How to Install After Market Gauges(S7)

[03-Galant-ES]

I was at Gabes house and in the mail was his S& Gauges so we decided to make a how to.

Start with removing the Tach cover. There are 2 screws on the top of it.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2214.jpg

Dont forget to disconnect the dimmer switch.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2215.jpg

Next there are 4 screws holding the Tach in remove them.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2216.jpg

Disconnect the harnesses one black one white.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2217.jpg

Now its out!
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2218.jpg

Next you want to take the glass and the black plate off. There are clips that hold them in just push them down with a screw driver
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2219.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2220.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2221.jpg

Now take out the litle screws that are holding the faces for the stock gauges
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2222.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2225.jpg

Slide the new gauge over the needle as it suggests in the directions or you can just pop the needle out but be careful to put it back on right.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2227.jpg

Install all the gauges and put the needles back in then screw the gauges down so they stay in place.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2228.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2228.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2229.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2230.jpg

Next you want to feed the wires for the gauges through the housing. We drilled holes for them. Connect them the the inverter provided.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2231.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2232.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2233.jpg

Now you want to throw the faceplate back on and the glass just push them into the clipping spots.

You have to be comfortable with wiring for the next part. We used a voltage tester to see which wires got power when the lights were on. We connected it to the wire in the black harness 3rd in from the right. After you choose the wire by using the tester on the harnesses metal pieces you will want to strip the wire and connect the new wire. Then use electrical tape to seal it off. Find a good bolt to ground it to.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2234.jpg

Then you want to reinstall by putting the 4 screws in and the 2 on the top and voila.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2235.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2236.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2238.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2240.jpg

Haha the newb has a SES from a breather filter get it deleted...
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2237.jpg

Remember if you fuck up your shit its your fault enjoy our information and use it wisely. Ask Gabe for night pics.

[therev]

god im hawt! we did good bro, pretty sure there was no need to start drilling, but it made it fun... lol

edit: The wire you need to tap into is third in from the left. Also try not to move the needles or else they will be somewhat off. Im not sure of a fix for this i kind of played around with it after i actually screwed it up. The thermo is off and the speedo seems to be off aswell...

~Gabe

[03-Galant-ES]

I thought about this on my grueling ride home for 3 hours. Thermo we know its cause it isnt aligned right with the base of it....Or pretty sure. Speedo make sure it isnt rubbing on the gauge it my be rubbing a bit which would explin why it seems to lag and jump

I think we did an awesome job for 2 clueless people that got the gauges and were like sweet lets toss them on...ummm what now? Haha


the gas light works independantly from the gauge so if you are truly low, the light will come on.

also make sure that the needle isn't rubbing on the gauge face. mine tends to rub from time to time but a punch to the dash usually frees it.

from back in the day but it proves my theory that it can rub

[therev]

When i fill my g up ill be sure to move the needle to the top to be sure. And teh Speedo is working fine now :)

~Gabe

[03-Galant-ES]

sweet! How do they look at night did we wire them right or did we pull a "mafia" job?

[therev]

mafia job, they stay on even when the car is off, gotta rewire it...

~Gabe

[03-Galant-ES]

lol we tapped the wrong wire we didnt check to make sur eit didnt get power when car was off

[nyjets985]

wat i did with my s7 gauges to make sure they dont stay on when the car is off is wire them to the fuse panel .. alls i did (and i now its ghetto rigged) is tap the power wire forget the color tho onto the fuse for the cig lighter it goes on when u turn key and off when you turn it off ! !! dont know if thatll help at all

[therev]

Yeah im probably going to do that. The wire is blue and silver i think. I knew i should have done that to start with. Im diong it now ill let you guys know how it turned out

~Gabe

[therev]

Well worked out mint. Wired it straight to the 12v cig lighter. When the car is turned off, there is no power that runs through. So you can wire these gauge's to any wire that will stop power when the car is turned off, (ignition wire) heres a pic! sry its blury

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i81/Therev73/img1239252393666.jpg

~Gabe

[dimushor]

great tut. thanks a lot. will make my s7's asap

[therev]

Sure bro, anything to help out the members, feel free to PM me with any questions you may have

~Gabe

[2002BlackDragon]

Nice. This should help with my AC/Autotechnica Reverse Indiglow Gauges install. Guess we will see.

