Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2004 17:20:26 -0700
Reply-To: mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Instrument Cluster Swap Gone Wierd
In-Reply-To: <42D2F094D3E83D428F8D18D899AAD843477BE0@COL1SMX11.USE.AD.DLA.MIL>
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The 85 tach style instrument cluster will work work in the 86 and later
models. The 85 IC will not have the dynamic oil pressure warning feature
and thus does not need or use the yellow wire you refer to. That yellow
wire is only for the high rpm oil pressure switch, not used in 1.9
models, not "required" in this case since the other switch will work the
same as the single switch 1.9 models do.
Your blinking led in the coolant temp gauge may well be a faulty gauge
and probably has nothing to do with your swap. Failures of that gauge
where the led blinks all the time are well documented on this list. That
failure usually starts out with an intermittent failure of the led to
stop blinking after the engine is started and then over time degrades to
a constant blinking. The temp gauge can be swapped with relative ease
once the tach is removed from the IC.
(The 86+ tach cluster will not work in 85 and earlier models without
some minor mods. The 86+ IC wants to see both oil pressure switch inputs
and the other years don't have the high pressure/high rpm switch.)
Mark
Warner, Jeff (DSIO) wrote:
>Volks,
>
>I've got an instrument cluster swapping problem that differs from the norm. I'm hoping it can be resolved simply but I've got my doubts. Hopefully somebody has dealt with this before. He we go...
>
>My sons '87 GL came with a tach. About a year ago I swapped that cluster for the clock cluster in my '86 Westy. So far so good. Swapped the speedos and everything worked as expected.
>
>Now I've picked up another cluster supposedly from an '85. The date stamp says 11/84. I swapped it into his van and I get a blinking water temp light. Everything else appears to work. It's apparent these clusters are not the same in construction besides the obvious tach vs. clock difference. The '86 cluster (date stamped 2/86) has a circuit board inside the speedometer whereas the '85 does not. The '85 has circuitry for the digital clock and of course the '86 doesn't. The van has a yellow wire at position 12 on the wire harness. The piece of harness still attached to the '85 cluster had no wire in that position. I did not have a chance last night to try and identify the yellow wire in the Bentley.
>
>If you're still following this, I'm guessing that the circuit board in the speedo is related to the later oil presure system. For that reason alone I'm guessing this cluster can't be made compatible. I'm also guessing that the yellow wire is coming from the coolant tank sensor and that this might have been new in the later models. Just guessing. Any way, is there anyone out there that has a solution to this problem that doesn't require major surgery? If not, I guess I'll be selling or trading an early model tach cluster for a late model unit.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Jeff Warner
>Galloway, OH
>'86 Wolfy Westy "Barry"
>
>
>
