[egcivic14701]

This is a write up for those of you who appreciate the look of a factory tachometer but don't want to spend big $$ for a JDM cluster or take the chance of getting ripped off on ebay.

Okay so I started with a 93 civic dx.

First I went to a local junkyard and found this cluster out of an automatic ex.

Now would be a good time to check and replace any blown bulbs.

Also switch over your speedometer so your mileage is correct. I didn't do mine right away because I was curious to see if this was going to work or not. It is very simple.
- Pull the clear plastic covers off the clusters by pressing the tabs on the top or bottom of the cluster. (sorry no pic but they are pretty hard to miss).
- Now remove the three screws on the back side and she's out.

Okay here is the fun part, pulling out the bezel without cracking it. Start by removing the hazard switch.

There will be a screw here:

And 2 more here:

This part isn't really necessary but just in case. I added the clock to my dash so when the bezel comes free you will need to stick your hand back there and remove the harness.

Okay now just be patient and work the bezel until it comes free, after that there is 4 screws holding the cluster in. hard to miss but here is a picture.

Next unplug the two main harnesses and the SRS and there you go just install the new cluster and enjoy.

Some things to keep in mind. Here are some problems I had.
-Fuel level indicator did not work.
-High beam indicator did not work.
-SRS light was on.
-Stuttering speedo.

Fuel level indicator: I must have had a bad gauge because I got a hold of another one, installed it and problem solved.( this is more than likely not going to happen to you).

High beam indicator: Me and mattliston are trying to figure this out.

SRS: I have an aftermarket wheel and this is a simple fix.(I realize this may not apply to everyone)

There is a yellow plug on the back of the cluster, disconnect this because you cannot simply remove the bulb.

Finally the shuttering speedo. The cluster I got from the junkyard had 214,xxx miles so when I switched in mine with 107,xxx this problem went away.

Any questions feel free to p.m me

This is my first writeup so constructive criticism will be appreciated.

 

[mattliston]

nice work

 

[egcivic14701]

Thanks now I am gonna look for the s2000 conversion IMO its pretty sweet.

 

[Dolcerae]

What s2k conver. you speaking of? gauge cluster or something else?

 

[shailoche]

So, it looks like the circuit print out on the back of the gauge cluster is the same for the models with a tach or without a tach. One thing to note is that your light bulb issue could be from the fact that the circuit print out, the green thing that covers the back of your cluster, may have different bulb patterns than the stock one your car came with. So, if you use the circuit print out from the junkyard cluster you may fix your high beam bulb problem.

On my Del Sol Si when I swapped out the tach for a JDM 8200rpm one I had to swap over the green printed circuit print out too. Because for some reason the light bulb patterns were slightly different from one to the other. Once I switched the circuit thing the bulbs all worked again.

 

[shailoche]

"High beam indicator: Me and mattliston are trying to figure this out. "

One thing to consider too is that your bulb may just be blown out. During the swap of bulbs I have had some of them unseat themselves from their sockets and then they don't work. Or if the light bulb is always on you may want to make sure that the switch on the column is not activated. But my best guess for you is that the circuit print out is somehow different and by altering the locations of the gauges you have caused the circuit to bypass the highbeam bulb and therefore it won't work. Seriously, you should try using the circuit print out from the junk yard gauge and see if that fixes your bulb issue.

 

[shailoche]

If you are using the junk yard print out already then you may want to clean all of the contact surfaces where the bulbs plug in. Sometimes those surfaces get grimy and need to be wiped down with a q-tip and some alcohol (rubbing not beer.) Or, maybe your bulb has grime on its contact points and won't make clean contact. Or......

Sorry for the triple post but all these things occurred to me separately.

 

[egcivic14701]

"High beam indicator: Me and mattliston are trying to figure this out. "

One thing to consider too is that your bulb may just be blown out. During the swap of bulbs I have had some of them unseat themselves from their sockets and then they don't work. Or if the light bulb is always on you may want to make sure that the switch on the column is not activated. But my best guess for you is that the circuit print out is somehow different and by altering the locations of the gauges you have caused the circuit to bypass the highbeam bulb and therefore it won't work. Seriously, you should try using the circuit print out from the junk yard gauge and see if that fixes your bulb issue.

I wish lol Ive tried that a few times. It is likely fried in a spot or something. I will try to put my original print on this one but I think it is different because the one currently in the car has extra screw points because the fuel and temp gauges are on the same side and the original only the temp gauge is on that side. To be honest it hasn't bugged me enough to fix it yet lol.

