Just thought I would share a handy shift light I found and how I installed it.
Ecliptech Innovations has a pretty good website showing the different models and colors available, along with descriptions of the various display options and settings for the unit. I was in a hurry last spring to get the unit installed before a track day and even though they are located in Australia, I ordered it with rush delivery (around $ 40) on a Sunday night, it left their facility on Monday, and I received it in Texas on Wednesday. 3 day delivery from half way across the world is not too bad.
I mainly use my car, a 2004 Mustang Cobra, for open track days and this model shift light gives me some indication of when my shift point is approaching and then flashes when that point is reached. There are 2 models, one with blue and red LED’s and the other with green, amber, and red LED’s. Each has several display and shift indication options but the one I chose is the conventional green, amber, red, light up and stay on going from left to right, then flashing upon shift point. The reason I mounted it in the middle of the dash is that for track days, I want to be able to see the shift light when my head is turned either right or left going through a turn. I thought about mounting it up on top of the dash above the instrument bezel but since it does not stick up very high, I figured my hands on the steering wheel would maybe block it from view depending on where my hands were on the wheel or how the wheel was turned while going around a corner.
Sure, I know many people are pretty good at knowing their rpm and approaching shift point by engine sound but with a helmet on and the windows down, at least for me, the car sounds different enough compared to cruising around on the street with the windows up that the shift light is helpful. Plus, the light will always indicate at the rpm chosen, whereas if I were to personally rely solely on engine sound, I may not be as consistent without the shift light. But to each his own.
Of course you can always short shift, depending on the situation, track or street. I mainly use the shift light to set an rpm that I do not want to exceed, not so much the rpm that I always want to reach before shifting. Again, personal preference.
Parts:
1. Ecliptech progressive shift light
2. MSD GMR pick up
3. Add-a-circuit fuse connector
4. Wiring connectors
5. ¼” wire loom
6. Electrical tape
Pretty basic hook up and very similar to other shift lights other people have detailed on this site and various other sites on the internet, so I won’t go into the detail of how to get to the PCM plug, how to remove it, and how to find coil-on-plug (COP) pin #26. The wire color of COP #26 on my car was green with white stripe.
However, the difference here is that I used an MSD GMR pickup which allowed me to get the signal from the PCM COP pin #26 without having to splice into the wiring. The MSD GMR just wraps around the wire. I used a small piece of electrical tape around the wire to prevent any chaffing of the wire by the MSD GMR since the clips on the GMR are metal. The hardest part here is finding the COP #26 wire outside of the plug where all of the wires are bundled together and getting the GMR around it. A small flathead screwdriver is helpful in sorting through the wires and very gently pulling it out just enough to get the GMR around it.
The Ecliptech uses 3 wires for hook up.
1. Power
2. Ground
3. Tach signal input
The MSD GMR uses 3 wires for hook up.
1. Power
2. Ground
3. Tach signal output
Installation steps:
1. Mounted the shift light in the location I wanted and ran the wires (with wire loom) in the gap between the windshield and the dash along the passenger side, then down to the area near the PCM plug.
2. Ran power from my driver’s side fuse box using the Add-a-circuit with a 4 amp fuse (I had no information to determine the amp size needed so I took a guess, so you may want to figure out what is best for you) connected to fuse location 11 over to the area near the PCM plug. Some trimming of the inside of the fuse cover was needed for clearance of the Add-a-circuit, which was easily taken care of with a Dremel. Fits flush and looks stock. There are other 12V switched power wires in the area of the PCM plug that could be used but I ran a separate power wire since I plan to use this wire as the switch for a relay to power future gauges I plan to install.
3. Connected the Ecliptech and the MSD GMR power wires together and connected them to the Add-a-circuit power source.
4. Grounded the Ecliptech and the MSD GMR ground wires to the same grounding lug as the PCM plug.
5. Connected the Ecliptech and MSD GMR tach wires together.
6. Went through the Ecliptech manual and entered the settings that were required for this type of signal input and then entered my preferences for display type, rpm range, and shift points.
7. Done.
I hope this is helpful to someone looking at doing a similar set up.
Sorry for no photos. I have them, I just am not allowed to attach anything per the forum "You may not post attachments" message. Maybe I don't have enough postings?
