Instrument Dial Faces Change

[nik]

Dear all,

I have just purchased a complete Instrument Cluster for my car.

I want to use the silver dials that are with the cluster.

I guess my question is in 2 parts as detailed below, I have followed the thread regarding the fitting of replacement dials thta fit over the top of th e existing ones, unfortunatley it doesnt give me the exact information I need.

My existing cluster has colour coded connectors at the rear of the cluster, mine are black, white and blue. the cluster I have purchased has different colour connector blocks at the rear, my questions are as follows

1. Do I use my existing cluster but swap the faces from the new cluster, if so do the old faces unscrew

2. Can the cluster be split so that I swap the complete rear part of my cluster and match it to the front part of the new cluster.

I obviously want to do whatever is easiest, I have already taken the needles of my existing cluster without any problem.

Hope this all makes sense, thanks in advance for any assistance you can give.

Nik

[Tool Pants]

Your 2.5 has what I call the old style cluster. The new style started for model year 2001 and the connectors are gray, blue, and green. You cannot use parts from the new style on the old style.

[Chris_in_NH]

have you seen these instructions? it might answer a few of your questions...

http://www.iwantaporsche.net/cluster.htm

if what Tool Pants says is accurate, it looks like you may need to order up some gauge faces specific to your model year/cluster. OR maybe you could just swap the entire cluster (just use the new cluster with the silver faces.)

if that can't be done, there's a pretty good market for gauge clusters so i'm sure you could get your money back (to buy some gauge faces that will fit your cluster.) ;)

i know that http://www.performanceproducts.com has some.

good luck!

Edited December 10, 2006 by Chris_in_NH

[nik]

have you seen these instructions? it might answer a few of your questions...

http://www.iwantaporsche.net/cluster.htm

if what Tool Pants says is accurate, it looks like you may need to order up some gauge faces specific to your model year/cluster. OR maybe you could just swap the entire cluster (just use the new cluster with the silver faces.)

if that can't be done, there's a pretty good market for gauge clusters so i'm sure you could get your money back (to buy some gauge faces that will fit your cluster.) ;)

i know that http://www.performanceproducts.com has some.

good luck!

The new cluster if from a 98 car which is the same as mine, so I am now hoping that it will just swap with mine, my existing cluster is the same as the one in http://www.iwantaporsche.net/cluster.htm the new one is part number 986 641 103 01 hopefully it will have the black,white and blue connectors in which case its an easy straight swap.

Thanks Chris and Toolpants.

[Chris_in_NH]

The new cluster if from a 98 car which is the same as mine, so I am now hoping that it will just swap with mine, my existing cluster is the same as the one in http://www.iwantaporsche.net/cluster.htm the new one is part number 986 641 103 01 hopefully it will have the black,white and blue connectors in which case its an easy straight swap.

Thanks Chris and Toolpants.

ohhhhhhhh! ;)

because of the different-colored connectors, i thought you had a 2001+ cluster. if you have a 98 cluster, i think you can just swap it. but i do remember something about the odometer mileage being coded to the cluster. i can't remember the specifics, but i'm sure there's info here if you search.

[insite]

while we're on this subject, can a 996 cluster be retrofit into a boxster so we get some REAL oil pressure readings?

[Loren]

while we're on this subject, can a 996 cluster be retrofit into a boxster so we get some REAL oil pressure readings?

Yes, but you will need to run a wire from the sending unit to the cluster. Do a search I think Tool Pants covered this before.

[insite]

while we're on this subject, can a 996 cluster be retrofit into a boxster so we get some REAL oil pressure readings?

Yes, but you will need to run a wire from the sending unit to the cluster. Do a search I think Tool Pants covered this before.

sweet. now i just have to fab a housing that looks nice in my dash....

thanks for the pointer.

[ukchris]

Did you get your gauge faces installed? Did you just swap the faces or do the whole cluster? If you did the whole cluster what did you do about the mileage? Also did you have any issues aligning the needles afterwards?

I'm playing with making my own gauge faces, I have a 97 cluster on my bench as a test rig but I doubt I'll ever fully reassemble it. I'm in no rush to take my cluster apart jsut yet..!

Here are some pictures of my experiments so far, the problem I have is that the faces I've made are too translucent and do not illuminate properly so that is going to be phase two!

Chris.

Blue

Brushed

Carbon

Red

Yellow

[djomlas]

what are u making these out of?