[LatinoX20]

will connecting it to a remote for an amp work??

[therev]

Connecting it to the amp power cable will, but a remote? like a TV remote i doubt, or are you talking about the boost control switch, yeah that will work

~Gabe

[Proto]

If you check the wiring to the fog switch or climate control you can use a light tester to find out which is hot when you turn on the parking lamps instead of having to wire a separate on/off switch.

Good write up guys!

[03-Galant-ES]

If you check the wiring to the fog switch or climate control you can use a light tester to find out which is hot when you turn on the parking lamps instead of having to wire a separate on/off switch.

Good write up guys!

Thanks proto we just went straight for what had power lol we didnt test with car off the whole install took us newbs like 20 mins it went pretty smoothly except for it starting to snow and the wire mishap

[therev]

Thanks proto, hope everyone is helped by this tutorial

~Gabe

[2002BlackDragon]

Can i get a pic of the final setup for the wiring? I just did my gauges last night and dont want to fuck up the wiring when i go to put them in. Thanks.

[therev]

Ill tell you where to wire it, i picture wont do justice. Behind the guage cluster is a small bolt holding the dashboard. Unbolt that and ground it right there and replace the bolt. Then run the power wire through the back into the back of the radio bezzel. Now remove the trim around your Auto shifter, it will pop right up. Then you will see the crack for the cigarette and the 12v bezel again pop that out. You will see two wires running into the 12v lighter, strip the Blue and white wire and tap the power wire (the red one) into there you are!

~Gabe

[2002BlackDragon]

ok, i will have to try it out. My gauge cluster was a little differ than yours. When i took everything a part, the old gauges where one solid piece. If i remove it then none of the lights would have thier writing, so i just put the new gauges on top of the old ones. Will the old ones shine through?

[03-Galant-ES]

They probably wont shine through because the S7 gauges are a solid piece.

We laid them over his gauges as well.

[QnzMostWanted]

u know u coulda did it without removing the needles right lol

[03-Galant-ES]

yeah we didnt remove needle on all except heat and fuel they were a pain so gabe just ripped it out

[therev]

Yeah i have a short temper...lol Black they will slide right over your gauges. My stock ones are a sold piece too. the light will shine through

~Gabe

[03-Galant-ES]

Yeah i have a short temper...lol Black they will slide right over your gauges. My stock ones are a sold piece too. the light will shine through

~Gabe

Your stocks were 3 separate gauges werent they?...wow i guess i dont remember correctly.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a139/weirdo1808/100_2225.jpg Thats 3 separate pieces bro. The 02-03 gauge cluster i think is one brick.

[2002BlackDragon]

Ok, Im havin some trouble. I have the black wire grounded in the same place you do. I wired the red wire to the cig lighter (blue wire with white stripe) and i am still not getting the new gauges to light up. is the wires differ for an 02 galant? Is the blue and white wire still the hot wire?

[03-Galant-ES]

do you have a tester? Make sure the bolt is exposed metal grind the paint off it.

[2002BlackDragon]

The metal is not painted. Thought i did, but cant seem to find it. What else is a good place to wire it too?

[03-Galant-ES]

I dont know the first one we tried never shut off

Test the wire turn the car on when its dusk and put it in the black harness 3rd from the left just touch the wire to the metal clip. If it lights you know your ground is good if not you need a new ground.

[2002BlackDragon]

Ok, let me go and try that.

[2002BlackDragon]

Ok, heres an update on whats going on. PROCEED WITH THE SHIT TALKING!!! It turns out that since it is really sunny out side, i havent been able to tell that the gauges work just fine. LOL My wife is sitting here laughing and calling me a retard. Thats a noob for ya! Thanks for the help anyway guys.

