hello. i searched and only found info on going to the digital dash. my new GTA has a digital dash. i want to change it to a custom guage bezzle based on the "rally" style guages. planning on using autometer ones.

i know there is a "control module" near the ECM that does all the dash stuff. keeps the milage etc. and sends all the display info to the dash. what i would like to do is leave ALL the factory wiring for this inplace. thisway if i ever decide to go back to the digital dash i can, and it will still record all the milage etc. i would like to just splice in to the guage leads and signal light indicators and suck and run the wires along the factory harness to the guage bezzle.

Q: can this be done? baiscally running the digital dash (for all intensive purposes it will still be there) and anologue guages off of the same signal wires in parallel?

has anyone ever done this before?

here is an image of a rough idea of what i want the guage face to look like.

 

I'm doing something similar.

I'm thinking besides the stock gauge features I'm going to also have a fuel pressure and air fuel ratio (wideband, not narrow). My idea was basically to recess everything then getting a smoked piece of plexiglas to go over it. A nice smooth look with the numbers behind, it won't look halfassed. If you can get a large sheet of plastic then you could replicated the template you have going there as well.

 

allready have the plastic. it matches the stock pattern (wierd raised bits on plastic) as well. my brothe rbout a 4X3 foot sheet for his guage cluster in his BMW.

 

If you're talking about splicing and leaving your factory gauges behind your gauges: I can't imagine the gauges would put a large load on the signal wire (enough to actually change the resistance the circuit would read). Theoretically it will throw off your reading, but odds are not by much. However, I don't know of gauges that use the stock GM temp/pressure sensors so you'd have to remove them either way. Mounting depth is a whole 'nother issue.

If you're talking about running more wires along with the harness for the new sensors: it's alot of work. And you'd have wires dangling and around and such.

Personally, I'd pull the stock gauge bezel entirely and use the existing wires already found in the car. Maybe I'm not even answering your question, just sort of thinking out loud since I'm in the same boat as you.

 

i do not plan on physicaly leaving the stock digital guages in the car. just the control module (it sids behind the dash on the passanger side near the ECM) as it holds all the info like the odomiter reading.

aftermarket guages don't use stock senders?

the only thing i am realy worried about is my odomiter reading. i want the stock digital dash sending unit to continue to read the milage. at the same time i want my spiffy autometer speedo to read the speed as well. as far as fuel lvl and water temp i don't need the digital dash control module to know about that, as i will be using aftermarket guages for everything else.

thanks for the help guys

 

Fuel level uses stock sender, water temp and oil pressure use aftermarket senders in the units I've seen.

 

cool, i need a new oil pressure sending unit anyway. the one on the GTA reads high (off the map) until the car is at operating tempurture.

afermarket speedos use the same sending units right? same with tachs. they get there info from the ECM right?

 

I'm basically making this up but I believe the tachs take the pulses from the distributor/coil so they are basically switchable between 4/6/8 cylinders. Then speedos are controlled by a gear in the tranny maybe? I believe most are universal as well.

Also, oil thins out when its heated, are you sure the oil sender is broken and its not something more serious?

 

no, i am not sure. but the sender is the cheapest thing to replace. so i will start there.

 

Can I have your digital dash????