Please help, informed guage wiring questions...

[2Liter]

Okay, First off, I greatly appreciate any help given to me.

I bought the autometer A/F ratio guage, and Voltmeter. Im going to try and wire them myself, so I bought the "Ford Contour & Mercury Mystique 1995-2000 Haynes repair manual"

First question:
The diagram that came with the guages shows I have to tap into the wire leading from the oxygen sensor to the ECU. So I studied the "Engine Management- Sensor Inputs Diagram (Page 12-28)", and it shows that the wire leading from the oxygen sensor to the ECU is white. I think this is the wire I want to tap into For the air/fuel ratio guage, Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong. [Answered]

Second question:
Which wire on the ignition switch should I tap into for power to the guages? And can I tap both guages into the wire without draining power from something? [Answered]

Third question:
Cant find anything about the 12v dash lighting, so can somebody tell me how to light these suckers up?

Fourth question:
Where is a good ground for the guages?[Answered]


Again, Thanks for any help. Im trying to do this as much as I can by myself, because I think it would be a shame to have somebody else put stuff on your car and not learn anything for yourself... Thanks guys... -Nate

[RodneyBur]

Try a ford repair manual on cd. They are better than haynes and are used by ford technicians (as far as I have heard.)

[EllenD]

The ignition wire for the power is the large red one, the yellow one is the accesory power to the ignition. You can tap the red one easily and you shouldn't have a power problem. To ground the guages (and you want a good ground so there's no flickering) just find a metal screw/bolt under the dash and use a piggy-back to ground the wire under the screw. This will give you a good strong ground, rather than tapping into a ground wire already there.

[mcon99]

check out the APEXI install (http://www.dj-beertap.com/pictures/car/apexi.pdf) how-to on my website


the signal wire for the A/F gauge is the last one in the table...Pin 87.. thats the one you want to tap.

[caenus]

For my trans temp gauge I tapped the 12v line that was going to my radio. Decided not to mess with the ignition one.

[2Liter]

Ok, thanks guys, I appreciate the help. I might still have some questions later though.