Not real happy with autometer

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66cuda

66cuda

2011Armada K of C 1st PL
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
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Location
St. Clair Shores Michigan
NOT REAL HAPPY WITH AUTOMETER right now!! Gauges pictured were well over $1200. "top of the line Autometer." Took lugging stuff to three swapmeets and sittin there all day long to get CLOSE to the $$ needed. Performed the installation EXACTLY as instructed , even called AM tech line to validate installation (just to close the loop.)

When driving the car in & out of the shop and around the block...didnt see much weirdness in any of the gauges...everything seemed to be working as intended. Even a few back & forth from my house to the shop were fine...... BUT really have not driven to any great length until DREAM CRUISE day!!


Started at the extreme north end and took 3 x ways to get there.... hit 55 mph and the speedo started to bounce around from 55 to 140 then to 100 then to 140 then to 55 it was all over the place!!!

Below 55 smooth calm trackin straight ...even asked a few cruisers, at low speeds, how fast they were going and the AM speedo was right on!! The dropped off Woodward and flew down to the Epicenter at 13 & Woodward in Royal oak, nailed it a few times on the "back roads" just to see if it was a fluke...NOPE hit 56 mph all over the board!!!! OK so I have to make calls and find out what is going on....I'll ignore it for the cruise because if you crack 20 mph you are "flyin" during the cruise!!!


NEXT....I fill up with 1/2 tank premium and 1/2 tank turbo blue...farily hefty sum in fuel. I drive not more than 20 miles and my gauge is showing 1/2 tank!!! NFW!!!! I only drove 20 miles!!! My 72 had a 410 gear in it and I could do well past 20 miles before ever getting close to 1/2 tank.... the Cuda only has a 3:55 and I was not bein very heavy in the pedal???? WTF?? so I spend about an hour in the cruise mass....the gauge is now on E !!! DAMN ...OK so I pull into one of the whopping 5 whole stations that are OPEN along the 15 mile route, and who have hiked the prices up to reflect that they are only one of the 5 that ARE open!!! RUn inside drop 50 on the counter and say "fill up"

Head back out to the car and turn the pump on.....squeeze the trigger....fuel is gushing through the nozzle and I am expecting to be standing there for a few mins at least!!! pump shows 6.2 gals and the auto off kicks in....Must be filling too fast, squeeze again...clicks directly off..squeeze again fuel comes gushing out of the filler tube!!! WHAT 6. 8 gals? that is a 15 gal tank?!?!?!? it was ON E!!!! should be taking 12 - 14 gals anyway!!!

NOPE 6.8 gals and she was full to the brim!!!! go get my change and hop back in fire her up...look at the gauge..it reads E!!!! C'MON is this some "twilight zone " episode???...say screw it and head off down Woodward...figure I know how long and how far I have driven ...I should be able to get at least that behind me which will get me through the rest of the day and back to the house..... I look at the gauge 10 mins later and NOW it is reading FULL...excuse me?!?!? my fuel gauge is AFU ALSO!?!?!?! start checking the other gauges all good...... speedo & fuel are hosed giving erroneous readings all over the place.

YA figure for about a lil under 1400 bucks you should get gauges that are substantial and function properly!!! Running out of gas ON Woodward is NOT a good thing!!!! you become an INSTANT traffic issue!!! and you MUST turn your lights on BEFORE you exit the vehicle...otherwise the guy behind you who is burning out will see your brake lights go out and think he has plenty of room & time...the LIGHTS MUST STAY ON or you will get tapped!!!!

SO I am PRETTY FAR FROM OK RIGHT ABOUT NOW and Autometer is sitting on the TOP of my $hit list...I made the IP removable ...but to do it right takes about an 8 hour day of getting EVERYTHING out of the way and being very careful.
I have sent a nasty gram to AM to see what advice they prescribe...but I am guessing it will be "send them in and we will take a look see".... SURE!!! I just snap them out of the dash and POP em in a box and ship em right out!!!

ANYONE else have issues like this with AM? Pretty disappointed and very Miffed about the expense vs the functionality...not a good blend at the moment!!!
 