See what I'm saying.

 

[egcivic14701]

If you are using the junk yard print out already then you may want to clean all of the contact surfaces where the bulbs plug in. Sometimes those surfaces get grimy and need to be wiped down with a q-tip and some alcohol (rubbing not beer.) Or, maybe your bulb has grime on its contact points and won't make clean contact. Or......

Sorry for the triple post but all these things occurred to me separately.

Don't worry about the triple post this info is very helpful I will try and clean the contact point that could be it. I will let you know, Thanks:number1

If the rubbing alcohol doesn't work I will try the beer.

 

[egcivic14701]

Well I cleaned up the contact points and that didn't work. I checked all the fuses and even reset the ecu and nothing. I did find a tear in the print though.

I am not sure if it would affect it as it is not associated with the bulb. but this is it. I know it's hard to see.

 

[mattliston]

take a tiny piece of metal and carefully tape it on there, and see if it works. that trace should be undamaged

 

[shailoche]

Well I cleaned up the contact points and that didn't work. I checked all the fuses and even reset the ecu and nothing. I did find a tear in the print though.

I am not sure if it would affect it as it is not associated with the bulb. but this is it. I know it's hard to see.

It could be an issue. Those traces printed on the circuit loop all over the place. In some cases, it is impossible to figure out which copper line powers which bulb or gauge. So, try to fix it by adding a thin piece of copper to join together the torn sections. Or you could always solder on a piece of wire to join the two sections together. I know it may not bother you enough to try to fix it but for me those little things irritate and as such I spend a lot of time trying to make everything perfect. Plus, solving the problem and making something that was broken work again is something of a thrill.:clappy

 

[shailoche]

Don't worry about the triple post this info is very helpful I will try and clean the contact point that could be it. I will let you know, Thanks:number1

If the rubbing alcohol doesn't work I will try the beer.

Once again something else occurred to me after I posted. Do you have a picture of the back of the bulb on the circuit print that isn't working? I would like to see it. It occurred to me that you may have a bulb that has a polarity issue. Some of the replacement bulbs for these clusters are positive on one side and negative on another. So, if you rotate the bulb and screw it in one way it won't work...but if you spin the bulb the other way it will. I posted a little how-to in the Del Sol section of this site where I show the polarity of each bulb by placing a + next to the positive side of the bulb on the circuit print. That could be what is happening to you too....maybe not...but hey it may be a simple fix if you just rotate the bulb the opposite direction when you screw it in it may work....:eek2

 

[egcivic14701]

Once again something else occurred to me after I posted. Do you have a picture of the back of the bulb on the circuit print that isn't working? I would like to see it. It occurred to me that you may have a bulb that has a polarity issue. Some of the replacement bulbs for these clusters are positive on one side and negative on another. So, if you rotate the bulb and screw it in one way it won't work...but if you spin the bulb the other way it will. I posted a little how-to in the Del Sol section of this site where I show the polarity of each bulb by placing a + next to the positive side of the bulb on the circuit print. That could be what is happening to you too....maybe not...but hey it may be a simple fix if you just rotate the bulb the opposite direction when you screw it in it may work....:eek2

Yeah I guess making everything work flawlessly is part of the thrill. I will check the bulb placement and the copper wire trick tomorrow... thanks for the help.

 

[egcivic14701]

take a tiny piece of metal and carefully tape it on there, and see if it works. that trace should be undamaged

Electrical tape I would assume? Thanks for the help once again.

 

[shailoche]

Electrical tape I would assume? Thanks for the help once again.

You can use electrical tape or gorilla tape. Doesn't really matter since it would be just for testing. If it works then you could solder a little piece of paper clip from one side to the other and make it a permanent fix. Or if you find that the tear is the problem you could buy a new circuit print from another cluster or directly from Honda....if you REALLY wanted to fix things.
HA!:bash

 

[egcivic14701]

I thought about soldering the paperclip to be honest, it sounds like it would work right? I'll get a hold of Honda and see how much a print is this doesn't work.

 

[shailoche]

How is it going? Have you had any luck with fixing this? I am really curious since gauge clusters are sort of my thing. I love messing with them, fixing them, and modding them.

Colored gauges is just the start....

 

[egcivic14701]

I just did plugs oil change and fuel filter and had some horn issues lately since I have an aftermarket wheel and wiring isn't my strong point so I kind of put it on hold but hopefully I'll have some time tomorrow to mess with it. I'll let you know.