I'm right in the middle of wiring up my new AFR gauge and I'm running into some problems. I need to find a wire that supplies 12v when the key is turned on....and another wire that supplies 12v when the headlights are turned on. Does anyone know what the best wires are to tap into...and were they are located?? Thanks!!!!

 

For power that is on when key in ignition - just go to the fuse panel next to your left foot - and use an add a fuse to get switched power. Radio..anything like that should work. As for wire that illuminates with lights and dash - I think most boost gauges tap into the illumination wire so that the brightness of the gauge matches that of the stock instruments...

 

I was able to pull power off of the radio circuit to get 12v power when the key is on......but I'm a hard time finding a circuit in the fuse panel that supplies 12v power when the head lights are turned on.

Anyone know what fuse in the fuse panel supplied 12v power only when the headlights are on?

 

You need to tap AFTER the switch/dimmer for the power for the lights...
The power coming off the fuse block will be on with the key...
So any wire going to the lights, etc will work...me...I'd just run the lighting on the Afr all the time...simpler...same source as the 12v key on fuse...and if it was too bright....just add dimmer inline...the way you are not chopping up the cars wiring....

 

The night illumination power for gauges and buttons uses grey/red stripe wires throughout the car. You can find one at the back of any of the components in the center stack. On the radio, it is on pin 14 of connector A.

 

Unfortunately with the MTX-L gauge I have, it needs a constant 12v input to activate its dimming feature. The instructions specifically say not to hook it up to the dash light circuit that is dimmable. It's kind of a weird setup. When it sees 12v on the white wire it dims the gauge... No power to the wire and the gauge goes full bright.

I was thinking about running it the " bright" daylight mode all the time.....but at light its so bright its annoying.

 

sounds like you need to tap the running lights.....so parking/headlights on=dimming on..or just use the same power source...add a switch to "turn on" the dimming when you add power....