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This is NOT good chitt to hear !! I've got a set of AM Lunar Series gauges in a Rocky Mountain Dash that will be headed into my '69 Dart!!Guess I better watch them carefully !!!
 
i have the auto meter untralite II. close to $1000. the gas gauge i had to re-program to read the chrysler sending unit. not a big deal don't really have a problem with that gauge.. i made it read E with a few gallons in it because i would rather read E early then late..lol. it goes through the first half tank a lot faster then the second half but thats what ya get with after market gauges. it is what it is i guess.


now the speedo is a real pain in the ***. installed and wired it like the directions say. calibrated it and its within 1 mph of my two gps units but it bounces around also. not as bad as yours but maybe 10 mph or so. i called the usless tech number and they say the speedo is picking up interference somewhere. they say i need to have a separate wire for power to the speedo even though their wire diagram clearly shows different. i say ok and try it.. nope same thing.. i call those usless a-holes back and this time the tech gets nasty and says i'm picking up interference from the ign wiring and the speedo sensor wire needs to be run a different route then the other wires and in some kine of shielding wrap (forget the name of it), yea ok.. screw pulling all that wire i just put in there out and re-doing it.. my question is why don't the directions say anything about this crap? id they mentioned it i would have done what it said. the tech dept is usless and its not worth even calling those clown.

in the future if i even decide to use autometer gauges i will be sure yo either use a GPS speedo ro a old cable set up and not bother with this electronic bull ****.


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abodyjoe said:
i have the auto meter untralite II. close to $1000. the gas gauge i had to re-program to read the chrysler sending unit. not a big deal don't really have a problem with that gauge.. i made it read E with a few gallons in it because i would rather read E early then late..lol. it goes through the first half tank a lot faster then the second half but thats what ya get with after market gauges. it is what it is i guess.


now the speedo is a real pain in the ***. installed and wired it like the directions say. calibrated it and its within 1 mph of my two gps units but it bounces around also. not as bad as yours but maybe 10 mph or so. i called the usless tech number and they say the speedo is picking up interference somewhere. they say i need to have a separate wire for power to the speedo even though their wire diagram clearly shows different. i say ok and try it.. nope same thing.. i call those usless a-holes back and this time the tech gets nasty and says i'm picking up interference from the ign wiring and the speedo sensor wire needs to be run a different route then the other wires and in some kine of shielding wrap (forget the name of it), yea ok.. screw pulling all that wire i just put in there out and re-doing it.. my question is why don't the directions say anything about this crap? id they mentioned it i would have done what it said. the tech dept is usless and its not worth even calling those clown.

in the future if i even decide to use autometer gauges i will be sure yo either use a GPS speedo ro a old cable set up and not bother with this electronic bull ****.


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JOE, I read everything that came with, I broke the seal on all the packages...I used a standard mopar sending unit 3/8's tube...the unit is grounded and the tank is grounded ( freekin everything is grounded 2 or 3 times across the frame, drive train , block and firewall....I used almost $60 in HD ground straps....

That being said I did not see ANYTHING about "reprogramming" the fuel gauge on the C2 gauges.... there is really nothing on he back of the gauge save the sending unit connectors and the lighting connectors .... when they sold me the gauge they looked it up and there is a C2 gauge especially for Mopars and one for fords & chevy's The mopar one operates using 70 or 90 ohms or something.... and the ford & chevy ones a much lower resistance...

I can run a dedicated hot line easy enough and I can shield it fairly simple....BUT as you said there was NOTHING in any speedo instructions or calibration instructions saying ANYTHING about either shielding or a dedicated power source and this puppy is boucing like a superball if I go over 55!!! that is plain old too much damn money to spend for a gauge that is that sensitive to interference!!! Cell phones, cell towers hell satellite radios if that interferes with gauges...that is a huge problem
 
Both your dashes look great ! Sorry you're having problems .
Abodyjoe , did you make that dash frame ? It looks great , if I were to change the gauges that frame is the one I would choose , really nice , does it bolt up to factory dash frame ?
 
Had one of there electric speedos on a chopper I had. Once calibrated never had a problem with the speedo, the odometer worked well also. The tripmeter, well, that is another story. Turn the bike off, one time it will hold the mileage, next time reset itself. Bit of a problem with a bike that has a range of maybe 75 miles on the main tank and about 11 miles on the reserve. Sent the thing back 3x before I gave up on it. Good luck....
 
jerry6 said:
Both your dashes look great ! Sorry you're having problems .
Abodyjoe , did you make that dash frame ? It looks great , if I were to change the gauges that frame is the one I would choose , really nice , does it bolt up to factory dash frame ?
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thanks man.. no i didn'ty make it.. its from rocky mountain dashed when they were still around.
 
That being said I did not see ANYTHING about "reprogramming" the fuel gauge on the C2 gauges.... there is really nothing on he back of the gauge save the sending unit connectors and the lighting connectors .... when they sold me the gauge they looked it up and there is a C2 gauge especially for Mopars and one for fords & chevy's The mopar one operates using 70 or 90 ohms or something.... and the ford & chevy ones a much lower resistance...
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when i ordered mine i got the one that was adjustable.. i didn't trust one dedicated to chrysler..lol
 
Sorry Autometer didn't warn you

Something you might try, what is the speedo, two insulated conductors from the sender?

