help with a 9-3...

[Admiral]

How do i wire a boost gauge to my headlight switch?

[Straitup D]

the light in the boost gauge?

[NahumCC]

If you only need the power supply for gauge lighting and want it so that it only receives power when you turn the headlight to the on position then you'll want to tap into Pin 4 which is a Green/Red wire.

Make sure you select Pin 4. Pin 1 is also a Green/Red wire but it is what feeds power to the Daytime Running Lights. Both power low beams but if you want it only to be switched pin 4 is what you want.

If you need a constant power source for a gauge like those made by prosport with need of a memory function then you'll want to tap Pin 3 which is a constant power source and is a solid red wire. You can't miss it as it's also a bigger gauge then the rest of the wires.

If you need to wire it up for different colors, such as a prosport, where one wire supplies white and another supplies amber/green lighting then do the following. Tap the lighting for white to Pin 1 that way, assuming you don't have DRL's disabled, even if your headlight switch is in the off position you'll still have the gauge lit as white in the day. Then tap your alternate lighting wire to Pin 4 so that when you turn the switch on to headlights at night it will automatically switch to your alternate lighting be it amber or green.

Good luck.

[NahumCC]

Also this applies to any NG900 (94-98 ) and any OG9-3 (1999-2002+2003 cvt). Just making sure this is clear since this is your first post and we didn't get a specific year. We have had new members by accident with the SS body 9-3 ask questions in the older 9-3 forum.

[Admiral]

its a 01 se i want to put the boost gauge in the whole where the headlight switch is. but i also i have hids so idk what to do with the wires to make my headlights still come on without the switch.

[Tweek's Turbos]

I just turned the switch on and shoved it in the dash. Others have cut a whole lower in the dash (where your knees go) and mounted the switch there.

Most also tap the dimmer switch for the actual light in the gauge so it dims too.

http://www.ericsaabsite.com/Upgrades...oostGauge.html

[watkins]

hole = opening, whole = entire

Now that I got that out of the way, heres what I did as reproduced in its entirety from my home forum, StandardShift.com:



Finally got around to putting in a boost gauge. I decided to go with a GlowShift black 7 color because I read that the green light is really close to the Saab interior lighting.

I put it in where my headlight switch used to be, since it happens to be a perfect 52mm hole once cleaned out.




As close as the green was to Saab green, it turned out to be a spotlight. Something needed to be done. Solution was a simple enough. Volume control knob from the Radio Shack electric bits wall was put inline with the gauge lighting power wire. Since I had to do that, I figured I should make a whole harness for the gauge. This makes it far easier to remove the gauge from the car without pulling wires all the way out. I plan to change the dash at some point, which I kept in mind as I completed the project




Adjusting the volume knob allowed me to dim the gauge to match the interior lights quite well.




You may have noticed the button at the bottom of the dash in the first picture. Kinda looks like this: =|) (|= That button now acts as an on/off version of the three-position lighting dial that once was in the dash. To convert it, I pulled apart one of the three lighting dials I had and used a button harness I pulled from a totaled 900 that maintained the lighting and created a functional button. In the past I had used rockers.


Note that this picture was taken before I looked over the wiring diagrams a second time and realized that I had soldered backwards. Reading wiring diagrams at 2:30 in the morning clearly is a bad idea.

[NahumCC]

Nice twist.

[srp]

Very inventive!

[av_dumitrascu]

Originally Posted by Admiral

How do i wire a boost gauge to my headlight switch?

You want to get boost from the headlight? With a switch?!

[watkins]

Originally Posted by NahumCC

Nice twist.

Originally Posted by srp

Very inventive!

Thanks guys. I figured I should learn from my last Saab and make sure to do all work to the Viggen the right way.

[mike saunders]

Only downside to this placement is that depending on the driver, the wheel position will prevent the gauge from being seen.

[watkins]

I found it depends more on the gauge itself. With the Glowshift all of the important numbers are far enough to the left that they arent blocked in nearly all of the seating arrangements I tried out.

When I had an el-cheapo Sunpro in the convertible, I only could see up to about 8psi because the gauge wrapped further around to the right.

[mike saunders]

Originally Posted by watkins

I found it depends more on the gauge itself. With the Glowshift all of the important numbers are far enough to the left that they arent blocked in nearly all of the seating arrangements I tried out.

This would make sense if your max boost is 15 psi.

[watkins]

I can see up to 20psi from where I sit. Considering its rare that someone boosts past that in a Saab, a Glowshift is a pretty good choice overall.

[mike saunders]

Originally Posted by watkins

I can see up to 20psi from where I sit. Considering its rare that someone boosts past that in a Saab, a Glowshift is a pretty good choice overall.

?????

17-20 PSI is max boost of a stock Viggen/9-5 Aero.

[Adrenaline406]

Why go through all the hassle of making a volume knob (as inventive as it was) when you can just tap into the dimmer. My boost gauge (autometer phantom) is adjusted with my dash lights. The one thing i want to do is to make it work with the night panel button.

[watkins]

Originally Posted by mike saunders

?????

17-20 PSI is max boost of a stock Viggen/9-5 Aero.

But how many people actually have a Viggen or 9-5 Aero? Remember that most people are working from the lower trim levels that dont even peak at 15psi, and certainly dont level off to steady boost that high.

Originally Posted by Adrenaline406

Why go through all the hassle of making a volume knob (as inventive as it was) when you can just tap into the dimmer. My boost gauge (autometer phantom) is adjusted with my dash lights. The one thing i want to do is to make it work with the night panel button.

The lighting is tapped into the dimmer. The volume knob was to make the gauge the same brightness as the factory lighting before I dim it further with the dimmer switch. The knob isnt even accessible when the gauge is in the dash.

I made every effort to make this as factory-like as possible

[Adrenaline406]

Originally Posted by watkins

The lighting is tapped into the dimmer. The volume knob was to make the gauge the same brightness as the factory lighting before I dim it further with the dimmer switch. The knob isnt even accessible when the gauge is in the dash.

I made every effort to make this as factory-like as possible

*Head desk* right, of course it is, my bad.