[rquest77]

i recently installed indiglo gauges...but i had a hell of a time slipping them covers over the original meter. so i must have moved the needles around a lot (i didnt take me off tho) trying to slip on the covers, took me almost an hour, and i finally got em back on. i guess i messed up the gears that move the needles, cuz once i started driving again after installing, my fuel is always full, i'm always running 3 RPM's even when i'm stopped, my temperature is always cold, and my speedometer thinks i'm going 60 MPH when i'm barely moving. (!!!!!!!!) this is real dangerous, and i wanna kno whats the best way to get this fixed as fast as possible. i don wanna buy new gauges, i love the look but what good is it if all th readings are wrong? any help would be great.

 

[Guest]

You probably just need to get them recalibrated.

 

[Matt Whelan]

You probably just need to get them recalibrated.

You make that sound like an easy process.

 

[WhiteLegend]

Get a new Gauge pod, they have them on Ebay from time to time. Or go to a junk yard and get a working one.

I just bought one off e-bay for $50, I broke my fuel needle when I was putting on indiglos.

 

[92coupeon18s]

Drive with your hart not the spedo haha. U will know when gas is low the light will come on but i dono what to tell u to do i havent got my guages yet they wil be here sometime in the next few weeks

 

[Bread]

Check this

Are you sure that you plugged the gauges back in? Check your connections at the top of the gauge cluster one more time. I say this because it's unlikely that you messed them all up.

 

[rquest77]

whats a gauge pod? i don't wanna go to a junkyard and buy a new gauge...my gauge is in perfect condition still. just the needles are drunk thats all. so how do i go about recalibrating my needles? is it do-able by myself, or should i go to some shop? is doing this better, or using a "gauge pod" better? many thanks, your helpful info will keep me from speeding 70 MPH in a 5 MPH and getting into a horrible accident

 

[Bread]

Gauge pod/ Gauge cluster = same thing. He just means that if you broke any of the individual units then it's easier to replace the whole thing. The needle is just an indicator of the gauge. If the needle doesn't work it's becaue the gauge is bad. They are like little electric motor looking things with a post sticking out the gauge face, and a needle attached to the end of the post.

Just make sure they're all plugged in like I mentioned and then if still no luck, buy a new gauge cluster and be more careful next time. Also, you may get a cluster with lower mileage on it than your car!

 

[rquest77]

new gauges cost a bit...and i dont really want to reflect incorrect mileage. hmm..i think everything is plugged in correctly. my only concern when i was replugging them back in was that there are 3 slots at the top of the gauge; two on the top right and one in the top middle. the two on the top right were both colored green, but the one in the top middle was colored white. i just plugged in the white in the middle and the two greens on the right, is that right? if thats right and it's STILL messed up, would recalibrating the needles fix the problem?

 

[Bread]

I'm pretty sure that you can only plug them in one way. But other than that the only other problem that you could check is if the needles are just too close to the gauge face and are rubbing. You'll probably end up going to a gauge/instrumentation shop or just replacing the entire unit.

 

[rquest77]

i see...never thought of the needles being too close to the gauge. i guess putting down a layer of new gauge does decrease the space between the needle and gauge. but so much that it keeps needles from moving correctly? i guess ill have to recallibrate them, where would i get this done?

 

[Bread]

Well. Here in Seattle we have a place that has a speedometer calibrating "dyno" and everything. But I don't know about your area. Try doing a search under "instrument calibration" and see what you come up with. These guys in Seattle will take it apart and handle anything. I hope there is something like this available in your area.

 

[Matt Whelan]

Ok, so if we push the needle back on the correct way it should work correctly? What is the correct way?

Here is what happened to my gauges.

My friend who installed them pulled the Hot/Cold Engine Temp. needle off after I told him not to. Then he put it back on(I though all the way) and it has been reading on "Hot" ever since. What do I do?

 

[Bread]

Well, I would remove the needle so that the gauge can turn freely. Then I would plug the instrument cluster back in and turn on the ignition for a second(when the motor is cold) so that the instrument resets itself at 'cold'. Now you know for sure that it's pointing in the right spot and you can put the needle back on very carefully so that it doesn't rub against the gauge face.

It's a pain in the ass I know, but that's the only way I can think of to try and fix it.

 

[stevieray]

Can you say "$$$"

Hate to tell you this but your instrument cluster is toast. I went through this same deal when we had a white-face gauge buy 'bout 18 months ago and these needles react very adversely to ANY attempt at adjustment. If you pull any of them out, that particular gauge is gone. You have 2 options---go to a junkyard and try to find a cluster with approximately the same mileage (about $75-100) or call United Speedometer in Riverside, CA at 800-877-4798, ask for Vane, Rick or Jason and see if they can recalibrate your existing speedo (approx. $150). Good luck---

 

[rquest77]

so if the needles react so adversely to any attempt for adjustment, how the hell did everyone get their indiglo gauges on? am i to assume everyone in this forum with indiglo gauges has messed up instrument clusters? i dont see any way you can get those white-face covers on the gauge without moving the needle in the process. did i do something wrong?

 

[stevieray]

Hey, bud---go bark at somebody else. I'm just trying to help you out. You can MOVE the needles, you just can't pull them out. Furthermore, I can't speak for how all of the other owners got their indiglos on. Maybe the holes were big enought to slip over the needles at an angle. I'm just telling you my experience--you can either take the advice for what it's worth or not. You're the one driving around with the fu*ked-up instrument cluster, not me.

 

[Bread]

Hmmm

Dude, stevieray, WTF is wrong with you? He's not "barking" at anybody, just asking for help and expressing frustration. Relax.

rquest77, the instructions that came with the gauges were crap at best, so I'm not surprised that so many people had problems installing them. The trick was to bend the gauge faces like a taco so that they would just slip right over the needles. After bending them, you would slide the needle in parallel, not perpendicular to, the fold you had created.

I'm actually surprised that your's don't work because I put a bit of pressure on my needles as well trying to install the gauges. I noticed that when I moved a needle it stayed where I left it, which worried me at first. But when I started the car everything went back to normal. I guess you just had some bad luck. And I remember from one of your first posts that your friend had originally done the install, so maybe he was to rough with them.

 

[legend4life]

can somebody please post a step by step guide to installing the indiglo gauges???

 

[pYmpdaddi]

Re: Hmmm

rquest77, the instructions that came with the gauges were crap at best, so I'm not surprised that so many people had problems installing them. The trick was to bend the gauge faces like a taco so that they would just slip right over the needles. After bending them, you would slide the needle in parallel, not perpendicular to, the fold you had created.

Bread the only thing i have to add to this is when you slide the gauge onto the needle like this, be sure to get the inner circle below the thick black part of the needle. At that point the gauge will almost "snap" over the rest of the needle and the indiglo gauge is in place. I had this same problem when I put my gauges on too, but it was worth it to be careful.