Defi BF boost gauge install

***wdb*** · 05-27-2005, 06:10 AM

I just finished installing a Defi BF boost gauge in my '05 STi. It's a costly way to go for only one gauge, but it works great and ties in well with the other gauges. Plus I can add BF gauges relatively easily now that I have the basics in place.

One assumption I made going into this project was that I was going to keep the Defi stuff with the car permanently and not try to uninstall anything later.

Here's what I purchased from Defi:

Boost gauge
Control Unit II
Visor (for single gauge)
Mounting kit

Underhood shots showing where I put the sending unit. I chose this location based on Defi's recommendation to keep the tubing as short as possible, as well as finding a spot that would not subject the sending unit to excessive heat or vibration.

I went with the glovebox mount for the Control Unit based on all of the super advice I got here. I don't anticipate needing to get to it all that often and the glovebox is a nice out-of-the-way spot that is accessible enough for those times when I do need to poke at the buttons. A neat side effect is that my glovebox now beeps when I start my car

The arrow in the picture shows where I cut a hole in the back of the glovebox. Also the Control Unit is attached with velcro rather than double-sided tape. I used velcro buttons that I had laying around; they are readily available at hardware stores, kitchen supply stores, and craft stores.

Power/illumination/ground wiring for the Control Unit all happens behind the radio. I tapped off the radio itself for everything except ignition, which I took from a wire on the fuse block that only sees 12V when the ignition switch is in the On position; this ensures that the Defi starts up at exactly the same time as the dash cluster. Sorry, no pictures of this stuff. I *highly* recommend a voltmeter for this work, not just a test light! You really need to see the volts.

I mounted the gauge on the top of the steering column. It blocks a wee bit of the speedometer and odometer but it lets me see speed, RPMs, and boost all in one glance. The visor's added length makes for a tight fit but I'm still happy to have it; it keeps the sun off and also prevents reflections from the gauge face/bezel up into the windshield.

Overall I'm very happy with the end result. The gauge is super responsive and the overall look ties in very well with the factory pieces. I'm less thrilled with the illumination of the gauge face, which is more than sufficient for viewing but a bit uneven; brighter here, dimmer there. For this kind of money I expected better. Also there is now a hum in my radio that I hear when it is tuned to very weak FM stations; this is definitely coming from the Defi stuff because it goes away the instant the gauge turns off. I'm still playing around with how to get rid of the hum.

Cheers!

RacerXS · 05-27-2005, 07:01 AM

Nice job. This info will come in handy, i'm doing my gauges very soon.

crypsatir · 05-27-2005, 07:52 AM

they really are super expensive, i think i may go with the ecutek dash display myself. it gives you everything for like 700 bucks.

***JDM-STI*** · 05-27-2005, 01:02 PM

That is the same exact place that i mounted my Defi BF boost gauge. Looks factory IMO. I mounted my control unit in the glove box vertically in the box itself. And mounted the sensor to the front of the IC on that left bolt and T'd into the manifold just below in that hose that comes out and loops down. I also used the lower grommet. A little harder to get to in the engine bay, but much easier to access inside the car. No motor noise w/ mine and my guage lighting is even all across.
Nice job on yours!!

MUFDVR · 05-27-2005, 01:17 PM

i have a very similar set-up and love it.

OrEz · 05-27-2005, 02:59 PM

Looks great. Those are the style I want...they look the best. IMO the EcuTek display does everything, it just doesn't look nearly as hot...

RBMike · 05-27-2005, 05:29 PM

Nice install.

shftat6 · 05-27-2005, 06:15 PM

I really want the Defi style gauges and I have the money but damn they are expensive. I could live without the control link features as I don't go to the track. I just want some nice gauges to keep tabs on things. Nice work on your install!!

***wdb*** · 05-27-2005, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shftat6

I really want the Defi style gauges and I have the money but damn they are expensive. I could live without the control link features as I don't go to the track. I just want some nice gauges to keep tabs on things. Nice work on your install!!

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I'm especially glad to hear that my choice of gauge mounting location is shared by some besides me! It seemed to make the most sense, but the factory boost gauge actually mounts on the opposite side. I tried it over there but it blocked too much stuff. I guess that's because the Defi is a 60mm diameter gauge. I also considered the top of the dashboard somewhere as well as the A pillar. But I what sold me on the location I chose was the fact that in one glance I can get speed + rpm + boost.

