My dream car - a 280ZXT with the digital dash..... that is until I got an S130 with the digital dash 20 years later and I'm wondering why I thought the digital dash was so cool....

Anyhow I've got the dash all ripped apart and I'm attempting to run the analog harness behind the dash without pulling the dash out. I was trying to get the tri gauge out again (tried previously because a bulb was burnt out and just got frustrated). I was a little more brave and removed a big vacuum line that was in the way but I'm puzzled how to get the gauge out with the long stick to adjust the clock sticking way out. Please tell me its possible and I'm not just loosing my mind..... and any hints would be helpful as well. I searched through seven pages of hits in the S130 section and all I could verify was that it is possible but I can't see how...

 

wait... you are pulling the actual clock out of the tri-gauge mounting box? Are you swapping each gauge individually? If so, there's a tiny phillips screw on the tip of the clock selector stud.

If you've got the whole analog tri-gauge, you just pull out the whole unit & swap in the new one... you don't do anything w/ the clock.

 

Okay...I have done this numerous times. And got it down pretty good. Here goes.

I would assume you have the glovebox taken out. Anyway....it is kind of tricky to get the cluster out. Without some angle manuvering. First take the phillips screw that is holding the cluster in place. Unplug the only plug it has, from the back. (will be the closest end to you. facing the passenger side.)

Then...get the cluster back just enough. To where you can tip it at an angle. (better if tipped with the back side down) And you should be able to pull it out where the glovebox was.

Hopefully this helped. I am not very good at explaining things. Much better at showing. All in all. it should go well. And if you still have problems. I will try to walk you through it better. This should work for you though. Good luck man.

 

Thanks guys. Yes I've missed some details in explaining... I've got the glove box out, screw removed and the tri gauge assembly pulled out past the tab that hold it in opposite of the retaining screw. I've got it partially rotated and that's where I'm stuck. Can I take the digital clock arm that sticks out of the face off? I think if I didn't have to try and work around that I'd have enough room.... I removed a vacuum line off in behind the plug for the tri gauge and that gave me a little more room. I've got the auto Climate Control - is it possible it's getting hung up on some other vaccum lines?

 

With this statement, I thought you had already removed the dash......

Save yourself the headaches and just yank the dash.... I can't (and don't want to) imagine swapping the gauges AND the harness with the dash still in the car.

 

Yea the stereo, kick panels, speedo cluster, steering wheel, indicator switch, etc = dash torn apart So since I'm half way there just pull the whole dash then?

 

Ha! And you already had the steering wheel pulled! Don't make things harder than they need to be.

Yes... pull the dash
-4 screws across the top
-4 10mm bolts across the middle
-2 screws holding the a/c faceplate

that's it....

 

dash is fast to pull, dont forget the speedo cable, but dont pull it offthe very back, split it at the extender coupling. takes less time to do it right once, then fiddle forever

 

Right - so where would this extender portion be? I can split it there before I put it back in and I KNOW it will save me a lot of grief

 

Lol - I pulled the dash. I spent a hour searching through the FSM, Haynes and on the various sites looking for how to pull the dash. When I couldn't find it I decided to just dig into it and when I got stuck come back and search again. That's when I realized that I was all but done by that point in time as there were only a few screws (and to connectors I hadn't already pulled - you figure that part out as you're pulling the dash . Pulled the dash, went out for coffee, came home and checked the thread and then I saw NismoPick's reply and laughed again. Oh well for future reference and future searches now people know once you're that far in you're almost there Oh and I all but had the Tri Gauge out. You can shave a little bit of the length off by taking the **** off the end of the clock as well...

 

Between keeping the wife happy with building the fence, etc and a few spare moments in the evening I managed to get my dash and all back in. Thanks for the tips guys! I also removed all the old foam crud and replaced it with open cel foam now when I turn the fan on I feel like the Maxel guy ;P

The dash looks a little like a Christmas tree since my stock illumination is green and the analog gauge I swaped in is orange.... lol. Oh well I can change it when I pull it back out. Its been a LONG time since I had an S130 with the analog gauge and IIRC the fuel gauge needle should return to empty with the ignition off but it stays where it was. It was at 3/4 full and I put in about 9 gallons in to fill it which off the top of my head should be more than 1/4 of a tank.... I'll monitor it and see how it goes but while it did go up when I filled it it still doesn't seem right.

I hooked the volt meter up to a power supply and adjusted it to read correctly again. That's causing me a lot less stress than when it use to read in the yellow with the engine running The clock works too now that I fixed the wires ripped off the back and so does the rest of the illumination - it's win/win! My gauges make me happy now...

Also does the needle on the speedo normally bounce a fair amount under 20 MPH?

Even with all the little glitches I LOVE my analog gauges again!

 

^ No the needle on your speedometer, shouldn't act like that. If it is, the mechanism is shot. Meaning somebody wound it too high. It is a 85 mph one? I bet it is, I have broken 3 of those gauges. So I said screw that, and got the 130 speedometer out of the '79. A little harder to bury, and break that one. lol

 

Well that answers one of my questions. I guess I need to buy a new speedo. Sadly, mine is a '79 and it bounces. >< But I plan on swapping in a 4th gen prelude dash that I have sitting in my garage, doing some minor customization, and throwing in analog gauges.

Oh, and don't worry, my gauges are orange and green as well. Ha!

 

^ Well, actually you could maybe try lubricating the inside of it. And also the speedo cable itself. I think you would use graphite. Try that, before changing out your speedometer.

 

Point. That may however reduce the effectiveness of convincing the wife to budget for $800 in new gauges from speedhut. XD I think I shall try it anyways.

 

Nope I'm converting it back to metric and we never had those rediculous 85MPH speedos.... the Digital was 85MPH. I also have a 130MPH gauge but I'd rather keep the metric one in. Can you move the gauge face over? I'm assuming there is something inside the speedo to dampen the needle like a fluid. I don't think its the cable since it worked fine with the Digital dash unless the digital circuit was compensating..... IIRC there is a metal box on the back of the 130MPH that the Canadian cluster didn't have....