A-PILLAR GAUGES

CAN I DO THIS MYSELF?
The tips and notes below should help you get a long way into setting up your own gauges.
Where I see people could get hung up on is the where and how to install the measuring devices
themselves, rather than the gauges. For instance, if you get an fuel pressure gauge,
where in the fuel system are you going to tap into and how are you going to go about
doing it? What if you find that you have to make a custom bracket? If you can answer these
type of questions easily, then installing gauges will not be a problem. If you don't know, don't
throw in the towel! It's just going to take some research if you want to do it yourself.

Some good sources of info:
a field service manual for your max, other maxima enthusiasts, auto shows, or ask a mechanic.
Since gauges are made to be universal, there won't be any specific instructions to hook it
up to your car. If you're not auto-mechanically inclined, you'll find that you'll spend
the most of your time planning the install than actually doing it. But hey, that's part of
the fun, right?

TYPES OF GAUGES
If you've been surfing around for gauges, you'll notice that there are two types:
mechanical and electrical. I bought a boost gauge (mechanical)and fuel pressure gauge (electrical).
Mechanical gauges tend to be easier to install. They measure the physical quantity that you want
to read directly. For the boost gauge, all I had to worry about is how to get a thin tube from
the engine bay to the gauge. Its simplicity, though, becomes an obvious disadvantage when you
want to measure something hazardous like fuel. You don't want a tube of fuel penetrating the
firewall and inside the passenger compartment. Of course there are "mechanical" solutions
to this. You can get a gauge with an isolator - which allows you to transfer the pressure
of the fuel to another liquid that is much safer. Still, doesn't this sound like it can make
things messy if this tube of "safe" liquid going through and around your dash (which is filled
with electrical stuff) starts to leak?

Electrical gauges, shown in the bottom half of the picture above, uses a transducer that converts the fuel pressure into an electrical signal that penetrates the firewall instead. A module, about the size of your hand, is connected to the transducer through a thick cable containing several wires. These wires allow the module to power the transducer as well as receive signals from it. The module translates these signals from the transducer and displays the appropriate pressure on the gauge. The disadvantages of electrical gauges is space, increased complexity, and cost. Unlike the mechanical gauge, you now have a module you've got to find a place for and mount inside the passenger compartment. Not to mention you've got to find a way to power this "black box" somehow. Then there's cost: my boost gauge squeeked under $50 while my fuel pressure gauge was about $200.

TOOLS YOU'LL NEED
A Voltmeter (to find/verify/troubleshoot your power sources)
Splicing connectors to tap into power lines
16-18 gauge wire (lengths of which depend on your planned layout)
Wire strippers
Wire connectors
Pliers or crimper
Zip ties
Drill
Dremel or blade

INSTALLATION NOTES
1. Planning: Figure out how you are going to tap into a system to monitor a parameter.
For example, I want to measure fuel pressure, so I cut the fuel line at the discharge
of the aux fuel pump (which was part of the supercharger kit) and tee'd into it.
To find the right parts/fittings, you'll probably have to go to a "real" auto parts store.
Those "at the corner" chain shops may not have all you need.

2. Completing step one is the hard part. Now to work on the dash.
Position your gauge pod on the a-pillar, to see where it would best fit against the trim.
Mark the position with tape or chalk. With your gauges partly inserted into the gauge pod
sockets, rotate them so they line up correctly. Now you can pull the gauge pod off and push
your gauges in all the way. Note: I found that one of the holes on my gauge pod was not
big enough. I had to pull out the Dremel to open it up a bit, but not too much so that the
gauge still fits snug.

4. Remove the plastic trim on the a-pillar. Using a screw driver with a cloth at the tip,
pry off the trim from the top. It may take a bit of coaxing, but it will snap off.

9. Inside the fenderwell, you should find the rubber grommet that holds the engine hood release cable.
I used the same hole to route the wire/tube to inside the passenger compartment. You may have
to cut the rubber grommet a little to give enough room to thread your wires/tubes through.
(shown by yellow arrow above)

10. Push the wire/tube through to the other side so that you can get to it.

11. Time to route your power wires. There are many ways you can get 12V power from the
car, so if you find a better way for your setup, more power to you! hehe For me I thought
there were two obvious and easy sources of power.

One was the wires going to the cigarrette lighter that everyone hooks up their car toys to (ie cell phone).
This source of power is on immediately when you turn the key, so its great for your electrical gauge power.

The other set of wires I spliced into was right next to it: the wires providing power to the ashtray light.
This power doesn't come on until you turn on your headlights, so its a good source of power for the
background lights for your gauges.

I used these splicing connectors that you can buy from a lot of places.

Disclaimer