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[quote][i]Originally posted by Kyle T[/i] I've been collecting bits and pieces for a couple of weeks now and have started dismantling the car for the next phase of the project. I'd planned to do a single big update at the end but it's just taking too long, and will end up missing bits or getting the sequencing wrong so figured I'd document to date and then finish off later. First up the easy bit, spending money: [img]https://i.imgur.com/fo5KolN.jpg?2[/img] Baffled sump, oil and filter, gearbox oil and a multi gauge. I'd wanted a baffled sump before my first track day since the start, and this came with a blanking plug to take a thread for an oil temperature sensor... and what better time to get one of those fitted than before the sump is on the car! That meant grabbing a gauge. I'm not particularly happy with the gauge, it was a rush job to just get something which would include the 1/8npt sensors for oil temp and pressure which I could test fit and install which ALSO had off the shelf fitment options for the Exige dash. Longer term I'd like to switch to a Spa Designs oil pressure/temp 2 in 1 gauge but this will require an adaptor to be made to allow for a vent fitment... so a job for later. In the meantime this multi gauge was cheap enough and comes with all the bits to allow me to get this up and running before the sump is swapped. It also includes a boost gauge which I don't really see much point of in the longer term, but i'll plumb it in anyway whilst I've got it. Job one was to identify a good gauge position. There are some off the shelf brackets that hang down from the dash but I find them far too low and my knee also blocks them off in pretty much all circumstances. Next option is vent fitment which I much prefer. I first tried out this position, based on the fact my hands would block the nearer ones whilst on the wheel: [img]https://i.imgur.com/yP4XiVd.jpg?1[/img] The adapter ring would later be painted black, but this position didn't work as it was too far away from my face and such the viewing angle blocked off half of the gauge. Next up was the vent by my right hand, slightly obscured by my hand at 10-2 but much better visibility and actually looks a little more subtle as it's tucked away in the corner. [img]https://i.imgur.com/S3qUdzZ.jpg?1[/img] Once fitment was decided, it was onto wiring. I hate wiring, soldering and anything related but I've had a good go before on the gauge setup for my Subaru. I was looking for wiring for: Battery + Battery Ground Switched + Illumination My gauge position was right above the lighting switch panel so surely all of this should be readily available - but a lack of documentation left me a bit stuck and I'm not confident enough to go poking around with a multi-meter to find my own connectivity. I then switched focus to the head unit, I knew all those wires were available there and so I bought a £3 autoleads ISO adaptor that was simply male to female (a mini extension lead for ISO) which I could hack up away from the car. The pinout for it is well documented, but also when it arrived I found the wires to even be labelled! Idiot proof :) [img]https://i.imgur.com/V8FvQCO.jpg?1[/img] I chopped the wires and crimped on some piggyback spade connectors. Added a blob of solder to each to keep them together then insulated the crap out of it: [img]https://i.imgur.com/SHTtuxi.jpg?1[/img] Next up I had to extend the gauge wire so it would reach over to the head unit. This was some of my finest soldering to date, but only ruined by the fact I rested the soldering iron on my (plastic) box of heatshrink which managed to weld shut the box which later needed dremmeling open so that I could get into it! [img]https://i.imgur.com/Luiz8hL.jpg?1[/img] Then the final product, makes my install completely reversible and at no point have I risked damage to the cars existing wiring. [img]https://i.imgur.com/jggNGhb.jpg?1[/img] Sure enough I've tested it, and I correctly get white illumination on the dial during the day time which switches to amber when my car lights come on to make it less of a glare during the night (and kind of somewhat matches the illumination from the dash binnacle). On the note of the dash gauges, I have an issue with the car which came up a couple of weeks ago but I thought it was just a fuse issue. The sidelights and dash stopped lighting up. When I finally looked at the fuses and found them to be OK, I googled it and found lots of suggestions that the switch pack module was probably dead. I could hear clicking from the relays so assumed not, but still sent it off for repair. I got that back this week, and whilst the dash was off it was an easy install back into the car - and it fixed the problem a treat. It seems like the switch pack module and CDL module that I replaced when I first bought the car are cut from the same cloth. Both prone to failure! I took this photo at somepoint looking like the car has been bombed. [img]https://i.imgur.com/oo0ni4L.jpg?1[/img] My next phases are waiting for other people, I took the sump to a local engineering firm to have them drill and tap the 1/8npt fitting into it for the oil temp gauge. Hopefully I can collect that today. The rest of the wiring for the gauges is with an autoelectrician who I've asked to extend for me. Clearly the gauge is intended for a front engine car so they have no chance of reaching the boot from the dash. I went to a proper sparky because I can't be bothered making another 24 odd solder connections but also because I want the wire properly insulating all the way down. If I get the sump back today, I'll get the two oil changes done this weekend then it'll just be a case of connecting up the gauge to the sensors once the wiring is back. For the boost gauge, as it's likely to be temporary I'm just going to replace one of the intercooler silicone joins with one that has a boost take off in it. There's no vac hoses to tee into on this engine layout so this is the next best non-permanent option that I have. [/quote]
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