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Gauge installation help

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Old 01-19-2011, 06:03 PM
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Gauge installation help

I just bought an autometer air/fuel ratio gauge for the balt and needed some help installing it. I have a red wire telling me to connect it to to a 12v ignition switch wich i can splice into my volt gauge with this one, a ground wire which i can also install into a bolt on my car, and a violet wire telling my to install an o2 sensor wire but i'm not to sure where does anybody know where i can put this violet wire?
Old 01-19-2011, 06:06 PM
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you have any pics?
Old 01-19-2011, 06:17 PM
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I dont
Old 01-19-2011, 06:37 PM
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If it says to install an o2 sensor just install a second 02 sensor for the gauge?
Old 01-19-2011, 07:22 PM
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thats all mine consisted of...
Old 01-19-2011, 07:33 PM
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I'm assuming you bought one of those ricey narrowband gauges, splice into the green wire on the oxygen sensor right after where your exhaust manifold connects to the flexpipe under the hood.

You'll have to run it through the firewall, there's a hole right behind your brake pedal, wrap it around some coat hangar and push the wire through, use lots of zip ties to keep the wire from touching anything hot all the way over to the oxygen sensor.

More hassle than it's worth for something that only tells you if it's running rich or lean (and probably on a stock tune anyway), but hey that's gotta add some horsepower!
Old 01-19-2011, 07:44 PM
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denlou it was the only gauge that i've seen at the local parts store so i decided to grab it and i'm comfortable with it lol I'm not to sure if the wire will run all the way to the o2 sensor. would it be easy to just have another wire and splice them to each other.
Old 01-19-2011, 07:49 PM
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Originally Posted by 09Balt
denlou it was the only gauge that i've seen at the local parts store so i decided to grab it and i'm comfortable with it lol I'm not to sure if the wire will run all the way to the o2 sensor. would it be easy to just have another wire and splice them to each other.
Easiest way I could think of would be to just scotch lock that green wire on to one coming off the sensor
Old 01-19-2011, 07:54 PM
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I think i'm gonna use 2 connectors to install it. It would probly be easier
Old 01-19-2011, 11:09 PM
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So the green wire is the only thing i need to splice into?
Old 01-20-2011, 12:34 AM
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..... this thread is fail jesus man dont waste your time and return the gauge, as it going to give you no real effect. Man this forum has got to smarten up
Old 01-20-2011, 12:39 AM
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Originally Posted by sunfirejoe
..... this thread is fail jesus man dont waste your time and return the gauge, as it going to give you no real effect. Man this forum has got to smarten up
Seriously man. You dont see it right now because, well, you're just not able to, but go get your money back and spend it on something else; especially since you don't know how to install it.

Just trying to help you not get buyers remorse that you will get, however long it may take, in the future.
Old 01-20-2011, 12:48 AM
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ya narrow band is useless..I had one in my balt b4 the bower went on and all it was,was a light show.It bounces back and forth unless you floor it then says rich.even if your lean lol.A wideband is more accurate and will be a lot more help when tuning your vehicle.I have the AEM wideband at it works really well.They usually go for around $200 but I did see a used one going for $80 if you look in the classifieds.Goodluck though.
Old 01-20-2011, 01:06 AM
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Well OP just lengthen the wire so you can splice into the green wire on your O2 sensor. You should be good then.
Old 01-22-2011, 05:17 PM
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Is there another way i can install the signal wire without having to splice into the o2 sensor? is there ar fuse or anything?
Old 01-22-2011, 05:55 PM
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Originally Posted by 09Balt
Is there another way i can install the signal wire without having to splice into the o2 sensor? is there ar fuse or anything?
*sigh*...

There is no easy way to install it man, you need the signal that the o2 sensor is creating, that's what makes your gauge work.

I would suggest that instead of hacking up factory wiring, and making holes in your dash to put this gauge in, and then realise the gauge tells you nothing, you should take it back and spend the money on a tank of gas or something.

If you just want to splice into a wire, there's other popular ricey lame gauges you could install like a voltage meter, in case you're really interested in that; Atleast you'll get a definite readout

Hell, I've been tuned with a proper wideband air fuel meter and I still couldn't care less what my ratio is. I have an interceptor to watch knock, but other than that I don't care; if it starts misfiring that means my tuner needs to hook his wideband back up and fix it haha.
Old 01-22-2011, 06:16 PM
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I already have the other wires hooked up it the damn signal wire i have 4 wires on my cobalt for the o2 sensor. The wires are white,black,blue and dark blue i dont know which one it is to splice into
Old 01-22-2011, 06:24 PM
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Well you've got a few methods of figuring that out...

1. Keep searching on this forum
2. Search Google
3. Ask somebody in a GM parts department
4. Get your voltage meter out, the signal wire should be the only one that has a reading of 5 volts or less and fluctuates a lot, the rest should read from 11-13 volts.

If I had to guess, I would assume it was this...

White - 12V battery power
Black - Ground
Blue - 5V signal wire
Dark Blue - 12V heater element

Do check, I'm just making this **** up, you could blow your sensor up if you hook a 12V source into a 5V circuit
Old 03-04-2012, 01:24 AM
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Originally Posted by 1LowLS
ya narrow band is useless..I had one in my balt b4 the bower went on and all it was,was a light show.It bounces back and forth unless you floor it then says rich.even if your lean lol.A wideband is more accurate and will be a lot more help when tuning your vehicle.I have the AEM wideband at it works really well.They usually go for around $200 but I did see a used one going for $80 if you look in the classifieds.Goodluck though.
i understand where your coming from and that really all my buddy wants, he just got a red ss coupe supercharged and bought a triple pillar with a bunch of glow shift gauges, can you take a pic of where you ran the signal wire to? he's paying me to install them and i have no idea where to put the signal wire for it.
Old 03-04-2012, 02:12 AM
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Purple goes to purple on the upstream o2.Just tap it in.It's purple on the car side of the harness,not the o2 side.
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