posted by
someone claiming to be amargill19
on
Fri Jan 26 03:12 CST 2007 [ RELATED]
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Looks pretty simple, one wire to + batter and one ground.
Then the part for it's lighting. At the top rear of the guage there are two wires.... should I tap into the headlights, so that when they're on, the guage lights up.... and whats the difference between the two wires?
Thanks in advance,
Amar
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posted by
someone claiming to be amargill19
on
Thu Feb 1 06:43 CST 2007 [ RELATED]
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Wired the bugger up, worked perfect on my lil test drive... later that night i'd notice the needle bottom out to 16+ volts.
i'd tap it with my finger to have it drop to around 14-15 volts, but it just seems stupidly inacurate. I think i'll test the voltage with a volt meter today...
anyone else have this kinda of issue? is this the guage itself? It's wired to fuse 3 for the blower motor.
Thanks,
Amar
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Sounds like a bum gauge. I was in your shoes this summer... Just installed it: Yay!.... turned the car on and (drumroll).... redlined.... and the engine wasn't running: doh. Tapping on the gauge brought it in check for a while, but you had to do that all of the time. I stumbled across a NOS voltmeter on eBay that no one else apparently wanted (for $10 more than I paid for the used one). No problems since.
Remember that most of these gauges are over 20 years old since very few 240 owner's actually bought them after the fact, and few came from the factory with them after the turbo days.
It's a good gauge to have (probably more useful than any other), but gives more questions than answers if it's broken. You definitely don't have 16V happening, or you wouldn't have a living bulb left in the car. Worth checking the voltage at the battery just in case the regulator is toasted.
FYI. You can get 52mm VDO voltmeters new just about anywhere for around $30. There are the ones with the colored bands that are quite purty.
Good luck!
-Ryan
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--------------------------
Athens, Ohio
1990 245 DL 130k M47, E-codes
1991 745 GL 280k (Girlfriend-mobile)
Buckeye Volvo Club
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On the test drive, did you see the needle go pretty high, stay for a while, then drop down? Mine does that on a cold start (oil at it's thckest, heaviest load on the starter and battery) and after a while, when the charge on the battery used to start has been replaced, the needle drops down.
Top = 16V, bottom = 10V. Good idea to check with a multimeter. Check at the batttery as well as at the places where the dash voltmeter is connected. Post what you find, OK?
From what I have gleaned on the BB, Volvo voltmeters are not known for accuracy, and don't have an easy way for calibration.
Did the light come on with the dash lights?
Good Luck,
Bob
:>)
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I've noticed that my voltmeter isn't exact - it's more of an indicator rather than a spot-on measure. That being said, it appears to be approximately as good as the voltmeter which was in my old Wrangler - i.e. it's not clear that the Volvo voltmeter is any better/worse than the Jeep version. Who knows, maybe they were both VDO? In other words, it's a big step up from an idiot light, but I wouldn't consider it equivalent to my tester.
Best,
Lanval
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it will hit max of 16 and then drop off to 14-15 when i tap it with my finger. It usually acts fine when I start up, and then will hit 16 a couple minutes later.
I haven't hooked up the light yet, will prolyl do that this weekend.
It doesn't seem very accurate :( kinda useless lol, and maybe rice considering i'm using it to fill a guage pod.
Oh well, we'll see what happens.
Thanks for your guys' help
Amar
--
'89 240 All original xcept. exhaust, 25/25 sways, guages, slight airbox mod, fogs, custom sound.
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No, it's got a function. Trust me, if your alternator starts to go, especially at night, you'll congratulate yourself 10 times over, for not stranding yourself in some godawful place in the middle of the night with a dead battery & alternator.
Best,
Lanval
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posted by
someone claiming to be amargill19
on
Wed Jan 31 10:50 CST 2007 [ RELATED]
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got 'er done today,
took longer than expected but she's in and working. Although i'm curious as to the accuracy of it.
I wired the power wire thru fuse 3
Man I hate wiring.
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Remember to connect the gauge to a 12V source switched on with the key. If you connect directly to the battery it will be ON all the time.
Wire the bulb to a 12V source that is ON only with the DASH lights, not the headlights.
The bulb doesn't care which wire is used for power and which is ground. Follow convention where possible. If the wires are red and black, use red for power and black to ground.
--
Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- (I've taken to using Mr. because my name tends to mislead folks on the WWW. I am a 51 year old fat man ;-) -- KD5QBL
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I found that when I connected the voltmeter to fuse #13, which also powers the turn signals, the needle jumped a little in synch with the flashing lights.
I switched it to Fuse #3, which is on when the key is in Position I and II, gives you a reading whether the engine is running or not.
Actually, after looking at the wiring diagrams, a better place would be to side tap into the white-red wire leading to the door chime buzzer. That would give a reading at all times that the key is in, even when starting.
I put a voltmeter into both my 1986 244 and 1988 244. One thing I really like is that I can tell when the power windows on the rear doors are closed without twisting around in the seat. Volts drop.
Good Luck,
Bob
:>)
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posted by
someone claiming to be amargill19
on
Fri Jan 26 04:21 CST 2007 [ RELATED]
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Thanks, That helps... wonder why the font I'm seeing here is super tiny...
I think I'll tap the accesory wire and the light wire up to my tach that I installed myself.
Just wanted to make sure, since this guage didn't come with jackass instructions like the tach did.
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In the VIEW __ REPLY__ etc... bar on top of the messages or list, at the far right are a tiny A and a larger A. Click on the larger A two or three times and you have larger font.
--
Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- (I've taken to using Mr. because my name tends to mislead folks on the WWW. I am a 51 year old fat man ;-) -- KD5QBL
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In addition to the small and large "A's" at the top of a post, you can look in "Preferences" for choices of size and maybe the font name, too. Jarrod shows the default font in there.
That is where to set your time zone, too.
Good Luck,
Bob
:>)
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What font size are you setting yours to? The default must be too small.
-JSBB
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The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. —Bertrand Russell
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The fonts are smaller and is rough without the bi-focals :)
Klaus
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1975 164 w/174,800mi (Sold) 1995 850T w/91,000mi, 1998 V70R w/129,000mi
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posted by
someone claiming to be amargill19
on
Fri Jan 26 07:26 CST 2007 [ RELATED]
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Thanks buddy, fonts look normal now.. even tho I haven't done anything :)
Tapping it thru to key one and two would be perfect, because it's getting a 1400watt amplifier :S I'd also like to see what kinda voltage going thru when the car is off and stereo on. Hopefully the little 60amp alternator holds up, I do have a 5 farad capacitor going in as well.
Thanks for all your replys, my first car + lack of experience makes this website very useful.
Amar
British Columbia.
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...it's getting a 1400watt amplifier...
Start looking for an 80-amp or larger alternator. The 80-amp will drop in. I don't know about the 100-amp. From a donor car, get the mounting bracket, too. Length is likely the only difference.
Good Luck,
Bob
:>)
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100 Amp drops in also, have an remamf in my 86.
Regards,
PT
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