Ok, I just gote me a new cluster out of a 98 cav for my 96 cav. I got it because I wanted the tach out of it. I just got some White Face guages in, the blue glow ones, and I messed up my guages. I followed the instructions, I didint move the fuel/heat needels and it said I could move the speed/rpm ones a little to fit it in.
Well, I finally got it on there (hard as hell). But now, my guages are off. LIke, the speed/rpm guages are pointing to things that they really are not. For example, when the speedometer says im going 60, it feels like im goin 40/50.
So, after fooling with it forever I decided to take the stock black face off, and out the white face there. In doing this, the needels poped off
So, now my NEW cluster is not working right with my NEW White face glow guages. What can I do to fix these? I looked into some CLuster repair places and the cheapest I have found was $75 to recalibrate the needels. Will this fix my problem?
any suggestions will help... this just sucks.
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"Laying in bed one night, I said "Where did I go worng?". Then I heard a voice say "This is going to take a while..."
If I remember correctly, it's ok to take the needles off in pre-2k J's. You just don't have them back on in the correct spot. See if you can get someone to drive next to you so you can figure out how much your speedo is off by. Once your speedo is right you can then set the tach.
I had to do that in my '99 Z. The tach was off after putting in reverse gauge faces but I knew that at 60mph the tach should read slightly over 2k.
Rob
Sold 2/2/05
Well you see, I cant figure out how off it is. I have taken the needles on and off but they dont seem to work right. They trun, but they are sticky. Like the speed will move some then stop, then move some more while accelrating at the same time.
Mabey its a mechanical problem AND calibration?
For example, when speeding up... the speedometer stays at 0.... then all of suddent starts moving up slowly. When I brake, it does not go down, but after a few seconds it starts to move all the way down... almost like the needle's peice that turns it is not catching.
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"Laying in bed one night, I said "Where did I go worng?". Then I heard a voice say "This is going to take a while..."
you probably pushed them on too far and their getting stuck. get a butter knife and pull them back alittle. did a small spring pop off when the needle popped off?
i dont see how people have a problem w/ these. ive done 4 of them and never removed the needles.
No spring came off with them. I have tried pulling them back some but it has not worked.
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"Laying in bed one night, I said "Where did I go worng?". Then I heard a voice say "This is going to take a while..."
you probably jammed them on too tight. dont be afraid to apply a little pressure to it
You can fix this yourself.
First take your dash cover off and remove the instrument cluster, next pop the clear lens off your instrument cluster, then gently pull all the way off. Now reinstall the wiring clip into the back your intrument cluster. Turn the key to the on position and back to the off position 4 times. Now with the key in the on postion gently push the needles with them pionting in the correct position. Note you would be wise to leave the lens off until you have started the car and turned it off a few times. Also you will find it easyest if you fill the gas tank all the way full and install the temp needle before the has started the car so you know it is cold. PM me if you have any ?s
FORGET GIRLS GONE WILD WE HAVE GOVERNMENT SPENDING GONE WILD!
Ok, I dont see what you are saying here. How is turning the carn on and off going to fix my needles from being un calibrated? And I have pulled the needels some ßãggéÐÇåv98, I have made sure they were not pushed in to hard.
I talked to a guy that can fix this for me. He said he could install the guages correctly IF they are not, recalibrate the needels, reset my mileage (messed up when I changed clusters), and hook up the guages so they work with my Light turn on switch and my dimmer switch in the car, for about $85-$95. Sound like a good idea? Personally I rather just spend the money and get it all done right and get it all hooked up like that. Simply because I hate the fact that I have to hook up another swtich to turn these things on.
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"Laying in bed one night, I said "Where did I go worng?". Then I heard a voice say "This is going to take a while..."
its not that they arnt calibrated, its that they arnt in the right spot. That and they are probably catching on the gauge over lay.
First, you should have made sure the new cluster worked. That would have been the smart thing. Two, you shouldnt have removed any needles. I have never had a problem with any of the clusters I've played with, but I guess thats neither here nor there.
To fix it. Remove the speedo and tac needles. With the cluster plugged in, turn the key on. The needle motors will set at '0'. Now install the needles. Turn the key off, then back on and start the car. The Tach should read 900 'ish' if you have it right, the speedo should be at '0'.
Now you didnt remove the Temp or Fuel did you? If so, this is going to be harder. To set the Temp, start the car and let it get up to operating temp, then install the Temp needle @ the 195* mark. It should be close. As for fuel, pull the needle, go under the car and unplug the connector going from the fuel tank to the car. Turn the key on, and install the fuel needle at 'E', then plug that plug under the car back in. Should be good.
Hope that helps. By the way, the pre '00 gauges dont have stepper motor problems like the '00+, so just get the damn needles on right and you should be good (unless the cluster was messed up to begin with)
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