If you cannot get shielded wire, pirate some RG-59/59 coax from someone, strip off the insulation, and gently compress the shield while still on the inner cable. This will expand the shield and you can thread your sender wire through. You'll have to re-insulate it even if you have to tape it

Another alternative is a "chunk" of ethernet cable. These are 4 pair, blue, orange, green, brown. the mating wire is white/ blue, white / orange, etc, and these whites are twisted around their mates.

Take all the /whites and tie them toegther and ground to the speedo case. Use the solid blue and solid orange for your sender, and also ground the end of the remaining two, ONLY AT ONE END, at the speedo.

Some of these gauges are a "bridge" circuit, and the gauges MUST have a clean ground, something that stocker Mopars do not need.

You might try getting a little filter network for the 12V going to the gauges. Try a two-way shop ask them if they have an "interferance filter" for "in series" with the 12V line. Usually these are an inductor choke in series, and a capacitor across the line to ground. If you can't find, dig up a couple of ferrite core filters. If you have any old computer gear around, you should find one or two. Monitors always had them in the video cables, that big "bump" in the cable Pass your 12V line to the gauges through there, take a couple three turns through the core if you can.

Go to Rad Shack and get a couple of .01 disc ceramic capacitors. Install them from the 12V feed to ground, IE across the gauge.

We used to see this a lot in Diesel over the road trucks with pyrometers, which are a low current, low voltage, "self generated" circuit using a thermocouple, and VERY prone to static/ noise pickup from the truck's electrical system.
 
I am currently doing a whole new electrical system for my 67 Cuda. I have a master electrician helping me do it and his 2 cents was the problem with electric Speedos from AM is the sending units are not a high quality. If you look at what the new car sending units cost is to replace it make me wonder if that the problem alot of us are having with these new AM speedos.
 
there was one of these speedos without a sender for sale for 15 bucks new at Spring Fling. I passed not knowing what I had to do to get it to work better than my cable operated stocker, I guessed right.
 
Shielding is no problem we have an advanced electronics store inside of a mile from me ....as far as grounds go the IP has 9 via direct wiring and three 1/4 inch copper straps ...I am guessing it is grounded ok . the shielding part is another component that is easily accomplished...the same store has meshed copper tube. The Speedo part that gets me and makes me wonder is it is accurate at speeds up to 55 56 mph?!?!? from there it just goes nuts!!!

Joe the C2 gauges at the time ( Nov 2010) did not have an option for an adjustable fuel gauge in the series I bought.... the ***** of it is...these are supposed to be TOP of the line instruments!!! the gas tak has three 1/4 grounding straps to the frame on cleaned of metal with star and lock washers. the sending unit also has a ground post that is run first to the tank and in series to the frame. and that is only a single circuit portion of the grounding from bumper to bumper on the cuda......I grounded this car about 20% MORE than I ground GM cars, and I have been known to use upward of 40 straps bumper to bumper on GM stuff.....so I am fairly certain this is NOT a grounding issue. either the sending units are malfunctioning OR the gauges OR both.

This a real pissoff, I have never objected to ponying up the extra $$ to reach for the quality stuff....what burns me is this stuff has the COST but I am thinking that quality leaves much to be desired!!!

I thought about it and thought about it and fired off a very abrupt item in their technical issues communication AND sent a rather stern e fax asking "wheres the beef? " for that kinda bread I want more than just the bun!!! I am an active member of three sizable Detroit clubs, one being the Pontiac Oakland club which is nation wide and huge and the other being a local Mopar club Michigan Mopar Muscle the next being a slightly smaller club of around 1200 members.... and here on FABO and FBBO...I fully intend to let them know that making this "right" is a really good idea or I will blow an ill wind across all 8000 members of the clubs locally and publish an article in the "widetrackers" mag about how crappy and overly expensive their gauges are along with letting everyone on the FABO & FBBO sites know the same thing... I really have my panties in a twist about this......the speedo is MORE about principle of cost vs value...the fuel gauge is a WHOLE different ball of yarn.... I have sold cars for 20% less than market because they had faulty fuel gauges....I really cannot stomach NOT knowing whats in the tank and how far I can get on it at ANY given time....... I have run out of gas a few too many times because of this crap and in the middle of a cruise is NOT a place to have that happen

I will keep y'all posted on what they do about it... AND I thank you all for responding with your issues ...

sad that it is that you have them at all after spending so very much money for the quality of AUtometer!!

I will shield the wires when AM provides the instruction to do so.... SO I can smak them around a bit FOR NOT including that lil tidbit of info in the mounting and operation instructions and ask them where I should send the INVOICE for MY time & trouble & labor to repair and re-install their equipment at the tidy sum of my consultant billing rate of $250 per hour!!

