Question re: gauge wiring

[raxley]

I'm moving my gauges from my 3rd gen truck to my 2nd gen truck. It looks like they used a wiring harness, I don't know who makes it. I've got a bunch of plugs that go into the gauges that are self explanatory. I have ground wires that attach to the dash frame (metal) and I have red wires, I believe they attached to a switched wire. I have a question about a bunch of white wires. Do they need to go to the headlight circuit? I remember when I dim my gauges (on 3rd gen) it dims both the stock gauges and the added on gauges, so I would think that they go there.
I want to get the gauges in so I can safely put my AFC live, 60# intake and exhaust springs and my 3000/4000 GSK in without too much worry. I will consider the transmission after that (altho it sometimes drops out of OD on the freeway, and won't go back in OD until I stop and turn the truck off for a while)
Thanks for any info!

 

[BigPapa]

What brand and model are the gauges?

You should have a ground wire, a power wire, an illumination wire, and if any of your gauges have electronic sensors, you'll have a wire for the sensor. All can be wired together except the sensor wires. Ground to ground, power wire to a key-on power source, and the illumination wire to the dash light circuit.

 

[Joe Mc]

In fuse panel to left of dash use a test light to locate fuses for: “key-on power on/key off power off” and “illumination”. Sorry I can look right now due to blizzard to provide specific fuse numbers I used.

 

[raxley]

They are all Pricol Optix. I heard the Optix II have a better light, but I don't remember a visibility problem. Thanks for the confirmation of what I thought the wires went to. I will do the test light thing to find appropriate wires in the left dash fuse box. I have a CD ROM of the service manual, but I'm not really practiced in using it, and I don't know much about it (the wiring schematic I mean). I will have to look through it and see if I can figure out the appropriate wires (altho test light should work fine)

 

[Joe Mc]

I have printed shop manual and have the same problem trying to figure out the wiring diagrams all the modules and control boxes and connectors geesh. And this is an almost 20 year old truck for Pete’s sake, can’t imagine how newer ones are...