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I know another conversion thread. But for the life of me I can't figure out the cluster wiring. I've hooked up the ignition but am stuck now. I've attached a few pics to show. One of which I think everyone has seen in one form or another. I have the shop manual along with a few other resources.
I have the power running through the battery gauge. I hooked just enough to start the truck. I have a new one wire alternator, 12v starter.
The black wire on the ignition is the fuel pump, the pink is the distributor.
Purple is power off the cluster, and orange is the return to cluster and I have it has reduced 6v (but I think this is incorrect).
I believe the metal housing is the ground, so if power goes through the battery gauge then if I "ground" the cluster housing it completed the circuit (since the battery gauge is sitting on the housing) and blows my fuse.
Testing my ignition settings they all seem correct. start position I have 12v going through pink to distrib and orange. Accessories position only V through orange.
Do you have the insulation removed from the wire to the ammeter? That will cause a direct short. The ammeter will read the current thru the insulation.
Agreed. Stop right where you are at.
Get yourself a new length of at least 10ga wire to go from the alternator, looped through the ammeter, and then connect to the battery post.
The way you loop through depends on if you are positive or negative ground (explains it in the shop manual IIRC).
I'm almost at this stage of starting it with the minimum, but have an EZ Wire harness to help things along and join the late 20th century...
This is how it should be for 12v negative ground. Note that the fat 8 AWG wire passing through the ammeter pick up is fully insulated. The ammeter utilizes the Hall Effect to operate instead of a shunt.
Also notice that there is a voltage reducer for the other gauges. You don't want to push 12 volts through a 6 volt gauge.
Thank you! Much appreciated. I tried to copy how it was wired before to start the truck, knowing it was to just get it started. It was partially converted to 12v prior to me, but they used old and new wiring, and it was a mess. Will rewire it accordingly now.
ok, I think I've got it but have a few questions.
I let her run for a few minutes:
1.) and my oil pressure hovered around 30, is that correct?
2.) My Battery gauge stayed in the middle, is that correct?
3.) My temp gauge never moved (on C)? but it real cold tonight.
4.) So the power going into the cluster is always live (12v)? Even when ignition is in middle position.
5.) I haven't hooked up the fuel gauge, is there anything I should know to do. I see one wire coming off the unit.
1) Please refer to my picture above. The heavy wire on the ammeter pickup passes through one time only, from right to left as pictured.
2) It looks like you have just toasted your gauge resistor with that black wire going directly to a ground point. I'm surprised the oil pressure gauge worked at all, but maybe I'm missing something. That single resistor wouldn't have the capacity for all of the gauges anyway.
3) The cluster power comes from the "ign" terminal on the key switch. No power to the gauges when the key is off.
1) Please refer to my picture above. The heavy wire on the ammeter pickup passes through one time only, from right to left as pictured.
2) It looks like you have just toasted your gauge resistor with that black wire going directly to a ground point. I'm surprised the oil pressure gauge worked at all, but maybe I'm missing something. That single resistor wouldn't have the capacity for all of the gauges anyway.
3) The cluster power comes from the "ign" terminal on the key switch. No power to the gauges when the key is off.
1.) I can fix that, the issue is that the gauge wire I'm using is not cloth and fat therefore it doesn't make good contact fit through once.
2.) I connected the 6v voltage resistor as the instructions that came with it. The way I understand the power to the gauges, it comes in at one point and connects all of them via the metal bar. So since that is the power then bringing in 6v would be at that point for all of them. And the resistor has a ground wire off it. I've measured the voltage at each gauge and it checks ok?? As per your picture, you're doing the same. If I understand the question.
3.) It seems that the power comes into the cluster hot but doesn't go through the gauges until ignition switch is turned on pushing power through the orange wire. I'll check that again, but I've tried to follow the electric schematic.
1.) I can fix that, the issue is that the gauge wire I'm using is not cloth and fat therefore it doesn't make good contact fit through once. As I said earlier, this meter uses the Hall Effect (magnetic field), so no contact is necessary, and would negate it's function anyway.
2.) I connected the 6v voltage resistor as the instructions that came with it. The way I understand the power to the gauges, it comes in at one point and connects all of them via the metal bar. So since that is the power then bringing in 6v would be at that point for all of them. And the resistor has a ground wire off it. I've measured the voltage at each gauge and it checks ok?? As per your picture, you're doing the same. If I understand the question. Yes, that is correct, but I question the capacity of the resistor to supply all three gauges, that's all.
3.) It seems that the power comes into the cluster hot but doesn't go through the gauges until ignition switch is turned on pushing power through the orange wire. I'll check that again, but I've tried to follow the electric schematic. I don't see how that would work since the oil pressure sender, temperature sender, and fuel gauge sender are basically variable resistors that ground through their bodies.
well I think that the voltage drop at the start of that circuit would be 6V regardless, so it only has one point to come in at, and I assume drops over the course of each gauge. But would be 6v at the start. I'll read the power again (once the weather improves).
The black wire on the resistor is ground (as is yours it appears).
The cluster, and each gauge, is grounded via mounting the unit to the truck frame. So the hot bar provides power. And each gauge has an "out" wire to it's device (i.e. oil sender, etc.).
I'll check the incoming cluster power again when I have a chance, but the gauge circuit isn't on until ignition is in accessory or start position.
Well I think that the voltage drop at the start of that circuit would be 6V regardless, so it only has one point to come in at, and I assume drops over the course of each gauge. But would be 6v at the start. I'll read the power again (once the weather improves). Each gauge has it's own variable ground - in effect completing a circuit. The available power to the gauges must be such that that it will be stable despite varying loads caused by the variable resistors in the sending units. The dropping resistor I used has ample capacity for all three gauges, whereas I believe yours has the capacity for one gauge. See ALBQ's post.
The black wire on the resistor is ground (as is yours it appears). My ground wire is green, the 6v power is blue, and the 12v input is red.
The cluster, and each gauge, is grounded via mounting the unit to the truck frame. So the hot bar provides power. And each gauge has an "out" wire to it's device (i.e. oil sender, etc.).
I'll check the incoming cluster power again when I have a chance, but the gauge circuit isn't on until ignition is in accessory or start position.
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