[ZigenScarface]

or you can fuse it and tap it into the IGN or ACC wire right in the steering coloum which is less then a foot away :eyeroll:

[2002BlackDragon]

Everything looks good now. Waiting till night to get a real good look at it.

[03-Galant-ES]

Hahaha my fiance would laugh at me too if I did that. You gotta cup your hands thats how Gabe and I knew it was lit. Glad it worked out for you haha

[therev]

Yep! GJ shoulda told you that cause i felt dumb after too haha

~Gabe

[run1206]

Very nice writeup guys!!! :D
i didn't put the inverter in my setup, haven't had a problem cept the tachometer gauges are sliding. gotta put better tape on it :oops: :lol:
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u43/run1206/car%20photos/OtherPictures002.jpg

[LatinoX20]

the amp remote cable i ment... if i connect it to the power cable, wont it stay on even after the car is off??

[therev]

yes it will stay on, just use the 12volt bro

~Gabe

[run1206]

yes it will stay on, just use the 12volt bro

~Gabe

x2, that's what i did as well.

[2002BlackDragon]

Yeah, me too. I think it would be the easiest place to tab into. Works great.

[thestig]

looking good buddy.

[LatinoX20]

i'm trying to wire my s7 gauges right now but they are very dim... at first they light up fully for 1 sec then they dim down... i bought it from a member here... and this is wat it came with
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/o0oitzmzjennifer/403911283_1399262734_0.jpg

i dont know where to connect this 2 things... all the white wire connected to the gauges are already connected to the box but i dont know wat to do with with this 2 things

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/o0oitzmzjennifer/403910891_1399261323_0.jpg

[silver01g]

^im having the same problem, mine turn on but they are dim, while im driving they get dimmer and dimmer? the OEM dimmer switch is hooked up and works but the S7 are turned up all the way and its not bright at all?

I dont remember what you have to do or get to get them brighter. someone help me please.

[nyjets985]

i'm trying to wire my s7 gauges right now but they are very dim... at first they light up fully for 1 sec then they dim down... i bought it from a member here... and this is wat it came with
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/o0oitzmzjennifer/403911283_1399262734_0.jpg

i dont know where to connect this 2 things... all the white wire connected to the gauges are already connected to the box but i dont know wat to do with with this 2 things

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/o0oitzmzjennifer/403910891_1399261323_0.jpg


^im having the same problem, mine turn on but they are dim, while im driving they get dimmer and dimmer? the OEM dimmer switch is hooked up and works but the S7 are turned up all the way and its not bright at all?

I dont remember what you have to do or get to get them brighter. someone help me please.

i had to buy a new power supply from speed hut since the one that came with it crapped out on me ! it worked for a few months then no more ... wat did you hook the power supply up 2 maybe thats the problem
the new power supply made them brighter than the original and is much better quality u can tell just by looking at them !

[silver01g]

thats the website i was looking for. couldnt remember the name of the website. i have it hooked up to the OEM dimmer switch itself. i was also told to try the light in the ash tray. but i got the same result from that source when i tried it. i was reading on here that some of the guys used the power from the cigg fuse and used a melt to melt ground on the car. but no one stated if theirs were bright. the only stated that they would come on and turn off with or without key.

[silver01g]

K just looked on SpeedHut, they only have two inverters. a standerd and a upgrade. which do i need?

[stvn_mj]

I read the upgrade inverter is much better.http://www.speedhut.com/product_detail-AUTO_NUMBER-368.htm that's the one that I am getting for my gauges.

[silver01g]

yea i think im gonna with the upgrade, mit as well its just alil more.

[jojo03]

When i had my old gauges i taped into the parking lights wire (Green/white).

[silver01g]

well mine turn on its just that their not bright enough they look like the OEM switch turned all the way down.

[jojo03]

Hook it up to the parking lights and you wont have that problem.

