimes used ones come up for sale. There are source that sell DVDs with the manual scanned as well. That manual set, and the 44W parts books, are like gold for diagnosis and replacement of parts.

- The Haynes manual is worthless for these cars.

- Do you have a volt/ohm meter?

- Not sure if I read things right, but did you use two fuses (one in each slot) of the holder? One is for the new circuit, one is for the OEM circuit.

JAMIEPACURN
02-04-2013, 12:56 PM
Yes I have a volt meter. I did not put two fuses on the side ports. I was just using one 5amp fuse but sounds like I needed to put 2 5amp fuses into the side port. Perhaps that was why my gauges never came on. I will try putting in two fuses into the side port and give that a try. Amazing how things won't work if you don't complete the circuitry........lol Thank you for your help!!!!