stewart warner gauge wiring

[1990LTD]

Got a gauge pod with volts, water temp, and oil psi. There are 5 wires and I know which are the water temp and oil psi senders but don't know about the others


stupid question time:

How do I figure out which of the other 3 wires are which? I have a multimeter but I am functionally retarded when it comes to electronics.


One of them is obviously 12v for the lights, one is the ground, and one is voltmeter hot? Does that sound stupid? Would the voltmeter use the same hot wire as the lights? Same ground? Like I said, functionally retarded here.

[87gtVIC]

The volt meter can use the same ground as the lights, as a matter of fact I wouldn't be surprised if every ground in the gauge pack (the lights ground, voltmeter ground, and oil pressure ground, water temp ground) were tied together in one lead. So that could be one wire.

Triggered power for the back lighting would have its own lead. So that is another wire.

The oil pressure gauge will have its own sender. Another wire down

The water temp. gauge will have its own sender. Another wire

And that only leaves one wire left which would be a keyed power to give voltage for the voltmeter to read, and give power for the oil gauge and water gauge to function.

Now to find out where each wire is going put your multimeter either in the diode test position or the Ω (ohms) position.

You will most likely have ground all over the place so whichever wire has the most continuity within the circuit board will be the ground wire. The universal (keyed) power will have power only to the three gauges, so check that out with the meter. Lighted (headlamp) power will only be feeding the lights, and then all you have left are the two sender wires.

I don't know WTF I'm doing here figuring out what wires are what...5 wires, red/black/blue/yellow/orange. More than one of them seems to ground and/or power the lights.

Red keyed power, black ground and I would say yellow is for the headlamps and blue and orange the senders.

[1990LTD]

thanks Dave, I think I got it worked out. My multimeter has got a setting where it basically yells at me when it finds continuity...handy


blue = 12v lights
red = 12v gauges
black = grnd
orange = psi
yellow = temp

I just gotta wait to my bulbs to come in before I install it...I've got one #74 bulb and this takes two

[87gtVIC]

ahh so I was one off lol.

You have a nice multimeter. The ones I have don't even have a light to show continuity.

It looked like from pictures that it was 194 bulbs. Strange for it to be using such tiny bulbs. Hope all goes well.

[1990LTD]

Yeah they look like 194s, I thought the gauges were fucked when they showed up but the bulbs were both dead. The one bulb I have doesn't light up much but I'm only putting power through it with a 9v duracell Should be better with a couple more volts