Hey there, I am prepping for my Speedhut gauge install and I have a few questions / things I want to confirm before I start hacking into my wiring harness. This is for the 3 gauge kit with integrate tach and it is going into an 81 CJ7. I'm not an electrician so have a lot of questions. Hopefully someone can answer all of them and this post can be helpful to others too. Here they are:

1 - Parking Brake Light - There is a black wire (#7) on the Speedhut gauge. The stock gauge has a black wire and a red wire.
- I believe I connect black to black, correct?
- If so, what do I do with the red wire?

Red was power on the old system. Not needed. Tape it off.
Black to black..

2 - Fuel Level Gauge - There is a White wire (#10/Signal) and a Black wire (#9/Ground) on the Speedhut harness. The stock gauge has a pink and a red wire.
- I believe I connect the white wire to the pink wire, correct?
- Can the black ground go to any ground such as the black ground wire from the stock Tach?
- If all that is correct, what do I do with the red wire?

Red wire was power on the old system. Not needed, tape it off.
The rest sounds good. But I would probably run the ground wire all the way back to the fuel sensor to get the best reading.

3 - 4x4 Indicator - There is an Orange wire (#11) on the Speedhut gauge. The stock gauge has an Orange wire and Red wire.
- I believe I connect orange to orange, correct?
- If so, what do I do with the red wire?

Red wire was power on the old system. Not needed, tape it off.
The rest sounds good.

4 - GPS Hot Start - There is a Red/Black wire on the Speedhut gauge that is supposed to go to 12v constant (non-switched).
- I was going to us an Add-A-Circuit on the Fuse Box for this. Is that ok?
- What fuse location & fuse size would be good to tap & add to?

Possibly a 3 or 5 amp fuse
Add a circuit would be great. But you could connect it to the clock terminal in the fuse box.

5 - Temp Gauge - The kit comes with a replacement temp sender w/ a wiring harness that connects to the Speedhut gauge. The stock gauge has a Purple w/ Tracer Wire.
- Do I just install the new sender, connect the harnesses, and cap off that Purple w/ Tracer Wire?

Yes. Tape off both ends.

6 - Tach Gauge - There is a Yellow wire (#17) on the Speedhut gauge. The stock gauge has a Red Wire and a Red w/ Tracer Wire. It also has an Orange Wire and Black Wire.
- The Red Wire and a Red w/ Tracer Wire I believe are the signal wires, is that correct?
• If so, how do the stock Red Wire and a Red w/ Tracer Wire connect to the Speedhut yellow wire?

They don't. Connect the yellow #17 wire to the (-) terminal on the distributor. Leave the two tach wire connected together under the dash.

- The Orange Wire and Black Wire I believe are the ground and power for that gauges illumination, is that correct?
• If so can I use the stock Black Wire as my main chassis ground all connections (i.e. - hook it to fuel sender ground, power distro ground, inverter gauge lighting ground)?
• If so, can I use the stock Orange Wire as my main 12v dash lighting source for all connections (i.e. - hook it to power distro dash lighting 12v & inverter gauge lighting 12v)?

You could but I would probably run a ground wire to the dash and then onto the (-) post on the battery. Just in case something looses ground and doesn't try to use some part of the speedhut gauge as an possible ground path.

You could also join all your grounds together but if it was me, I'd run the ground for the fuel gauge all the way back to the fuel level sensor.

Yes, you could use the orange wire as a source for your inverter power.

7 - Power Distro Cable - Can you confirm these connections are correct / appropriate:
- 12v Keyed Ignition (#14 Red) - Ok to connect to the Red wire from the stock fuel gauge?
- Ground (#15 Black) - Ok to connect to the Black wire from the stock tach gauge?
- 12v Dash Lighting (#13 White) - Ok to connect to the Orange wire from the stock tach gauge?

12 volt keyed to fuel gauge power is OK. Instruction manual says 5 amp so replace the 3.5 amp fuse with a 5 amp fuse.
The actual power draw is only 0.2 amps so you can probably get away with the 3.5 amp fuse.

