flashfoto
08-25-2007, 01:55 AM
This thread will cover a step by step "how to" of my recent Prosport Mechanical Boost Gauge install. It was pretty simple but takes time. So be patient when performing this or any install.
Ok... let's get started.
Let's start under the hood and work our way in. Here is the boost gauge vacuum line with "T" already attached:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2270/2278337347_df2431fe3a_o.jpg
Here we see the correct tube to splice the vacuum "T" into. It is the vacuum line:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2087/2278337343_a6ced62d45_o.jpg
Go ahead and snip that sucker! Make sure you cut evenly in the middle because there's not much tube there to work with:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2331/2278337351_0d68937751_o.jpg
Here's the vacuum tube cut. Ouch! (Don't worry, your Evo will thank you later):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2398/2278337355_91b0b2d235_o.jpg
Now go ahead and splice in the "T" from the boost gauge vacuum tube. (Note the CABLE TIES... these are your friends):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2379/2278337357_346cd87a36_o.jpg
Okay, when you go searching for the grommet in the firewall, it's going to be back in this section of town... think "glove box" area.:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2169/2278337361_e59d9c8ce7_o.jpg
There's that pesky grommet. You will need to pop it out in order to feed the vacuum tube through the firewall. Time to get a long phillips head screwdriver!:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2167/2278339339_a7152c4cff_o.jpg
Here's the screwdriver that I used to push the grommet through to the other side. No problem!:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2400/2279130492_d3054b8a38_o.jpg
When you have the grommet out of the way go ahead and feed to tube through the hole. (Some people will drill out the center of the grommet, put the vacuum tube through it and re-attach it to the firewall. I just donated mine to the void behind the dash!) You don't really need it anyway.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2084/2279130420_13a59d3c28_o.jpg
Here's the easiest way to feed the tube through the hole and into the car... special grabber tool thingy!!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2114/2278340911_d220909d93_o.jpg
Alright... so far so good. Let's move inside and work there for a bit. Start by opening the glove box:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2098/2279129800_4855767af4_o.jpg
Locate this little doodad and remove it:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2126/2279129916_fb430b54b0_o.jpg
No... like this silly:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2419/2279129860_5f32fd61c0_o.jpg
Ahhh... there it is. Don't lose this thing!:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2266/2279130236_872b9dc56e_o.jpg
Now just go to the other side of the glove box and push in and drop it down:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2142/2278340545_a5aca806b7_o.jpg
The box is free!! Yay! Now we can go looking for that vacuum tube...:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2366/2279130172_6fe33b7f11_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2095/2278341093_6bf2e614c5_o.jpg
Now use that handy "grabber tool thingy" and pull the tube through the grommet hole into the car (You will never get your hand back there to get it):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2054/2278341053_af1fc34e9d_o.jpg
Ok now that you have the tube pulled all the way into the car, go ahead and feed it behind the dash over towards the steering column and attach it to the actual boost gauge. Be sure that there are NO KINKS in the tube. It's just barely long enough so you may have to pull it pretty tight through the back of the dash. If you are going to be mounting your gauge on the A-pillar, you will probably need to splice in an extension to do it. (I am mounting right on top of the steering column.) Here is the gauge attached to the tube *NOTE*: I didn't have to take apart the steering column for any of this install. :
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2264/2279129026_c1125340d1_o.jpg
Alright, let's attach the wiring. I attached the wires to the radio harness because it's just so simple. Start by removing the cover plate (carefully!! so you don't scratch it!):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2381/2279129326_2ca057eecc_o.jpg
Just an FYI here... if you intend to pull the cover plate off completely, you will need to first undo the temperature & fan cables as shown here. These are located up under the dash on the driver footwell side. If you don't undo these, you will NOT be able to remove the radio/air cover plate completely.: UPDATE ON THIS STEP!: It has been brought to my attention that you DO NOT have to disconnect these 2 cables. Simply remove the three HAVC knobs and it will reveal 2 screws. Undo those and you can remove the panel WITHOUT having to remove the HAVC unit as well. Good tip.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2394/2279131000_72423ce61d_o.jpg
