Wideband Install Help

Yea, I think that's the dual pod one for the magnum/charger. The 13006 (I think) is something autometer makes for MSD/EDGE. It has a pod for the Edge (rectangular thing just like the DashHawk) and above that a standard 52mm round pod. That's EXACTLY what I'm looking for (well, I'd kind of like the DashHawk on top and the round pod below) but they only make it for the Ram trucks.

 

My understanding of the Autometer ones is that they fit over the stock A-pillar cover? I believe what we're looking at in your picture is #12236? I would like to have #13006 (I think). It's for the '03 - '06 Ram trucks. I believe my MSD DashHawk would fit in the lower pod they have for the MSD/Edge unit... I think they're the same size, and my AFR gauge in the upper standard 52mm pod.

So... assuming these fit over the stock trim. I wouldn't expect the top and bottom to fit but I was thinking If I cut those parts off and only used the "straight" part with the pods in it... would that fit over my stock trim? just hoping, I've never looked close at a Ram truck A-pillar.

 

Update: Major victories over the last few days! I looked at the boot through the firewall that Curtis pointed out and figured I'd have to remove the panel at the bottom of the windshield. Ordered the replacement push pins just in case. Decided to just sort of survey the situation while having a beer. If you lean over into the engine bay you can see the front NB sensor right there at the end of the headers. It's a lot closer than you'd think. Back to the boot. Figured I'd have to split the boot and hollow out a notch next to the factory harness. Looked on the inside and it's pretty small. THEN... after about the 5th time removing the access door I see this smaller boot about 6" below it. It's for the hood latch cable. Comes through the firewall and narrows down to the cable size 2 or 3" out. Look inside and the hole is about 1/2" larger than the cable coming through it. That's odd. Must be a hole used for something else on different cars? Anyway the plug and shielded sensor cable is almost exactly 1/2" in diameter. So drop the hood latch handle off the dash, pull that plug in from the inside (it's flanged on the inside). Split the nipple end back to where it's a constant diameter, worked the cable plug through there--tight fit, a little WD-40 and the shielded cable zipped right through there. Worked the plug back in there, pulled flush from the outside and bingo! I'm wired into the cabin. I probably could have just cut the tapered part off the boot plug and it would have been perfect but the extra on there won't make a difference.

Inspired by getting through the firewall I decided to try to make it all the way to the glove box area. Yes, it's pitch dark now but I got 1000 watts of halogen on a tripod and a 100w florescent drop light! I probe around from the glove box side with my flexible retriever with plunger and spring steel claws that come out the other end and it turns out there is this handy dandy "tunnel" going from one side to the other. Not even anything to get hung up on.

I spend a couple of days last week making a mounting plate from a piece of lexan, velcro-ing the modules on it, glueing a couple of inline fuses on it and soldering everything up and shrink wrapping it. Bought this nifty battery operated soldering iron at Fry's. Then I found this even niftier butane soldering iron/torch combo I bought last year. Took floor console and dash center apart. Ran the remote control into the center console (park it in a coin holder and when in use it just hangs out one of the accessory ports on the top front right. Used tapin connectors to tap the cigar lighter power and ground. No power... Turns out the cigar lighter fuse (20A) is located in the REAR distribution panel. #18 and the one that's offset in the row. I guess it's a dual plug there depending on what options you have it's plugged into one circuit or the other.

So what's left? Install sensor into the bung and plug into the cable connector. Display gauge mounting... I'm thinking for a temporary mount of going to the JMatt sunglass holder mount. We'll see. I'm assuming I can just drill a hole in the back of the overhead console into the sunglass holder compartment and then route just under the headliner along the top of the windshield and down the inside of the right A-pillar.

 

Here we go. It's in and working! (I don't have skillz to do a video ) I'm still hoping HHP will come up with an A-pillar solution for both the DashHawk and a standard gauge.

Here is the sensor cable. Zip tied it to the tubing. It's the shielded cable that goes straight across just in the sunlight below the shadow. The white connector to the left is not part of the cable. The cable goes down just before that, right after the zip tie that I forgot to trim... That's the right side of the strut brace in the lower foreground. The sensor is about 1 foot straight down from the zip tie.



Here is the boot/grommet where I went through the firewall. Pic is through the access door in the cowl coming off the bottom right side of the windshield. The bottom boot is for the hood latch cable. There is an extra 1/2" diameter in there and it narrows to a nipple for the cable. I split the nipple just back to where it stops widening (odd design for a boot for a small cable). Again the sensor cable is the shielded one. In the second pic it's at the very bottom underneath the stock wire boot.





Inside now, we go up over the steering column and through the really nice, enclosed, plastic "tunnel" that goes from the driver's side to the passenger side behind the center console(behind the nav unit and stuff). Nothing to get hung up on in there. That comes out in the open space behind the glove box. You can see where it comes out at the left edge of the pic. Had about 3' of sensor cable to spare. Here are the SM-AFR module (sensor controller, analog out, serial connections for daisy chaining additional modules or display modules) and the DM-100 module. They slide/lock together... yea right... maybe it was the anodizing or the channels were bent on mine. I had to take all the electronics out and use a sledge hammer to put them together and now there is no way I could ever take them apart again. The only downside was that the gauge cable (can't be cut and spliced) was ONE friggin foot too short. That's why it's all crammed over to the right instead of that really nice open area to the left of the heater fan. I think the overhead console location will be temporary until we have an A-pillar mounting solution. Then I can put everything back in the "display case" area on the left. Gauge cable goes up the right A-pillar and under the headliner to the overhead console. Remote control cable and power goes left to under the ashtray. Tapped into the cigar lighter power leads. The remote control cable continues under the center console and into the storage area under the arm rest. Plenty of clearance and the glove box functioning is unaffected.



Here's where the remote control comes out for use while driving. Can be tucked into one of the coin tubes under the arm rest when not needed. Used to change displays, configure alerts, colors, reset peak hold, etc.



And here's the gauge. Sooper stealth JMatt gauge pod. I fabbed a plate/holder out of lexan. Probably could have completely concealed the cord but I got tired and I figured I could just paint the clear lexan and I think it might be a temporary location anyway. The door folds up and functions just like it used to. This is the stock analog and digital displays. You can see all the rest of them (4 gauge, plot, customs, etc on their web site www.plxdevices.com).





And here is the grease/soot smudge on my headliner. Collateral damage from the install. It got on my drop light when I was under the car and ended up here. Anybody have any ideas for the best cleaning solution to use with a toothbrush?