My brilliant class from last year (I'm a teacher) clubbed together and got me a Newsouth Spectrum boost gauge from Awesome as a leaving present back in July.

Simply haven't had time to fit it until today. I've managed to plumb the boost pipe (thanks RobClubley ) and wired the red & black wires from the gauge to the brown and blue/grey wires going to the black plug in the back of the stereo. I used the Scotchloks supplied in the kit.

Well, the boost/needle works fine and was showing 15 psi on a quick trip up the road . However, the gauge doesn't light up :confused:. Any ideas/advice?

I really hope there's nothing wrong with the gauge itself- I just checked the receipt and Awesome don't take returns after 28 days :(

I would just check you have put the bulb in correctly.Because they are LED you have to make sure the + is connected to the +.

Just turn it round and see it it works.

could be those damn scotch locks!

Jay- looks like it's a sealed unit, so i can't get to the bulb...

Martin, it did cross my mind- any recomendations instead? I'm useless with wiring- haven't got a clue!

Is there a way I can test the gauge?

I used the wires to the light switch under the steering column. Mines an electronic gauge so theres a lot of wires. I don't know what wires you have.

Just got two- red and black.

Does the button on the back switch the colours?

Yep, it does.

So you have a permanent live and a switched live right?

Which is which?

Should it light up at night only or do you want it on all the time?

Don't worry if it's broke Awesome will sort it out PM Sarah.

You need to connect the the wires black to earth and + feed to check if it does light up.

I would suspect you haven't got it wired right.

I'd try reversing the feed wires, and if that doesn't work, PM Sarah.

Cheers, chaps. Want it to come on with the lights. I wired the black from the gauge to the brown (earth) and the red from the gauge to blue/grey (live). Got a feeling the scotchlok with the black/earth wire is knackered, as the wire just pulls out. What's the best way to connect them? Scotchloks seem like a clever idea, but in practice they ain't great!

Solder and heatshrink them.

Yup thats what I did with my old Octy vRS. Used the wires coming of the light switch / dimmer. That way I could dim the gauge lights along with my dash lights.

:+1:

I have the same unit i think and hd the same problem with mine. In the end i got the 12v feed for the lights to bring in a relay and that to switch 12v to the gauge light. Try putting 12v direct to the light and see if it comes on.

Interesting. Can you remember which colour wire is 12v?

You can only put it through a dimmer if the gauge has the ability to use the dimmer, some don't.

It sounds like the exact gauge I had from awesome, so it should be ok.

Right, had another go today.

Wired red to grey/blue and black to brown on the dimmer switch. Really took my time, soldered the joints and did a really good job. Before soldering I made sure that the light was working on the gauge- the needle lit up (it didn't before with the scotchloks). Put everything back together, lights on, and... needle lit up, but no colour on the face. Turned engine on, tried again and the needle lit up perfectly, but the face flashed on and off. Turned engine off and tried lights on again... perfect! I cycled through the colours, got a decent green, started the engine. Guess what? Flashed on and off, lost it's colour and eventually only the needle lit up again. Tried a few more times and the same thing happened. It must be wired OK as the red needle is perfect.

Hmmm. Is it not getting enough power from the grey/blue wire? Either that, or it's goosed. Any more thoughts would be much appreciated- you've all been a great help already!

Edited 6 December, 200817 yr by AndyVR6

Found this...

Exact prob I'm having. Seems that there's not enough voltage. Can someone please tell me which wire is 12v switched?

Same problem as i had andy you just get the needle to light up. Dont think there is enough voltage there to light the back light. Since i used the grey/blue wire to switch a relay it's been fine. I picked up a permanent live from behind the dash and put in a inline fuse to supply the gauge through the relay.

This is he only way to get it to work with your lights.

Thanks mate, that's encouraging! Sorry to be a pain, but could you give me a bit more detail on how to wire it- I'm a complete novice with electrics.

At the mo I've got black (gauge) - brown (dimmer switch).

Red (gauge) - grey/blue (dimmer switch).

So, I can keep the black to brown, but I'm not sure on the permanent live (colour?), inline fuse (what voltage?) and relay- how do you do this bit?

Ok all you need is a normal 12v relay 40A SPNO & 30A SPDT Automotive Relay > Maplin and a fuse holder Water-Resistant Maxi Fuse Holder > Maplin

Connections as follows

85 12v grey/blue from dimmer switch.

86 Brown from dimmer switch and black from gauge

30 Permanent 12v supply with inline fuse

87 Red to gauge

For the permament 12v feed i used the one under the dash. Remove the inspection panel under the dash on the drivers side. To the right of the steering column there is a couple of red cables with ring crimps on and a nut holding them in place. I just removed the nut put in my new cable with a ring crimp on them put the nut back.

Mate, you're a godsend- many thanks! Have ordered the relay and fuse holder.

I'm being incredibly thick, but still not sure what to do with the red gauge wire, blue/grey dimmer wire, relay and inline fuse. Great idea for where to get the 12v feed, but what order do I put them altogether? Do I need to undo my gauge red from the grey/blue dimmer wire?