[nyjets985]

yes go with the upgraded one mentioned earlier .. that is the one i just hooked up.. tap into the cig fuse and ground the other wire to the big bolt thats right behind the fuse panel cover..i did this and it worked like a charm... its easy to hide the square box thats the wires run into and to run the wire to the gauges also you can descretly run the dimmer/color inverter switch right under your steering wheel with little of the wire showing good luck if you got any question PM me or something i just installed mine 3 days ago and it works perfect and is much brighter !!

[stvn_mj]

^thanks for that info. Im gonna be installing mine real soon. Im waiting for my inverter to get here.

[silver01g]

Ok, i cant remember what it is you do to get the needles back in play, i got my temp good and i believe gas is ok (just filled up my tank and moved the needle to full), MPH looks ok but its really slow to down speed (help). and the RPM just isnt moving at all (more help)

[silver01g]

ok got everything working but the RPM needle. it doesnt want to move! when i turn on the car it jumps a lil, and when i turn the car off if jumps back down. but thats it.

[nyjets985]

ok got everything working but the RPM needle. it doesnt want to move! when i turn on the car it jumps a lil, and when i turn the car off if jumps back down. but thats it.


hmmm i didnt have this problem when i installed mine, they slid right over with ease but, does it move if you rev the engine in Park? if not try hooking the gauge back up but leave the clear plastic cover on and rev it a lil but give it a boost with your finger? lol but idk this is just a suggestion ?

[silver01g]

ok what ive done:

i turned the car on and rev nuthing
i drove around thinking it would catch but nuthing
i also did the rev with a lil help again nuthing
i put the needle to the redline and hoped it would jump in place when i rev but nuthing
but i did notice when i put the needle in the redline when i turned off the car it would by itself go back to 0.
like i said before i have the needle seating agaisnt the lil needle that seats up on the guages that keeps the needles from going any further, so when i turn on the car it jumps up a lil and stays (nuthing else), when i turn off the car it jumps back down onto the lil needle.
i tried loosen the needle thinking maybe it was on to tight still nuthing
i pushed the needle all the way down as far as it could go thinking it was to loose, again nuthing.

its not a big deal, but you know when you see a problem with your car it bothers you. well its starting to get to me now. i need to fix it.

[nyjets985]

did you take the needles completley off when you put the new face plates on ?

[silver01g]

yes cause i also cleared them while they were off.

[nyjets985]

yes cause i also cleared them while they were off.

ahhh i c ... hmm im out of ideas on how to get them working... g/l let us know how it turns out
!

[silver01g]

well everything works expect for the RPMs, it still doesnt move. i dont know im also clueless.

[nyjets985]

well everything works expect for the RPMs, it still doesnt move. i dont know im also clueless.

any luck man?

[diablos991]

ok what ive done:

i turned the car on and rev nuthing
i drove around thinking it would catch but nuthing
i also did the rev with a lil help again nuthing
i put the needle to the redline and hoped it would jump in place when i rev but nuthing
but i did notice when i put the needle in the redline when i turned off the car it would by itself go back to 0.
like i said before i have the needle seating agaisnt the lil needle that seats up on the guages that keeps the needles from going any further, so when i turn on the car it jumps up a lil and stays (nuthing else), when i turn off the car it jumps back down onto the lil needle.
i tried loosen the needle thinking maybe it was on to tight still nuthing
i pushed the needle all the way down as far as it could go thinking it was to loose, again nuthing.

its not a big deal, but you know when you see a problem with your car it bothers you. well its starting to get to me now. i need to fix it.

I had this problem back in the day of my DSM when I put in some gauges.
I have looked at the back of the Galant speedo and it looks like it might be the same way.

When you removed the gauge from the cluster, was there like 4 holes but only 3 screws? It is commonplace for screws to act as grounds or links to these gauges. Be sure they are installed exactly where they were taken out or else you could have an incomplete circuit.

[silver01g]

ok im lookin at the old gauge clutsher i have and see the 4 screws that you are talking about. Now there are four screws that i see from the back. How do i tell if its a incomplete circuite?

