How to Install an Air Fuel Gauge on Ion
- 1). Park your Saturn Ion and open the hood. Prop the hood open and disconnect the negative battery cable. Remove the battery cable from the battery using a wrench. You can loosen the battery cable by turning the wrench counterclockwise on the bolt that is holding the negative cable secure.
- 2). Locate your vehicle's oxygen sensor. You may need to consult your vehicle's manual to find the location. Once you have located the sensor, there should be an electrical harness that contains the wiring of the oxygen sensor. Cut about 1/4 inch of insulation off the covering of the oxygen sensor wire while being careful not to cut into the electrical wire.
- 3). Strip 1/4-inch coating off of the end of the oxygen sensor wire from the gauge. Twist the end of the wire into the oxygen sensor wire of the vehicle. Use a soldering iron to solder the wires together.
- 4). Connect the ground wire from your gauge to the chassis of the vehicle. You need to connect the ground to a proper bare metal ground on the chassis. If not, the gauge won't produce accurate readouts, or it may not work at all.
- 5). Route the wires from your gauge in the through the firewall of your vehicle. There should be a small hole in the firewall of the dash on the driver's side. Run the wires through and let them hang for now.
- 6). Find a location on your dash to mount the air fuel gauge. The gauge should of come with a mounting brace with screws and washers. Align the mounting brace where you would like it. Place the washers over the holes in the mounting brace and drill the screws through the holes to secure the air fuel gauge mounting brace to the dash. Be careful not to drill into an air bag or any other wires in the dash. Push the gauge into the mounting brace.
- 7). Make a hole in the dash using a rotary tool if you would like to put the gauge in the dash. Make a hole in the dash the same size as the gauge. Mount the gauge inside the dash using the mounting kit. Place the mounting bar in the hole and place the washers over the holes. Drill two screws into the holes on the mounting brace to secure it inside the dash. Push the gauge into the mount until it is secure.
- 8). Locate your Saturn Ion's manual and locate the power diagram. Strip 1/4 inch of wire coating off of the wire and insert the end of the wire into the power supply you located. If it is a fuse, insert the end of the wire into the fuse. If it is an ignition coil or somewhere there is a positive terminal, wrap the end of the wire around the terminal. Whichever method you choose, it is important to only have the power running when the Saturn Ion is operating.
- 9). Reconnect the negative battery cable and check your gauge to see if it has power; if not, recheck the wiring connections. Turn the ignition on and watch the gauge indicator. The gauge should be at "Too Lean" when the engine is first turned on and will display the reading "Too Rich" after the engine has warmed up and is still idling. The gauge will fluctuate when you start driving.