Maybe a silly question but...

[JimRummy]

How difficult would it be to make it so when you shift into 1st (on a 2wd automatic) to have the "Low Range" light on the instrument panel turns on?
I know that's not what it is for, but since I have a 2wd and the light never gets used I was just curious how hard it would be to wire that, or if its possible.
It came up in a conversation I was having with my brother, and I thought it was kinda a bitchin idea.
Thoughts?

 

[PlumCrazy]

Get out a schematic and trace down the wires that go to the shift solenoid, tap into them, use that wire to control a relay that switches the ground leg of the indicator lamp.

-PlumCrazy

 

[JimRummy]

Okay, nice. Thanks for the quick input.
That's a sick truck you got there. We have similar color scheme, although yours is newer, that's what mine would be like if I had the fund-age to do so.

 

[adsm08]

That would be a great idea. EXCEPT you have an A4LD. Aside from overdrive and the torque converter clutch that is a fully mechanical transmission. No solenoid.


If you want it to light up when you put the selector in 1 you need to tap off of the transmission range sensor. And I'm not even sure that one has a position for that. That one might only sense park/neutral and reverse.

 

[JimRummy]

Hmmmm interesting. So I guess the easiest way would just be to put a tiny pressure switch right by where the gear selector is at its farthest down position?

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Put it right there in the cluster, have the cable driven indicator hit it.

Might work, sounded good to me...

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

I thought they all came standard with a little red needle that points to the gear you have selected?

You would need to add a switch

 

[4.0B2]

That would be a great idea. EXCEPT you have an A4LD. Aside from overdrive and the torque converter clutch that is a fully mechanical transmission. No solenoid.


If you want it to light up when you put the selector in 1 you need to tap off of the transmission range sensor. And I'm not even sure that one has a position for that. That one might only sense park/neutral and reverse.

exactly right... You'd have to play off the actual gear shifter on the column/in the floor.

 

[JimRummy]

Okay, that actually seems easier then having to screw around with making the truck turn on the light, but is this something that can just be disconnected, as set up with the switch, or would it cause problems else where?

 

[RonD]

The easiest and cheapest one "position" switch is a reed switch.
"The contacts may be normally open, closing when a magnetic field is present, or normally closed and opening when a magnetic field is applied."

These are commonly used in alarm systems as the door open/closed sensor, so very easiest to come by and come in many different shapes and sizes.
And dirt cheap

The reed switch would attach to the non-moving part, like the side of the transmission, with the ground passing through it when closed.
Or center console or steering wheel column.
The magnet would attach to the linkage and be near the reed switch when 1st gear is selected.
Light on dash comes on when grounded.

 

[pillen140]

This sounds like a pointless idea... lol, but id just put contact switch in the column shifter so it touches when put into 1st.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

I know McGuyver could figure it out, any normally open micro switch would work but if under the truck you would want waterproof. You can normally tell it is in 1st the truck wont go very fast when you step on the skinny pedal Seriously you may need to add a wire and terminal to the guage cluster connector if it is not already part of the existing harness. It might be easier to add a lamp under the dash wire one side to the accy part of the ignition switch and the other you would switch ground that way the light would not be on the ignition circuit in case somthing did happen the truck would still run.