[diablos991]

I just had to try some trial and error when I messed mine up, are there any screw holes with a bronze circle surrounding the hole on the circuit?

[silver01g]

your talking about the four screws in the back right? the MPH and RPM are the only ones that has it. the screws are really close to each other?

[diablos991]

I was asking if there are any screw holes on the back of your cluster that do not have a screw in them.

Screws like these: Notice how they are part of the circuit. The screws conduct electricity just like the pathways you see leading to them.
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m257/diablos991/100_2217.jpg

[silver01g]

yea i counted 12 screws all in place.

[diablos991]

Well damn, there goes my idea.

Is your needle stripped where it attaches? Maybe the inside of it is spinning, but it isn't grabbing the needle.

[silver01g]

ok that mit be a idea! like i said before when i turn on the car the needle jumps and stays, thats it. and when i turn off the car it jumps back down.

the copper line grabs the needle to spin it?

[Galantman03]

so i found these S7 gauges, but just to make sure, the guage cluster isn't different no matter if its the v6 or i4 model correct?

[silver01g]

no it isnt

[stvn_mj]

^any luck with the rpm needle?

[dimushor]

ok,guys! i just finished putting on the s7's. i followed the entire tut. like it was said before,the gauges would stay on even when the car if off. after that i read that i should tap into cig lighter, that is to be done tomorrow. my needles work well, i think. just noticed that before putting on the s7, i had a little less than a full tank, after i put it, i already had more than full. should i try to move the needle manually?

[stvn_mj]

When i installed mine i moved it a bit so i had to move it to where it was. I did it exactly when i had half a tank so i couldnt mess it up.

[dimushor]

When i installed mine i moved it a bit so i had to move it to where it was. I did it extactly when i had half a tank so i couldnt mess it up.

how did u know when u had half a tank?

[stvn_mj]

Well the needle read half a tank before I started installing them.

[polishmafia]

Fill up the gas tank entirely, move the needle to full. Done and done.

[dimushor]

Fill up the gas tank entirely, move the needle to full. Done and done.

will do

[Red_Line]

Fill up the gas tank entirely, move the needle to full. Done and done.

Uh that won't work. It will move back to where it was.You need to take off the needle then move it to full and push on.

Fuel gauges are weird. I didn't do anything to mine other than remove the needle, now it doesn't work right; the needle falls faster than it did before. I know this for a fact, because I checked the resistance between the three prongs of the fuel gauge like it told me in the Service Manual, and the resistance values are off by a lot

[03-Galant-ES]

I will give some of you guys a tip for doing this, let your car sit for an hour then turn on the acc not the car your fuel gauge will show u the value take a picture and install the gauges. After the gauges are done then you can adjust the needle accordingly. That is why it is off for some of you, the car didnt settle first.

[dimushor]

and guys,forgot to mention that when i switch the s7 dimmer to maximal extent, i hear a whistling sound, which actually pisses me off. what can be done about that?


Ill tell you where to wire it, i picture wont do justice. Behind the guage cluster is a small bolt holding the dashboard. Unbolt that and ground it right there and replace the bolt. Then run the power wire through the back into the back of the radio bezzel. Now remove the trim around your Auto shifter, it will pop right up. Then you will see the crack for the cigarette and the 12v bezel again pop that out. You will see two wires running into the 12v lighter, strip the Blue and white wire and tap the power wire (the red one) into there you are!

~Gabe

I took of the autoshifter, and i did not see any wires there!!! may be i should take off the PRND32L thing? or the radio bezel?

[dimushor]

I will give some of you guys a tip for doing this, let your car sit for an hour then turn on the acc not the car your fuel gauge will show u the value take a picture and install the gauges. After the gauges are done then you can adjust the needle accordingly. That is why it is off for some of you, the car didnt settle first.

now it's too late. LOL

[03-Galant-ES]

now it's too late. LOL

I realize, but you should be able to adjust it still, I believe you have to disconnect it first. I had an issue like that when I painted my needles I moved heat and gas.

