need help with wiring

i just bought some reverse glow guages for my 93 explorer........but i cant figure out where i should wire the black and red wire too heres a pic of the back of the dimmer switch

thers a black wire with red stripe, red wire with yellow stripe, a thick brown wire and 2 brown wires that come into one i have no clue what im doing and i dont wanna mess anything up.........thanks in advance

 

[huskyfan23]

I believe the right wire is red/yellow. You won't hurt anything trying that wire. Black for your gauges would be connected to ground, red would go to the red/yellow (if that's the proper dimmer wire). You can also pull your HU and use the dimmer wire back there.

 

[Brock94]

I assume the red and black are the power wires for your new guage and that the guage is intended to work on 12volts (as it should be). I just installed an alarm/keyless entry last week so I know that the double brown wires are the parking lights, but don't have my wiring diagram with me at work to tell you the rest (I'll take a look when I get home if I can remember to.)

The black wire from your guage should be the (-) or ground connection-- hook it up to any chasis ground (a screw into body metal would do the trick-- I attached a groung at the door jam behind the kick-panel). The red wire (+) needs to go to the dimmer output on the connector in your picture. Here's how I'd figure it out if I didn't have the manual or a volt meter:

1) connect the black wire from the guage to a ground.
2) turn on the parking lights so the instrument panel lights have power
3) dim the intrument panel lights about halfway
4) touch the red wire from your guage to the back of each of the wires in the pictured connector-- the guage should light up when you touch the red to most of the wires on that connector. When you get to the dimmer output, the guage should be lit noticably dimmer than at the other wires. Double check by holding the red wire to that wire while turning the dimmer knob to see if the guage gets brighter and dimmer.


Good luck!

 

[alpinex93]

i tried using the red and yellow wire.......but it didnt work....i had to kinda make it drivable cuase i gotta go to work now but tommarow illl try the other wires

 

[Brock94]

The factory manual says that the LB/R wire is for the instrument illumination. Connect the red wire to that.

 

[huskyfan23]

Ahah. Yes that does look familiar now that I think about it!

 

[dman726749]

i put the black to the black and the red went to the white with black stripe on the headlight switch

 

[alpinex93]

i didnt see a plain black wire nor did i see a white wire with black stripe......but ill try the lb/r wire tommarow thanks alot guys for the help

 

[huskyfan23]

Because he's got a second gen.

 

[dman726749]

whoops! didnt look at the year....my bad

 

[alpinex93]

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr guages making me MAD.........i tried tha other wires...and NONE of them worked for me.......i also tried using the positive wire thats connected to my headunit and that wouldnt lite them up either what am i doing wrong are my guages defective? or what? :fire:

 

[huskyfan23]

Did you ground the black wire as you tried each wire with the red? Were your headlights on when you touched the red to each wire? Was the dimmer turned to the left when you tried this?

 

[alpinex93]

i made sure the ground was connected as i touched the wires together.......and the headlights were on and the dimmer switch was as far left as i could turn it without having the dome light come on which is the brightest dimmer setting.........i have no clue im having my uncle look at it for me tommarow to see whats up

 

[huskyfan23]

This isn't the set with the external controls, right? Where you can change the color by pressing a button? Does your dimmer work? When you turn it your gauge lights dim?

 

[alpinex93]

it has an external control where it can go from blue to green and then theres another dimmer on that same switch where you can adjust how brite it is im assuming.....and i made sure that the switch was on the britest setting so i would be able to tell if it lit up........and yes my dimmer works........when i turn it the guage lits dim on the stock guages

 

[huskyfan23]

I think with that style you have to wire black to ground and red to the headlight 12v wire, then mount the dimmer somewhere accessable. What may be happening is your external dimmer control was at the minimum so you weren't seeing any light. Find the 12v wire on your headlight switch harness and tap the red into that, then mess with your external dimmer control. You can probably also cut the dimmer control and connect that wire to your stock dimming wire.

 

[dman726749]

I think with that style you have to wire black to ground and red to the headlight 12v wire, then mount the dimmer somewhere accessable. What may be happening is your external dimmer control was at the minimum so you weren't seeing any light. Find the 12v wire on your headlight switch harness and tap the red into that, then mess with your external dimmer control. You can probably also cut the dimmer control and connect that wire to your stock dimming wire.

i have the same type..with the external color selector and brightness dial and tred mine into the headlight switch like i stated in my other post.....

 

[Stuman78424]

the black wire from the guages to a ground source; the red wire from the gauges to the brown wire

that should do it, i've got the ignition/audio/lights/etc... diagrams for most all cars and thats what it says for the 93 explorer

 

[Stuman78424]

the brown wire is at the headlight switch...i'm sure you probably already knew that though