See my comment about ground to dash and battery and not be dependent on an old ground wire.

12volt dash light orange wire should be OK.

8 - Speed Signal Wire (#2) - This wire on the Speedhut gauge I believe is for an Optional backup speedometer sender connection. What do I do with it?

Tape it off.

9 - OBDII Snap Connection - I assume the jeep doesn't have an OBDII connection and this just stays unused, correct?

Correct.

 

Dude! You're my hero. Thank you so much for answering everything!

 

Make sure you re-read it. I added some detail to my post.

 

Thanks...also when you say "Leave the two tach wire connected together under the dash."....

You literally mean to cut the Red Wire and a Red w/ Tracer Wire from the old gauge, twist the two wires together, and then tape them off, correct?

 

Headlight switch needs to be grounded.

If you have delay wipers, they need to be grounded.

 

If you have delay wipers, they need to be grounded.

John -

I recently installed the SpeedHut gauges with the separate voltmeter and oil pressure gauges. It was a little complicated, but not too bad. The integral wiring harness sure did save a lot of work!

However, I think I may have dislodged the ground wire for the delay wipers because they don't work now. Can you tell us which/what color that ground wire would be, and where/with what it should connect?

-- Thanks

 

Just a suggestion:

7 - Power Distro Cable - Can you confirm these connections are correct / appropriate:
- 12v Keyed Ignition (#14 Red) - Ok to connect to the Red wire from the stock fuel gauge?
- Ground (#15 Black) - Ok to connect to the Black wire from the stock tach gauge?
- 12v Dash Lighting (#13 White) - Ok to connect to the Orange wire from the stock tach gauge?

#13 White is the lighting for the needle and the LCD display. If you take it to orange (dash lights) the LCD back light will only come on when you turn on the lights. The LCD is very difficult to see in day light without being back lit. I would take #13 White to the same source as #14 Red (12v keyed power). That way the LCD is lit whenever the Jeep is running, not just when the lights are on. The back lighting for the gauge itself is handled by #18 and #19 so it is not effected by #13.

Also, I would take the 12v dash lighting (white) out of the inverter to the constant 12v out of the light switch (headlights), not to orange (dash lighting). The gauge lighting is LED so so it wants a constant 12v to the inverter and you dim your gauge lights there.

 

Great suggestions. Thank you!

 

I'm pretty sure it's a black one.

But it may just be the switch case that needs to be grounded in a CJ.

I'll check tomorrow

 

Just an update...I got the gauges installed this week. They work and look great! It was a pretty big job since I was restoring and retiring the whole dashboard and stereo. I’d say it took about 40 hours but I went pretty slow and took my time. Thanks for all the help!

 

cbauer210. I read all of this with interest. I would like to install Speedhut gauges in my 1980 CJ5. My problem is I have the factory hard metal full cab which has a lot of attachment to the dash board. Did you have to pull out the dash (door to door), or did you get it done from under the dash?

 

in my 1980 CJ5.... I have the factory hard metal full cab which has a lot of attachment to the dash board.

You gotta post a pic of that.

 

Hi- in the middle of the speedhut Speedo and Gauge install.

There is a “check engine” connection on the speedhut speedo. Is that used or not. Never recall original Speedo having this. Thanks !

1979 cj7 258

 

Hi- in the middle of the speedhut Speedo and Gauge install.

There is a "check engine" connection on the speedhut speedo. Is that used or not. Never recall original Speedo having this. Thanks !

1979 cj7 258

If you have replaced your engine with one that has diagnostic capabilities ie. LS or the like or installed an EFI fuels system, you can connect the idiot light for these items to it.

 

The original CJ speedo did not have a 'Check Engine" light.

Some models did have a "Emission Maintenance" light but that was later on.
And that was on the dash not the speedo.

I don't know if that is an option on the Speedhut Gauges.

 

Here's my Painless/Speedhut installation.

 

Am hip deep in the speedo swap. Welcome to the puzzle palace. Ugh.