Oh and the buzzing sound happened in Gabes car too, I think the S7s are kinda cheaply made with the dimmers. The dimmer is not meant to handle the wattage or something. My dining room switch does the same on 100W lightbulbs when we are supposed to have 60W

[dimushor]

I realize, but you should be able to adjust it still, I believe you have to disconnect it first. I had an issue like that when I painted my needles I moved heat and gas.

Oh and the buzzing sound happened in Gabes car too, I think the S7s are kinda cheaply made with the dimmers. The dimmer is not meant to handle the wattage or something. My dining room switch does the same on 100W lightbulbs when we are supposed to have 60W

and what shall i do to stop the buzzing?

[03-Galant-ES]

and what shall i do to stop the buzzing?

wire in a different dimmer or dont put it on full? :) I dont know if Gabe solved it or not.

[dimushor]

i wish i knew where from to take another dimmer from here. i would rather not put it on full

[Red_Line]

and what shall i do to stop the buzzing?

The buzzing is a normal sound produced from the operation of a ballast. There's not much you can do except to insulate the ballast to reduce noise

Also why are you using the cigarette lighter to power the gauges? I used the parking/interior light wire and they come on with parking lights/headlights

[stvn_mj]

I don't have any buzzing sound with my gauges.
So your using the stock dimmer to hook them up right? I used this inverter to get them working properly http://www.speedhut.com/product_detail-AUTO_NUMBER-368.htm
You should look into getting one because I've read that after a while the stock dimmer is not as bright.

[dimushor]

I don't have any buzzing sound with my gauges.
So your using the stock dimmer to hook them up right? I used this inverter to get them working properly http://www.speedhut.com/product_detail-AUTO_NUMBER-368.htm
You should look into getting one because I've read that after a while the stock dimmer is not as bright.
i wrote above that we don't have such dimmers on sale here. and by the way, it started to flicker, when on full.


The buzzing is a normal sound produced from the operation of a ballast. There's not much you can do except to insulate the ballast to reduce noise

Also why are you using the cigarette lighter to power the gauges? I used the parking/interior light wire and they come on with parking lights/headlights

right now i am using the parking lights to power the gauges, but it stays on all the time. guys said that if u tap it into your cig lighter, it will power on only with the ignition key on.

[dimushor]

so what's ur proposal, where should I tap the power wire?

[dimushor]

noone?

[dimushor]

Ill tell you where to wire it, i picture wont do justice. Behind the gauge cluster is a small bolt holding the dashboard. Unbolt that and ground it right there and replace the bolt. Then run the power wire through the back into the back of the radio bezel. Now remove the trim around your Auto shifter, it will pop right up. Then you will see the crack for the cigarette and the 12v bezel again pop that out. You will see two wires running into the 12v lighter, strip the Blue and white wire and tap the power wire (the red one) into there you are!

~Gabe

i tried today to tap it to the cigarette lighter!!!i took off the auto shifter and tried to pop it out and i couldn't do it. is it the stuff with the ashtray and the two cig lighters?

[troubled4g64t]

wheni did my wife car s i picked up a jumper at autozonethat pluged in the fuse box it tapped and spliced a fuse and put a seperate line to run power to the gauges no cuting required then just had to ground it much easier.
\

[dimushor]

guys, is it posible to take out the dimmer? to put the gauges at a certain value and then take off the dimmer? cause my dimmer: 1) it buzzes and then, sometimes the light on the gauges flickers, and i stop it only by turning off and then turning back on!!!

[troubled4g64t]

and as far as the fuel gauge being off I fixed my wife's buy filling the car waiting until the gauge went as far up as i could go and the setting the needle to F did that like 2 years ago and has worked fine ever since.

[Corey2kG]

Theres really no details about what wires to tap just the 3rd to the right or left that dont help. If anybody ekse got input or pics would be great.


EDIT: I wired up everything.