Gauge Lights
Wiring Your Gauge Backlights To Your Parking Lights
Original Write Up By wcbcruzer
If you don't want to "ghetto rig" your gauge lights by sticking the pos wire into a fuse, you can try this method. This will allow your gauge lights to turn on with your parking lights.
Take the headlight switch out:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/wcbcruzer/1-2.jpg
Looking directly at the switch as if it were still in the dash, rotate it 90 degrees clockwise. Now look at where all the wires are attached. You want to splice the black w/ yellow stripe wire:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/wcbcruzer/2-2.jpg
I soldered some 18 gauge wire to it, wrapped it up in black tape, and put a zip tie on to hold the tape from coming off over time:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/wcbcruzer/3-1.jpg
Finished product:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/wcbcruzer/4-1.jpg
What I'm going to do now is run the other end of the wire I soldered to a relay, which would be connected directly to the pos. battery terminal. Then I could run up to 30 amps off that sucker to power whatever I need when I turn the parking lights on.
You don't have to attach it to a relay like I did. Just wire your gauge lights in parallel to that wire (and ground the other gauge light wire of course).
It does get a little tight trying to solder wires in there. A helper might make things go a little faster. I just shoved some needle nose pliers underneath the wire to keep all the other wires from getting in the way. Soldering is probably not even necessary, but I like things permanent. Finally, I highly recommend you DO NOT completely cut the black/yellow-stripe wire. Just take some of the insulation off with a razor. If you do cut it, have fun trying to bring them back together.
Update: Ok, so I took a look at the back of the switch again and this is what I found. If you want your gauge lights to dim with the rotation of the headlight switch, then tap into the wire circled in BLUE, not red. Red if you're going to run it to a relay, and blue if you're going to run it straight to your gauges so they dim.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/wcbcruzer/2a.jpg
--Iker42 00:53, 10 July 2007 (EDT)