 

At first glance, solving string theory might be easier, but there is a method to that madness.

 

Checked everything 3x. Ready to add power. Shaking hands...

 

That's always the scary part...

 

I just ordered the Speedhut speedometer for my 83 CJ. The info here is terrific, thanks to those who contributed.

some questions that I have:

1. are there other options other than drilling a hole for the gps sensor? can it be mounted in the interior section, perhaps attached to the firewall somewhere?
2. do you need to drop the tank to hook the fuel sensor up? My fuel and temp gauges in the existing gauge do not work.
3. i have done a lot of work myself on the Jeep, so reasonably handy - although electronics is still an area that I’m a novice at. Do you guys know, roughly, how long this takes (range of hours).
4. any “if I did it again I would” Suggestions?

Thanks - Ron

 

You do not need to drop the fuel tank unless you believe the connection of the pink sensor wire and ground have issues. You can connect the pink wire directly to the sensor wire on the Speedhut gauge. The information that comes with the gauge has directions on how to calibrate the fuel level gauge if you find the factory settings don't work. I have seen posts in the facebook CJ7 group where folks put the sensor inside the fresh air box under the grille and also some claim it works stuck to the roll bar. I have mine just stuck to the inside of the windshield frame for now. I'm also using the speed sensor on the transfer case inline with my Howell setup.

 

I needed several days togo slow and not miss anything. Labeled all leads and was able to eliminate a lot of PO crazy wiring. Literally a big pile. Passed the magnetic antenna lead thru firewall and placed it up near front bumper. Can’t help with the other Qs. For easy access to pump and sending unit I cut an access hatch in rear tub. Good luck.

 

I am also in the midst of installing the Speedhut Speedometer Cluster that the Tachometer. My 84 CJ7 did not have a Tach. I have the GM HEI ignition modification. Can someone please tell me where to connect the Speedhut Tachometer wire.
Thank you.

 

I am also in the midst of installing the Speedhut Speedometer Cluster that the Tachometer. My 84 CJ7 did not have a Tach. I have the GM HEI ignition modification. Can someone please tell me where to connect the Speedhut Tachometer wire.
Thank you.

The tachometer (yellow wire) should go to the Negative side of the HEI. Check out the directions for a Type #1 hookup on page 5 of the instruction manual that comes with the gauges (or click here to download a set: https://speedhut.com/content/instructions/cj_cluster_rev2.pdf).

You will have to calibrate the tach to your jeep with the number of pulses produced by the HEI. You might also have to calibrate the fuel level sender.

 

Thank you John, you are correct. A simple connection, great!

 

One more question on the Speedhut install: How many "pulses" does the GM HEI put out. I have set the Tach to 2, but I'm not sure this is correct. I sure love the Speedometer cluster on my CJ. For the first time I'm not worried about how much gas is in the tank.

 

If the units are "pulses per revolution" I think it fires 3 times for each revolution of a 6 cylinder engine. 2 would be for a 4 cylinder 4 for a V8.

 

Thanks John, that seems to be a lot more accurate than the 2 I had entered. After programming for 3 it showed I was running about 47 MPH in 4th gear with a T-5 transmission, 33" tires (close to new), and 4.11 differential.

 

I too just finished the speedhut install, and wanted to share a couple of points.

the manual (I’m not an electrician), doesn’t show the associated CJ Speedo harness wire colors to connect to. I found a wiring diagram of the speedo in one of my reference books which helped (and also indicated the PO had a couple of lights backwards).

I didn’t remove the steering wheel, rather just the dash which provided ok access.

In regards to crimping the wires together, this type of crimper and tool worked great

I did not drill a hole in the windshield bottom to run the gps. Rather I ran the line on top of the cowl gasket (held down with electrical tape) following the windshield wiper wiring down In behind the dash. The line then sits between the windshield and cowl gaskets.

The speedhut gauge that I had was ordered around December, and the instructions were a bit out of date. One color wire wasn’t completely a match (Speedo as compared to instructions), gps hot start wire called out on the instructions wasn’t there.

