Thread: I need some gauges help!

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I am in need of some assistance with hooking up gauges on my 69 el camino

I recently bought a 1969 Super Sport Tachometer & Gauges from OPGI and when I went to install it with Painless wiring I kind of got confused...

Ive put this photo of the back of the gauges together with my questions.

Thanks in advance and I will try to answer any questions that may show up here!!!!

Here is a copy of the gauges wiring from Painless, fairly straightforward...if you know where the connection points are!!!

Well, an Ohm meter would help you determine the grounds... Might want to check out some of the electrical schematics available on line for your Elky...Try a google search, I've had good luck researching for wiring schematics, just takes a bit of time to come up with a decent wiring diagram and wade through all the bs that pops up while you're searching... There's also a couple companies on eBay that advertise complete schematics...never have bought one, not sure of their quality but you might want to consider one of them.....

Thanks Dave!

Use the ohm meter, Doh! Too darn obvious! Great idea!

But if anyone else has any suggestions...I am ready for them!

The black wire that you have hooked on the left side, in my opinion, should go where you want to hook up the tach because as far as I can tell from the picture that is an extension of the ground buss bar.

On the right hand side of your picture, you call out an ammeter; is that correct?, or is it actually a voltmeter? Seems to me that by '69, it should be a voltmeter; I can't remember for certain. If it is indeed an ammeter, DO NOT GROUND IT; you will be making a dead short, and may start a fire, or at least kill your battery and alternator. A voltmeter, on the other hand, reads from pos. to grd., and should have a post marked that way.

Hi,
I went to the Original Parts Group website to look at a picture of the front of your guages. It is a 5 guage cluster with the center being a Tach. The other guages at the top moving clockwise as you are looking at it is Fuel (Gasoline), Temp, Oil Pressure, and Battery. So my first observation is that you mentioned an Ammeter but it is not. It is a voltmeter - Good for you as you do NOT want an Ammeter.

You likely are feeding battery (i.e. voltage meter) part of the guage just by the B+ used for all of the guages. The B+ is a common copper buss similar (but in the center of your cluster) to your ground buss which is routed around the right edge of the guage, as you accurately pointed out. The B+ all connects to a Tab that is the left one of the three near your "F" label.

It looks like the center tab near label "F" is actually your Ground tab. If you look closely to that, it appears that a copper line runs up under the "F" guage connecting it to the Ground Buss. You have this one with an arrow on it labeled TACH in your picture.

My best guess.... is that your Tach is the Brown Wire with the black connector on it.
Hope this helps... it would be nice to see this in person to get a better feel for it but Florida is a bit far.
Jerome

Rrumbler; Whoa, I keep on showing my age (or ignorance)...Voltmeter it is!!!

NTFDAY; I think that you are right, that wire was connected to the gauge cluster when I bought it.

MRJB1929; After looking at it closely I agree that the center tab must be the ground, the F block is actually raised over the copper bus. You are probably right on the brown wire with black connector since I had originally marked it Tach (can not remember why. Then the green wire must be for the temp gauge? And for the voltmeter, just the B+ to the on the left side of that trio of tabs. That just leaves the fuel gauge sender so it must be on the right side tab of the trio!!

By the way, you might want to save that visit to FLA for sometime in say...January. By that time you will certainly be ready for some warm weather! We can go for a cruise by then (I HOPE).

How about that bolt/nut just over the O? I have run our of connections so that must not be for anything...Here is an updated photo with my understanding of your comments.

Thanks again for all of your assistance!!!

The nut/bolt over the "O" is the ground buss as is the one over the "F"

The "Nothing" bolt is actually the B+ for your Voltmeter guage. So, yes, I think you have everything identified. Now your Painless wiring should make a lot more sense.
Jerome

Ooops, nothing is what I would do at the voltmeter since the B+ connection will take care of the voltmeter!

Muchas Gracias!