Here is the harness where you will be splicing in the wiring. All the harness wires are individually labeled so this couldn't be easier. So easy, a caveman could do it!:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2212/2279129670_d64141e3f1_o.jpg
Now with the gauge I got (the amber/white), I have the option of what color scale I wanted to see during the day and at night. Because the amber is harder to see during the day, I went with white during the day (lights OFF) and amber at night (lights ON to match dash gauge cluster). There are 4 wires coming out of the boost gauge and this how you wire them up. (Yours should come with a direction sheet as well)
Black = Ground (connect to bolt - see image below)
Red = ACC 12 volt (red wire on harness)
White = ACC 12 volt (red wire on harness)
Amber = Illumination (orange wire on harness)
NOTE: Both the Red & White wires coming out of the boost gauge splice into the SAME ACC wire in the radio harness. This pic shows where you can easily connect the ground (black) wire:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2398/2279129396_9a2847c32a_o.jpg
FYI: I spliced in extension wires to the stock wires on the boost gauge because they are pretty short and would not reach the radio harness wires otherwise.:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2142/2279129226_d4d9f4c281_o.jpg
I wrapped the wires coming out of the boost gauge with electrical tape to give it a cleaner look since it's going to be sitting on top of my steering column.:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2138/2279129152_d672309d5e_o.jpg
Now that you have everything hooked up and ready to go it's time to put it all back together BUT BEFORE YOU DO.... turn the car on and make sure that everything is working properly!! I didn't have an actual mount for my gauge so I just used some zip ties and made a ghetto mount! Wooo hoooo. Oh and I wrapped the gauge in black electric tape too because it was white and black just looks better. Here's a couple shots of my awesome mount.:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2186/2278339811_007cbb320d_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2416/2279129600_9539788345_o.jpg
And now lit up at night. Both the daytime (lights OFF/white) setting and the nighttime (lights ON/amber) setting.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2047/2279130804_cff5506e6c_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2140/2279130754_c1805d3c2e_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/2278341339_027ef5c160_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2102/2278341273_48c06cf183_o.jpg
Well there you have it. It's pretty simple. It just takes a bit of patience. Sorry for the crappy pics in the end here. I will try to get some better ones soon. 22 lbs. of boost!!
Ok... let's get started.
Let's start under the hood and work our way in. Here is the boost gauge vacuum line with "T" already attached:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2270/2278337347_df2431fe3a_o.jpg
Here we see the correct tube to splice the vacuum "T" into. It is the vacuum line:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2087/2278337343_a6ced62d45_o.jpg
Go ahead and snip that sucker! Make sure you cut evenly in the middle because there's not much tube there to work with:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2331/2278337351_0d68937751_o.jpg
Here's the vacuum tube cut. Ouch! (Don't worry, your Evo will thank you later):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2398/2278337355_91b0b2d235_o.jpg
Now go ahead and splice in the "T" from the boost gauge vacuum tube. (Note the CABLE TIES... these are your friends):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2379/2278337357_346cd87a36_o.jpg
Okay, when you go searching for the grommet in the firewall, it's going to be back in this section of town... think "glove box" area.:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2169/2278337361_e59d9c8ce7_o.jpg
There's that pesky grommet. You will need to pop it out in order to feed the vacuum tube through the firewall. Time to get a long phillips head screwdriver!:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2167/2278339339_a7152c4cff_o.jpg
Here's the screwdriver that I used to push the grommet through to the other side. No problem!:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2400/2279130492_d3054b8a38_o.jpg
When you have the grommet out of the way go ahead and feed to tube through the hole. (Some people will drill out the center of the grommet, put the vacuum tube through it and re-attach it to the firewall. I just donated mine to the void behind the dash!) You don't really need it anyway.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2084/2279130420_13a59d3c28_o.jpg
Here's the easiest way to feed the tube through the hole and into the car... special grabber tool thingy!!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2114/2278340911_d220909d93_o.jpg
Alright... so far so good. Let's move inside and work there for a bit. Start by opening the glove box:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2098/2279129800_4855767af4_o.jpg
Locate this little doodad and remove it:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2126/2279129916_fb430b54b0_o.jpg
