Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Could somebody give me info and/or specifics reagarding this swap?
I've followed the wiring charts provided on this web site, but now when i turn on my lights my charging system fails! and my radio doesn't work now.

Here ya go:

http://www.foxthundercats.net/tech/cluster.htm

This includes information on a resistor that must be added to the circuit to make your alternator charge.

the problem with that wiring chart is that its not specific with the full digital to buttstuffog swap. It's more than likely just a ground problem I'm having

Did you put in a resistor between terminals A4 and A6? If not, your alternator will never charge. Non-buttstuffog cars use a cluster with a warning lamp to supply the alt with "start-up" power via the ignition switch. There's also a parallel "back-up" 500 ohm resistor installed across the bulb just in case it burns out.

No resistor or bulb = no start-up current = no charge.

From the chart on the bottom half of Sam's page:

 ALT lamp (IAR out) Light Green / Red - Plug A, terminal 4
 ALT feed from IGN (IAR in) Grey / Yellow - Plug A, terminal 6

Here's another from Eric's Coolcats site:
http://www.coolcats.net/media/elec2tc.pdf

very interesting...ive never had a problem with it...

You probably connected the original warning light wires across the AMP meter instead (per Erics' PDFs). This would provide a path for the current, though the AMP meter likely won't show the correct (if any) reading, and I don't know if the different resistance in the circuit could adversely affect anything else.

The TC AMP meter is about as useless as tits on a boar hog. I've never seen one of the dozen TCs I've had, move more than just a flinch, The problem is the "C" shaped magnet in the gage itself, has died with age(but many orig owners have said they never remember their's working). I consider it one of the TCs MAJOR flaws, though 4 lug wheels have to rank way above that.

Tom and Carmen:

If the TC uses a shunt ammeter instead of the batt light/resistor combo, how does the alternator get the "charge signal"?  I've got an 88 EVTM, and I looked it up once or twice, and aside from moving at couple wires around, the TC harness for the section is really not much different from the regular cars.  Can the alts be different internally?  If so, what about the Sport?  It had the TC cluster using the V8 engine harness, so it must be using a modified V8 harness with the shunt wire in place (which is what I'm planning to do to my Bird to hopefully get the ammeter to work properly).  I don't beleive the sport had different alternators from the regular bird/cougar.

Joe the '88 TC indeed has a unique Hitachi alt, but the Sport(and '87 TC) uses a std Ford 2G alt.

I checked a couple of different EVTMs to be sure I'm correct, and here is the deal. As long a the "I" terminal receives voltage when the ign is switched on, the alt will start charging. The '88 3.8 and 5.0 diagram show the lamp and resistor in the circuit(obviously wrong for the Sport), while the TC circuit connects directly to the ign. switch without the lamp/resistor. The ammeter is part of the charge circuit connected from the output of the alt. feeding the battery.

I did the opposite I went from the base cluster to full digital. the only problem I had was my oil sending unit was the wrong one, my temp guage doesnt work, and the fuel sending unit is different. Man just use the wiring lists on the coolcats site. print out the one for your dash and the one for the dash youre putting in your car. the IAR and IVR serve the same purpose on the two.other then that everythings pretty much the same.

I did this swap a while ago using Erics schematics.  It didnt take me too long to do.  I did have to change the sending unit though (Oil)  I like the buttstuffog much better than the base digital.  Of course, Digital was the thing to have in the late 80s.

got everything workin' good. just had to put a 500 ohm resistor between two of the terminals on the plug, and presto! problem  solved. thanks to everyone  here who helped with my problem!

Nyah nyah.... told ya so!  :raspberry

I can get a cluster out of an 86? xr-7 turbo,  I've read that I cant modify the tach to work in my car (v6 soon to be v8).  Does this still hold true or has someone figured out how to do it?  If not you could just modify the signal going into the tach with a basic stamp.  Program it to pulse once per every two pulses recieved.

Well I found an 87 Cluster!

Actually, talk to joecool on NATO.. or here if he is registered. I think he was playing around with speedos and tachs a while back, he may have some info for you.

I have an buttstuffogue cluster that I took out of an 86 XR-7 that I parted awhile back...(also took the power leather seats and the dash-they're in the maroon 88 as the stock seats were junk and some ass-drip vandalized the dash)
basically all I'd have to do is change the oil pressure sender, and put a 500 ohm resistor on the charging terminals?
too bad there ain't a way to hook up the boost gauge to somethin'-make it look like it's got a turbo  :giggle:

The 85-86 tach is different from the 87-88, so it can't be modified to work with a V8 in the same way. You can buy 87-88 TC clusters for about $10 on ebay, so finding one shouldn't be hard. You'll also need to rewire the plug in the back of the cluster as your base cluster will have a completely different pinout. In fact you may need the TC cluster plug - I don't remember if I changed my connector or repinned it. You will also have to extend a few wires because they will be too short.
 
Aside from the oil sender you'll also need a tach wire. If you have a remote starter installed chances are your installer already ran a tach wire and you'll just have to tap into it. If not, you'll have to run one. BTW, when you get the oil sender get the extension as well. The oil pressure sender is much larger than the idiot light switch and will not clear the oil filter without the extension.
 
You can't use the boost gauge, but if you don't like having a gauge that is not functional you can paint over the boost gauuge with flat black paint. That's what I did when I did the swap:
 

O.K.,I'm doing the gauge swap.

lookin' good!
gonna have to find me one of them 200 mph speedos

It's actually km/hr. I'm Canadian. We didn't get stuck with those wimpy 85 MPH speedos :D

quite so-time for a new box of contacts, also!

Here's a blast from the past!

Anyone still have the info linked to in this thread? Finally swapping my sport buttstuffog cluster in place of the base digital one.

WOW talk about back from dead... How ya been doin???

I'm doing great. Thanks Tom. How are you?

Ohhh I've been better, I've been worse...  I think it has something to do with excessive amount of birthdays...

My Bird came home today after spending almost two years over in my mom's garage... Just mebby I'll get the 331 installed before winter...

The oil and gas gauges are supposedly different between buttstuffog and digital dashes. The wiring is more simplified going from the base cluster to buttstuffog then digital to buttstuffog. All the wires are there except for the amp Guage stuff, which is largely useless anyways.

I still think the full digital cluster is way, way cooler. It has a built in trip computer.

I don't have a full digital cluster. T-bird parts are hard to find around here. I have an buttstuffog cluster I salvaged from the sport I sped a few years back.

It's in the car now and everything seems to be working: speedo, tach, fuel, temp, amp. I still have to get the right sender for the oil pressure.

I did run into one problem: I shorted two wires together and now the radio, cab lights, and clock aren't working. Fuses tested ok. I have no idea where to look now. EDIT: It was a fuse after all. #8 - 15amp