I ran the temp sensor out of the emissions sensor port out of the front of the Jeep. Purchased some brass parts at Home Depot. See picture.

the Fuel guage setup appeared to be preset at 70-10 (which was correct for my CJ7).

What I did with the now unused original Speedo lights was to remove the bulbs and zip tie together, one day I may replace the harness.

I had previously dropped tha tank, flushed out and replaced all hoses, clamps, fuel sensor and fuel lines, when I did that I then installed the speedhut harness, and ran a separate ground from the fuel level sender to the frame. From what I read, poor grounding with or at the sensor is somewhat common, causing related problems.

I read, and re read this post multiple times, it helped me simplify and understand things much better.

I too took my time, and excluding the fuel harness connection ((which was part of the tank removal/upgrade project), and water sensor install which I had done previously, it was about 6 hours, going slow and steady.

I closed my eyes, turned the key to start up the Jeep, and everything worked as it should.

for me, this was a good move/investment, my prior Speedo had poor lighting, fuel guage didn’t work, temp guage erratic.

im wanting now to completely remove Speedo cable, any ideas as to where to find a cap to cover where the cable connects to the transmission (I have an automatic trans)?

 

im wanting now to completely remove Speedo cable, any ideas as to where to find a cap to cover where the cable connects to the transmission (I have an automatic trans)?

Pull the screw end off the cable, drop a nickel in with an o-ring and screw the cap back on.

 

Bwwaaa.....Tinker0000 putting in his $.05

Good idea though.

 

The was a sale at speedhut during 4th of July, and I ordered new voltage and oil pressure gauges. The ones they show as part of the Jeep CJ series didn’t really match. I found a related post on This site in which a member made special artwork that pretty much matched the original guage, and offered use of the artwork to our community. I called Speedhut, referenced his order number, and the gauges are now in production.

having installed the speedhut speedometer about a month ago, and very, very pleased with results, this was the next step. I wanted to know if there were similar detailed wiring instructions for these 2 gauges, in particular using, or connecting any of the existing guage wires to the speedhut ones, I’m not an electrician by Any stretch of the imagination and want to avoid running separate power and all of that if practical.

The existing voltage guage has a orange wire (light) , yellow (I think this is power), and black (negative/ground ?) Can any of these be used for the new guage?

The existing oil pressure guage (I plan to run the speedhut cable harness to the engine/new sending unit). There’s a orange wire on the existing guage (light), a purple wire and then a red one. Can any of these be used?

thanks

 

The existing voltage guage has a orange wire (light) , yellow (I think this is power), and black (negative/ground ?) Can any of these be used for the new guage?

The existing oil pressure guage (I plan to run the speedhut cable harness to the engine/new sending unit). There’s a orange wire on the existing guage (light), a purple wire and then a red one. Can any of these be used?

thanks

The yellow is indeed the power wire. You can reuse it if you so desire, although none of the new gauges require the use of such a large gauge wires. The new gauges all require the use of a 5A inline fuse. So if you want, you can have a bunch of random fuses all tucked up under your dash attached all over to different wires.

All of the SpeedHut gauges use EL lighting, you should link them together with the inverter box that came with the cluster. The inverter box then gets connected to one of the original CJ orange dimmer wires. If you so choose not to reuse the CJ headlight switch dimmer, SpeedHut has a separate dimmer kit available (it might be more reliable than the headlight switch rheostat). Available here: Dimmer Kit This is the way I'm going, I intend on installing the dimmer behind the dash on a little L bracket so it can be reached from the bottom.

The existing wiring can all go away for the most part. I am also in the process of installing the SpeedHut CJ set and relish the idea of getting rid of all that excess wiring.

I would recommend downloading the instruction manuals for the gauges and going over them, so you know what needs to be done and how to plan out the wiring.

Here is the link to the cluster instructions.

https://speedhut.com/content/instructions/cj_cluster_rev2.pdf

Here is the link to the Volts and Oil pressure gauges.

https://speedhut.com/content/instructions/2in_and_258in_revolution.pdf