No... like this silly:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2419/2279129860_5f32fd61c0_o.jpg
Ahhh... there it is. Don't lose this thing!:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2266/2279130236_872b9dc56e_o.jpg
Now just go to the other side of the glove box and push in and drop it down:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2142/2278340545_a5aca806b7_o.jpg
The box is free!! Yay! Now we can go looking for that vacuum tube...:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2366/2279130172_6fe33b7f11_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2095/2278341093_6bf2e614c5_o.jpg
Now use that handy "grabber tool thingy" and pull the tube through the grommet hole into the car (You will never get your hand back there to get it):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2054/2278341053_af1fc34e9d_o.jpg
Ok now that you have the tube pulled all the way into the car, go ahead and feed it behind the dash over towards the steering column and attach it to the actual boost gauge. Be sure that there are NO KINKS in the tube. It's just barely long enough so you may have to pull it pretty tight through the back of the dash. If you are going to be mounting your gauge on the A-pillar, you will probably need to splice in an extension to do it. (I am mounting right on top of the steering column.) Here is the gauge attached to the tube *NOTE*: I didn't have to take apart the steering column for any of this install. :
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2264/2279129026_c1125340d1_o.jpg
Alright, let's attach the wiring. I attached the wires to the radio harness because it's just so simple. Start by removing the cover plate (carefully!! so you don't scratch it!):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2381/2279129326_2ca057eecc_o.jpg
Just an FYI here... if you intend to pull the cover plate off completely, you will need to first undo the temperature & fan cables as shown here. These are located up under the dash on the driver footwell side. If you don't undo these, you will NOT be able to remove the radio/air cover plate completely.: UPDATE ON THIS STEP!: It has been brought to my attention that you DO NOT have to disconnect these 2 cables. Simply remove the three HAVC knobs and it will reveal 2 screws. Undo those and you can remove the panel WITHOUT having to remove the HAVC unit as well. Good tip.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2394/2279131000_72423ce61d_o.jpg
Here is the harness where you will be splicing in the wiring. All the harness wires are individually labeled so this couldn't be easier. So easy, a caveman could do it!:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2212/2279129670_d64141e3f1_o.jpg
Now with the gauge I got (the amber/white), I have the option of what color scale I wanted to see during the day and at night. Because the amber is harder to see during the day, I went with white during the day (lights OFF) and amber at night (lights ON to match dash gauge cluster). There are 4 wires coming out of the boost gauge and this how you wire them up. (Yours should come with a direction sheet as well)
Black = Ground (connect to bolt - see image below)
Red = ACC 12 volt (red wire on harness)
White = ACC 12 volt (red wire on harness)
Amber = Illumination (orange wire on harness)
NOTE: Both the Red & White wires coming out of the boost gauge splice into the SAME ACC wire in the radio harness. This pic shows where you can easily connect the ground (black) wire:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2398/2279129396_9a2847c32a_o.jpg
FYI: I spliced in extension wires to the stock wires on the boost gauge because they are pretty short and would not reach the radio harness wires otherwise.:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2142/2279129226_d4d9f4c281_o.jpg
I wrapped the wires coming out of the boost gauge with electrical tape to give it a cleaner look since it's going to be sitting on top of my steering column.:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2138/2279129152_d672309d5e_o.jpg
Now that you have everything hooked up and ready to go it's time to put it all back together BUT BEFORE YOU DO.... turn the car on and make sure that everything is working properly!! I didn't have an actual mount for my gauge so I just used some zip ties and made a ghetto mount! Wooo hoooo. Oh and I wrapped the gauge in black electric tape too because it was white and black just looks better. Here's a couple shots of my awesome mount.:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2186/2278339811_007cbb320d_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2416/2279129600_9539788345_o.jpg
And now lit up at night. Both the daytime (lights OFF/white) setting and the nighttime (lights ON/amber) setting.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2047/2279130804_cff5506e6c_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2140/2279130754_c1805d3c2e_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/2278341339_027ef5c160_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2102/2278341273_48c06cf183_o.jpg
Well there you have it. It's pretty simple. It just takes a bit of patience. Sorry for the crappy pics in the end here. I will try to get some better ones soon. 22 lbs. of boost!!