Swapping EA/B/D Instrument Cluster

locknut · 14-02-2006, 10:46 PM

Upon discovering the easyness of removing the instrument cluster in an EA, I was assuming an EA or EB cluster with Speedo, tacho, fuel, temp, oil, batt, would be a direct swap over the stocko EA GL cluster; with only Speedo, Fuel, temp?

Does the factory loom in my car include the necessary signal wires to run these addititional guages?

Damo · 14-02-2006, 10:56 PM

this is a very common mod. You need to hook into the tach wire in the bay near the boster, and need a oil presure sender thingy lol. Do a search it's been covered heaps of times allready.

efgiar · 14-02-2006, 11:35 PM

damo, that wouldnt explain my step bros problem of the dash not working at all would it?

Mickus · 15-02-2006, 12:30 AM

The Tacho 'should' work. I did a swap with my eb gli cluster, didnt run any extra wires and the tacho works fine. The only thing you need is like damo said an oil pressure sender unit. I didnt bother with it on mine. but you might feel deifferently :P

NARCEA · 15-02-2006, 02:29 AM

When I swapped my EA GL cluster to an S cluster I had to add a wire for the tacho as well as the oil sender. It is not a direct swap but it is fairly basic. Remember to source an I6 donor cluster if you own an I6, as the 8 will put your tacho out.

efgiar..... love your avatar. Hopefully third series is finished soon!

cheers,

ian

locknut · 15-02-2006, 09:56 AM

Cool, not too bad I guess. The oil pressure sender unit, that's something I screw into the block inplace of the 'low oil warning' sender?

NARC EA, how did the extractors improve your CFi GL?

locknut · 15-02-2006, 10:03 AM

Nice, not to tricky I guess. The oil pressure sender? That's a unit I screw into the side of the block in place of the low oil warning - sender, right?!

NARCEA, how much better were extractors on the CFi GL? sorry using at work, didn't look like it posted my reply..

NARCEA · 15-02-2006, 02:51 PM

GSRace- I had wildcat extractors, new cat (not high flow), and a berklee 2.5 inch system fitted. Cost me about 800. Wasn't much gain off the mark (being CFI and 3 speed), but in mid to high ranges there was a definite difference.... I use the EA to tow a bit, and overall the car just seemed to run better after the system was fitted, and managed to get an extra 60 or so kms out of a tank. Looking back on it now it probably wasn't worth it. I would've just got a 2.5 inch system for some added tone and the psychological feeling of more power. Also I did a few country trips and the noise gives passengers a headache. I'm trying to sell the EA now and it seems to put people off.... they assume the car has been thrashed, plus it doesn't add to the resale price. If you need to know anything else let me know mate. Cheers.
ian

Ritchie's5spED · 15-02-2006, 04:28 PM

I recently changed over the cluster on my ED. It had the standard crap one with fuel speedo and temp.
I found all i had to do was plug the replacement in, but reading above i now know why my oil pressure is always over 7.
If you get a cluster with alot of km's on it it is also easy to take out my original one and place it into the new cluster.

EAman · 16-02-2006, 05:18 PM

what is a cluster with tacho worth

**Papa Smurf** · 16-02-2006, 08:39 PM

About $100.00 + on Ebay and there is a guy on Ebay who sells them with White faces on the guages? not sure the cost though.

NARCEA · 16-02-2006, 09:22 PM

i picked mine up and all the bits for 50 from wreckers. i guess it depends on who you buy it from, obviously they didn't think there was value in it. there were a lot of kms on the odometer but i just swapped mine into it

EAman · 16-02-2006, 10:18 PM

sweet ill talk to my local wreckers have seen the ones on ebay with white face i like the look of the red ones better

jedaarr · 17-02-2006, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NARCEA

i picked mine up and all the bits for 50 from wreckers. i guess it depends on who you buy it from, obviously they didn't think there was value in it. there were a lot of kms on the odometer but i just swapped mine into it

How much work is involved in swapping
the odometer over.

locknut · 17-02-2006, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jedaarr

How much work is involved in swapping
the odometer over.

On the white back of the cluster, undo all the screws, or just the ones inline with the Speedo assembly. There is also 4 push-tabs atop the cluster gently push these down and out with a flat blade, and lever/seperate the the Lens and Cluster ***'y apart.

You'll need to undo the screws on the face of the speed ***'y if you don't have another needle + face piece. If so, take not of where the needle sits when the guage is sitting upright.

It's not that bad at all. Also, if your odometer doesn't work, and you want it to, add some light ceramic grease to the gears at this point. ;)

jedaarr · 21-02-2006, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSRace

On the white back of the cluster, undo all the screws, or just the ones inline with the Speedo assembly. There is also 4 push-tabs atop the cluster gently push these down and out with a flat blade, and lever/seperate the the Lens and Cluster ***'y apart.

You'll need to undo the screws on the face of the speed ***'y if you don't have another needle + face piece. If so, take not of where the needle sits when the guage is sitting upright.

It's not that bad at all. Also, if your odometer doesn't work, and you want it to, add some light ceramic grease to the gears at this point. ;)

Thanks for your help.