VintageWatercooleds.com Technotes

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Wednesday, February 15, 2006 12:41:33 PM - Views


VintageWatercooleds.com Technotes :: ATS Technote - 3 Gauges Modification  

This is a modification that I resigned to do after numerous problems with my battery and alternator, being blind to the what the car is feeling/doing is an oversight. So I followed someone's advice on a triple gauge insert that replaces the ashtray and the current location of the Water temperature gauge.
Gak Motorsport has this aluminum die-cut really nice 3 gauges insert for the Scirocco 1982-1992. it requires a little handy work with an Xacto knife but it is well worth the loss of the ashtray. I opted for 2 new gauges and keeping the old one I opted for voltage and oil Pressure gauges to go with the current water temperature gauge. (why rewire a gauge if it works just fine ...?)

Well to start you have to remove the top part of the console, this mean removing the side screw and holding screws of the bottom console part first and finally as indicated by 2 circles and 2 arrows the last 4 screws of the top part of the console, remove the radio, and disconnect the various plugs/bulbs that are attached to it all. you will need to pull the whole console out of the car to properly work on a stable table. to remove the current water temperature gauge from the console, the two hand screws are to be loosen and the front face plastic plate pops right out. releasing the gauge.
This picture shows the Gak Motorsport die cut aluminum frame, I have opted for a Voltmeter and Oil Pressure Gauge to be used with the current (standing in the middle) water temperature gauge.
pushing the gauge through the holes and securing them with the hand screws, with the furnished brackets here they are all three of them mounted on the Gak Motorsport plate. Noticed that since the stock gauge of VW was a little different in style I placed it in the middle of the frame, what can I say I like balance.
Now work the console cutting slowly out the ashtray, the arrows indicating how much edging you should at least leave on it so that the plate has something to lean against.
this picture shows the reverse view of the console, and I have indicated 3 items (circled in orange) that you should NOT cut out, but leave enough plastic below them for them to continue to perform their work (mainly hold your heater control panel in place).
now you have completed the cutting out, slip the plate unto the console to make sure the fit is right. (Now doesn't that start to look pretty awesome?
Remeber there is going to be new wiring back there now, and you should have enough free space for it all (the picture shows this very well)
This is to remind you that since you removed the ashtray you actually have a pair of wires that can be used for the light bulbs of the gauges the blue/white lead is the power when dash lights are turned on, and the brown is a ground. and since the previous water temperature gauge had the connector/bulb combo I only had to rewire 2 gauges to this pair of leads.
After running a pair of leads (+/- leads) to the body and fuse box for my voltmeter and ran a hose to the oil pressure sensor for the other gauge and reconnected the water temp gague... everything fitted just nice, and here is the final mounted console back into the car.

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