removing odometer. 84 Vette
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,341
Likes: 1,148
From: Vermilion OH
removing odometer. 84 Vette
i picked up a good instrument cluster for my 84 last night from a friend to replace the faulty unit in the car now. my car has 37K miles and the cluster i picked up has 113K miles..not good. so, my question is, before i go tearing in to this thing, how do i install my odometer into the cluster i just picked up. here are a couple pics of my new cluster for reference:
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,758
Likes: 4
From: Medford, Or
i picked up a good instrument cluster for my 84 last night from a friend to replace the faulty unit in the car now. my car has 37K miles and the cluster i picked up has 113K miles..not good. so, my question is, before i go tearing in to this thing, how do i install my odometer into the cluster i just picked up. here are a couple pics of my new cluster for reference:
Good luck,
Dan
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,341
Likes: 1,148
From: Vermilion OH
got the new cluster in with my old odometer and all is well..except that the coolant temp wording doesn't light up. no big loss i can deal with that, at least it displays the temperature. better than than a dead cluster!
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,226
Likes: 9
From: Irvine Ca
You need to visit Batee.com ASAP.
You now have two faulty Clusters when if you you (here comes the scolding part) you could have fixed your original one for $20-$50 depending on if you had tools or not.
You've figured out by now that you need a proper size nut driver to disassemble the three boards. that is most of the expense of fixing the clusters.
Once you get to Batee.com you'll see that a simple soldering iron and new Bulbs will have that cluster working good as new. It takes about an hour to resolder all the points where the solder may have become brittle and cracked causing a short......
Once you get that old Cluster reworked, you can swap it all back again.
You now have two faulty Clusters when if you you (here comes the scolding part) you could have fixed your original one for $20-$50 depending on if you had tools or not.
You've figured out by now that you need a proper size nut driver to disassemble the three boards. that is most of the expense of fixing the clusters.
Once you get to Batee.com you'll see that a simple soldering iron and new Bulbs will have that cluster working good as new. It takes about an hour to resolder all the points where the solder may have become brittle and cracked causing a short......
Once you get that old Cluster reworked, you can swap it all back again.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,758
Likes: 4
From: Medford, Or
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,226
Likes: 9
From: Irvine Ca
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Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,341
Likes: 1,148
From: Vermilion OH
i definatly plan on fixing my original cluster. the one i installed was given to me by a friend so it cost me nothing. i've had the 5.5mm nut driver for awhile now. definatly a tool to have when owning a C4 
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 16,838
Likes: 341
From: Database Error Indiana
You'll need to remove the back cover to get access to the odometer. From there it's easy. Unscrew it from the board; unplug the power wire and re-install the original odometer. I always hard wire the ground wire on the interconnect pins. A bad ground will cause the cluster to go dim.
Good luck,
Dan
Good luck,
Dan
I soldered a ground wire on mine Thursday. In the last 12 years this is third time I have had a ground problem. This time I think I did a permanent fix. Only took 1/2 hour total.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2003
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From: Database Error Indiana
I was going to take pics, but once I got going I forgot until I had it back together.
LOcate the ground pin on the connector that joins the boards. I will be the burnt one at one end. The female side will be surrounded in plastic. The plastic was burnt and brittle. I just chipped it away to expose the area where the base of the female pin meets the board. Soldered a 6" piece of wire at the base of the pin. Soldered the other end to the base of the male pin on the other board. Easier done than said. Just got back from a 30 mile drive, dash nice& bright and not one flicker.
LOcate the ground pin on the connector that joins the boards. I will be the burnt one at one end. The female side will be surrounded in plastic. The plastic was burnt and brittle. I just chipped it away to expose the area where the base of the female pin meets the board. Soldered a 6" piece of wire at the base of the pin. Soldered the other end to the base of the male pin on the other board. Easier done than said. Just got back from a 30 mile drive, dash nice& bright and not one flicker.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,226
Likes: 9
From: Irvine Ca
LOL...the exact spots you need to resolder are listed on Batee.com. I'm not sure about a "Wire".....there are natural "ground plains" built into the FR4 laminate (the green board) and they are connected by the aluminum stand-offs that bolt the boards together. If those ground plains are cleaned prior to re-assembly, not "Wire" needs to be added. The "wire" is already included in the factory harness.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 16,838
Likes: 341
From: Database Error Indiana
LOL...the exact spots you need to resolder are listed on Batee.com. I'm not sure about a "Wire".....there are natural "ground plains" built into the FR4 laminate (the green board) and they are connected by the aluminum stand-offs that bolt the boards together. If those ground plains are cleaned prior to re-assembly, not "Wire" needs to be added. The "wire" is already included in the factory harness.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 16,838
Likes: 341
From: Database Error Indiana
No, the white rectangle on the top right of the pic is what joins the two boards. The pin at the right of it is the ground. In the pic you cant see the other board because they are still together. The second board is the same size and directly underneath. Current is carried thru the white connector to the lower board. I really is easier to do than explain.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,341
Likes: 1,148
From: Vermilion OH
thanks for the tip. i'm off tomorrow so i'll do some reading on Batee.com and take your advice and disassemble the cluster and see what may or may not be bad. i may start a new thread with pics or just post here with what i find.