As for the control unit: you *need* to get the control unit if you want to go with BF gauges. It's all or nothing. The signal from the sending unit(s) goes to the control unit, which then sends data to the gauge(s) via another wireset. (Multiple gauges all get their feed from the same wireset and can be daisy chained together.) The gauge(s) simply will not work without a control unit, and the BF gauges in particular require the latest Control Unit II. The good news is that additional gauges are much less expensive to add once you've got the initial setup.

Cheers!

MeoW71 · 05-27-2005, 07:31 PM

Looks nice.

You really mounted it low on the side there. I used the 52mm defi-link and mounted it a little higher. My reasoning with that is if I'm going over 90-100, I really don't need to be looking down at my speedometer that much anyways.

***wdb*** · 05-29-2005, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeoW71

Looks nice.

You really mounted it low on the side there.

Thanks! Yes I did put it down as low as I dared, because I did not want to block my view to the main gauge cluster. If you were willing to do without the visor you'd have a bit more breathing room in there. But it clears the gauge surround throughout the full range of steering column travel, and I have had no issues with rattles or anything. Plus the visor is quite good at doing what visors do. So I'm going to keep the visor.

I took a shot at the radio hum today. First I removed all the connections I had made from the Control Unit's input harness to the radio wiring. I ran the Control Unit ground wire straight to a bare metal ground point. Finally I tapped the Control Unit's battery and illumination leads into the wiring harness for the clock. I can still hear the hum, but I have to either tune the radio to a frequency where there is no station or else have a really, really weak signal in order to hear it. And even then it is much quieter than it was before.

The problem I had originally was that that hum would become quite noticeable when the FM station signal faded. That problem seems to be gone now, but the final decision will have to wait for an overcast day with crummy radio reception. Or I guess I could just jam in a CD, and/or stop trying to tune into all those funky but weak college radio stations

Cheers!

RBMike · 06-01-2005, 09:46 AM

Did you buy just the gage & link unit or did you need some mounting kit?

***JDM-STI*** · 06-01-2005, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RBMike

Did you buy just the gage & link unit or did you need some mounting kit?

Gauge comes with a mounting cup

XxSCAxX · 06-01-2005, 12:41 PM

looks awesome, good install. im still trying to figure out if i want to go your route or get the whole pod setup.

non-ricer · 06-01-2005, 05:54 PM

thnx for the pics, i will be picking up some defi gauges from a fellow member this weekend and will be doing the install soon so this will come in handy...

05-27-2005, 06:10 AM	#1
*wdb* dances with roads Posts: 4,911 Join Date: Apr 2005 Trader Rating: (8)	Defi BF boost gauge install I just finished installing a Defi BF boost gauge in my '05 STi. It's a costly way to go for only one gauge, but it works great and ties in well with the other gauges. Plus I can add BF gauges relatively easily now that I have the basics in place. One assumption I made going into this project was that I was going to keep the Defi stuff with the car permanently and not try to uninstall anything later. Here's what I purchased from Defi: Boost gauge Control Unit II Visor (for single gauge) Mounting kit Underhood shots showing where I put the sending unit. I chose this location based on Defi's recommendation to keep the tubing as short as possible, as well as finding a spot that would not subject the sending unit to excessive heat or vibration. I went with the glovebox mount for the Control Unit based on all of the super advice I got here. I don't anticipate needing to get to it all that often and the glovebox is a nice out-of-the-way spot that is accessible enough for those times when I do need to poke at the buttons. A neat side effect is that my glovebox now beeps when I start my car The arrow in the picture shows where I cut a hole in the back of the glovebox. Also the Control Unit is attached with velcro rather than double-sided tape. I used velcro buttons that I had laying around; they are readily available at hardware stores, kitchen supply stores, and craft stores. Power/illumination/ground wiring for the Control Unit all happens behind the radio. I tapped off the radio itself for everything except ignition, which I took from a wire on the fuse block that only sees 12V when the ignition switch is in the On position; this ensures that the Defi starts up at exactly the same time as the dash cluster. Sorry, no pictures of this stuff. I highly recommend a voltmeter for this work, not just a test light! You really need to see the volts. I mounted the gauge on the top of the steering column. It blocks a wee bit of the speedometer and odometer but it lets me see speed, RPMs, and boost all in one glance. The visor's added length makes for a tight fit but I'm still happy to have it; it keeps the sun off and also prevents reflections from the gauge face/bezel up into the windshield. Overall I'm very happy with the end result. The gauge is super responsive and the overall look ties in very well with the factory pieces. I'm less thrilled with the illumination of the gauge face, which is more than sufficient for viewing but a bit uneven; brighter here, dimmer there. For this kind of money I expected better. Also there is now a hum in my radio that I hear when it is tuned to very weak FM stations; this is definitely coming from the Defi stuff because it goes away the instant the gauge turns off. I'm still playing around with how to get rid of the hum. Cheers! This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.