If I had paid $60 bucks for it them OK the expectations are lower and I take it from there ....but at the COSTS they charge that crap should come out of the box and work flawlessly the first time and every time!......Just sayin, If I pay for quality I had better well receive it!!
 
autometer responded and told me to check the grounds...I know they are good and plenty...check the feed wires for each gauge...ALSO good & plenty. check the resistance at different fuel levels ( right ...I will just suck all the gas out and drop that puppy in my yard take it all apart and move the sender Up & down ) to prove it is not the gauge.... HOW would I know what the fuel level IS if the gauge isn't working properly ??? A$$ clown..

.STILL NOT HAPPY
 
Okay, here we go. I put Autometer Phantom gauges in a Rocky Mountain insert. Being a realist, I ordered the 120mph speedo not the 160. The one I got had the inferior backlighting that had been updated. I sent it to Autometer and they replaced it with a reman unit. Mine likes to freeze at straight up 60 mph, after that it floats all over the place. Also, at startup it goes on the blink (sometimes) and gives all 8's in the odometer field. I installed a on/off switch so when it acts up at 60+ or at startup. I can kill the power to it and refire it up. I had nothing but bad luck with the fuel gauge and thought my problems were solved when a programmable one became available. What was I thinking!! Wrong again. Yeah, not impressed with the Autometers at all.
 
YOU guys would NOT believe the idiocy I am getting from the technicians at Autometer..... couple of ya hit the nail on the head...ground it directly to the engine...power it directly from the battery, if the wires run anywhere near any thing thata even looks like additional power shield that wire....then came the go buy an adjustable gauge...does not matter that my gauges were installed in early February of 2011 the were purchased in early January of 2010, when I HAD the money to accumulate parts! Till February of 2011 they sat in their containers on a bed in my home...does not matter..."past the time limit" buy new gauges spend MORE money and NO guarantee the news ones will work either!!! CA...MON!!!! WTF kinda snake oil outfit are these people????

STILL NOT HAPPY and getting ready to let hundreds of people know about their inferior products , instructions and technical service department

PS all you guys with AM issues they suggest you send your gauges in for a cost based repair!!!!
 
PS all you guys with AM issues they suggest you send your gauges in for a cost based repair!!!!
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HA!!

I bet they do!!!

I think you have answered the problem I'm having with my gauge. The speedo will "jump" without the car even moving.... just sitting there idling. I haven't had the time to diagnose it but I bet I need to start isolating wires from one another. Other than that its wired like the directions show. I guess it could be some voltage "spike" but I wouldn't know where to start really.
 
Funny you should mention the shielding. On the bike I just tied the two sensor wires together and ran them from the trans up to the speedo, paying no attention to what they were near. They ran right past the battery, the circuit box, the coils and the box I put on so that the rear lights were not just blinkers, they were running and brake lights also. Anyway, speedo never jumped or did anything goofy, was always rock steady and accurate. I would often ride next to my wife, where I could see her GPS and it was always dead nut with the speedo on the bike. Only problem was with the trip meter......
 
This thread's a month old now. Did you get your problems resolved?

I've had mixed luck with my Autometer gauges too. The first was with the fuel gauge while I was assembling the car. Had a new, stock empty tank and sender. Powered on, the gauge would read 1/4 full. I sent the gauge to them and they returned it working correctly. However they did mention this: Also, just for future "FYI", the gauges are calibrated to match a factory sender, which is very non-linear. 10 ohms = Full, 25 ohms = 1/2, 50 ohms = Empty, and 73 ohms = below Empty. Which this said, most after market, or reproduction senders are built linear which means that E & F will be correct, but everything in between will be skewed.

I interpret that to mean, you can trust the empty and full readings but nothing in between.

Also had issues with the electronic speedo, but just when starting the car. It goes through it's little boot/sef-test routine each time it's powered up. Sometimes it would work fine and other times it would just hang or lock up and not function. They gave me the ol, "I believe that it is becoming electrically locked up due to RF noise produced by the starter when cranking the engine" excuse. Turned out it had to do with whether the speedo was receiving power during cranking. I had it wired to provide full power while cranking. The solution (from Autometer) was to wire it so that no power was applied while cranking. Weird. And nothing about that was covered in the instructions either.

Last spring the speedo began randomly rebooting one day and then completely died when I parked the car. It has very few miles on. So now I have to pull it (which I'm not looking forward to doing) and send it in.
 

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I have the C2 gauges also but they are mechanical and the big tach. One day the tach starts reading about 3000 rpm high. I call Autometer, they say check that is has the full 12 volts, it does. I call them back they tell me to send it in and they'll check it. Now this tach is about 2 years old by now but has only been in the car about 8 months. Well they fixed it, sent it back to me and never charged me a dime. Not to shabby in my book.
 
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