Ecliptech Innovations has a pretty good website showing the different models and colors available, along with descriptions of the various display options and settings for the unit. I was in a hurry last spring to get the unit installed before a track day and even though they are located in Australia, I ordered it with rush delivery (around $ 40) on a Sunday night, it left their facility on Monday, and I received it in Texas on Wednesday. 3 day delivery from half way across the world is not too bad.
I mainly use my car, a 2004 Mustang Cobra, for open track days and this model shift light gives me some indication of when my shift point is approaching and then flashes when that point is reached. There are 2 models, one with blue and red LED’s and the other with green, amber, and red LED’s. Each has several display and shift indication options but the one I chose is the conventional green, amber, red, light up and stay on going from left to right, then flashing upon shift point. The reason I mounted it in the middle of the dash is that for track days, I want to be able to see the shift light when my head is turned either right or left going through a turn. I thought about mounting it up on top of the dash above the instrument bezel but since it does not stick up very high, I figured my hands on the steering wheel would maybe block it from view depending on where my hands were on the wheel or how the wheel was turned while going around a corner.
Sure, I know many people are pretty good at knowing their rpm and approaching shift point by engine sound but with a helmet on and the windows down, at least for me, the car sounds different enough compared to cruising around on the street with the windows up that the shift light is helpful. Plus, the light will always indicate at the rpm chosen, whereas if I were to personally rely solely on engine sound, I may not be as consistent without the shift light. But to each his own.
Of course you can always short shift, depending on the situation, track or street. I mainly use the shift light to set an rpm that I do not want to exceed, not so much the rpm that I always want to reach before shifting. Again, personal preference.
Parts:
1. Ecliptech progressive shift light
2. MSD GMR pick up
3. Add-a-circuit fuse connector
4. Wiring connectors
5. ¼” wire loom
6. Electrical tape
Pretty basic hook up and very similar to other shift lights other people have detailed on this site and various other sites on the internet, so I won’t go into the detail of how to get to the PCM plug, how to remove it, and how to find coil-on-plug (COP) pin #26. The wire color of COP #26 on my car was green with white stripe.
However, the difference here is that I used an MSD GMR pickup which allowed me to get the signal from the PCM COP pin #26 without having to splice into the wiring. The MSD GMR just wraps around the wire. I used a small piece of electrical tape around the wire to prevent any chaffing of the wire by the MSD GMR since the clips on the GMR are metal. The hardest part here is finding the COP #26 wire outside of the plug where all of the wires are bundled together and getting the GMR around it. A small flathead screwdriver is helpful in sorting through the wires and very gently pulling it out just enough to get the GMR around it.
The Ecliptech uses 3 wires for hook up.
1. Power
2. Ground
3. Tach signal input
The MSD GMR uses 3 wires for hook up.
1. Power
2. Ground
3. Tach signal output
Installation steps:
1. Mounted the shift light in the location I wanted and ran the wires (with wire loom) in the gap between the windshield and the dash along the passenger side, then down to the area near the PCM plug.
2. Ran power from my driver’s side fuse box using the Add-a-circuit with a 4 amp fuse (I had no information to determine the amp size needed so I took a guess, so you may want to figure out what is best for you) connected to fuse location 11 over to the area near the PCM plug. Some trimming of the inside of the fuse cover was needed for clearance of the Add-a-circuit, which was easily taken care of with a Dremel. Fits flush and looks stock. There are other 12V switched power wires in the area of the PCM plug that could be used but I ran a separate power wire since I plan to use this wire as the switch for a relay to power future gauges I plan to install.
3. Connected the Ecliptech and the MSD GMR power wires together and connected them to the Add-a-circuit power source.
4. Grounded the Ecliptech and the MSD GMR ground wires to the same grounding lug as the PCM plug.
5. Connected the Ecliptech and MSD GMR tach wires together.
6. Went through the Ecliptech manual and entered the settings that were required for this type of signal input and then entered my preferences for display type, rpm range, and shift points.
7. Done.
I hope this is helpful to someone looking at doing a similar set up.
Sorry for no photos. I have them, I just am not allowed to attach anything per the forum "You may not post attachments" message. Maybe I don't have enough postings?