05-27-2005, 01:17 PM	#5
MUFDVR Senior STI Driver Car: wrb 04 sti Location: SE,PA Posts: 340 Join Date: Nov 2003 Trader Rating: (0)	i have a very similar set-up and love it. Last edited by MUFDVR : 12-17-2005 at 09:58 AM.

06-01-2005, 05:54 PM	#15
non-ricer The Next Petter Solberg Car: 05 obp sti Location: philly burbs Posts: 952 Join Date: Nov 2004 Trader Rating: (0)	thnx for the pics, i will be picking up some defi gauges from a fellow member this weekend and will be doing the install soon so this will come in handy... This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.

05-27-2005, 07:01 AM	#2
RacerXS "Formerly Surfa2527" Car: 05' Sti Black Fav Mod: Dyslexia Location: Central, NJ Posts: 3,358 Join Date: Oct 2004 Trader Rating: (13)	Nice job. This info will come in handy, i'm doing my gauges very soon.

05-27-2005, 07:52 AM	#3
crypsatir Professional STI Racer Car: VW R32 turbo ;) Posts: 652 Join Date: Feb 2005 Trader Rating: (0)	they really are super expensive, i think i may go with the ecutek dash display myself. it gives you everything for like 700 bucks.

05-27-2005, 01:02 PM	#4
*JDM-STI* Platinum Member Car: 05' CGM/Silver STI Fav Mod: UR 35R and Hydra tune by Scott Siegel :) Location: Columbus, GA Posts: 1,655 Join Date: Mar 2005 Trader Rating: (7)	That is the same exact place that i mounted my Defi BF boost gauge. Looks factory IMO. I mounted my control unit in the glove box vertically in the box itself. And mounted the sensor to the front of the IC on that left bolt and T'd into the manifold just below in that hose that comes out and loops down. I also used the lower grommet. A little harder to get to in the engine bay, but much easier to access inside the car. No motor noise w/ mine and my guage lighting is even all across. Nice job on yours!!

05-27-2005, 02:59 PM	#6
OrEz STI Driver Car: 04 Subaru WRX STi Fav Mod: SR55 Location: Melbourne, Fl Posts: 215 Join Date: Dec 2004 Trader Rating: (0)	Looks great. Those are the style I want...they look the best. IMO the EcuTek display does everything, it just doesn't look nearly as hot...

05-27-2005, 05:29 PM	#7
RBMike The Next Petter Solberg Posts: 933 Join Date: Oct 2004 Trader Rating: (0)	Nice install.

05-27-2005, 06:15 PM	#8
shftat6 Spec C Club Car: 04 Focus SVT Location: Clermont, FL Posts: 1,473 Join Date: Apr 2005 Trader Rating: (1)	I really want the Defi style gauges and I have the money but damn they are expensive. I could live without the control link features as I don't go to the track. I just want some nice gauges to keep tabs on things. Nice work on your install!!

05-27-2005, 07:31 PM	#10
MeoW71 Professional STI Racer Car: 05 STi Location: Germany Posts: 692 Join Date: Apr 2004 Trader Rating: (1)	Looks nice. You really mounted it low on the side there. I used the 52mm defi-link and mounted it a little higher. My reasoning with that is if I'm going over 90-100, I really don't need to be looking down at my speedometer that much anyways.

06-01-2005, 09:46 AM	#12
RBMike The Next Petter Solberg Posts: 933 Join Date: Oct 2004 Trader Rating: (0)	Did you buy just the gage & link unit or did you need some mounting kit?

06-01-2005, 12:41 PM	#14
XxSCAxX Spec C Club Car: 05 AW 30r STi Fav Mod: Perrin 30r Kit Location: Campbell Hall, NY Posts: 1,446 Join Date: Apr 2005 Trader Rating: (5)	looks awesome, good install. im still trying to figure out if i want to go your route or get the whole pod setup.