83-84 Tbird digi cluster dissassembly writeup *DUW* December 01, 2008, 08:19:07 PM Ok, so you got an 83-84 Tbird, its prolly a Heritage, and its prolly got a bad gas gauge, or maybe the speedo display ped out on you. Have no fear, I present here, a complete writeup of how to dissassemble that puppy to replace the part!Step 1, get the thing out of the car. I have no pics yet because I haven't put my digi in my car yet...its waiting till I have more money to do other things, like fix the brakes. hahahahaStep 2, clean off the work bench, grab a 7/32 socket, a 9/32 socket, a 1/2 socket, and a fizzy bubbily. Sorry, I just watched Zohan last night and found the fizzy bubbily to be hilarious!Step 3, pray to God, Allah, Buddha, Thor, or just to your car, that you don't break anything. thing is 25 years old man!random picture cause this site hates showing my first picture no matter what!!!Step 4, your cluster looks like this:Step 5, see them screws around the face? Remove them with the 7/32. You then look like this:Step 6, pull that front plate off. Clean it, because for godsake's that thing is dusty and fingerprinty, man! Actually..wait for reassembly to clean it...you'll be touching it again...You know look like this:Flip that plate up too, it looks like this:Step 7, back to the front of that plate, see that pushbutton for the E/M? well pull that black cap off, and grab that 1/2, for thats what size that nut is. Don't what I'm talkin about? Take a gander:Step 8, you look like this:well...oops, I forgot to take that picture. But look at the last picture, and move the plate. You know what you got sitting there.Step 9, flip it over. Smack that butt! I mean... pull out them lightbulbs. Check 'em out. Replace the dead ones, size 194 for those that don't know. Better yet, ebay some led's!!Here is a link to a writeup a friend of mine did!http://www.grandmarq.net/85crownLX/pages/LEDs.htmlAnd of course, the obligatory pic!Step 10, pull off this plastic strip.Step 11, remove these nuts you see here with the 9/32 (yes, I know I'm missing one. I aim to remedy that soon...) and the two screws around the speedo cable thingy with the 7/32Step 12, woohoo! Pull that sucker out, it looks like thisAnd if you wanna seperate that for whatever reason, just pull the 4 screws around the lcd dealio, and it pulls right off. Careful though, cables are still connected between the lcd and the rest of that unit.Step 13, you got thisFeel free to pull those caps out and replace them with another color, those two are the ones for your odometer lighting.Step 14, flip it over again! Are you getting dizzy again? This time, remove this plastic strip!Step 15, 5 more of them 9/32 nuts, and bam, pull that sucker out!It looks like thisStep 16, here's what your workin withBut hey, you are like me, and really wanna clean that sucker out while you are at it. Might as well, I mean, its out, its apart. What have you got to lose?Step 17, back to the backside! Pull the two screws on this piece and it comes off, again, 7/32. Step 18, here you go! Pull that printed circuit plastic off, just give little tugs around the nips that stick up from the housing and it will come off. This is what it looks like!Congradulations, you have successfully dismantled your instrument cluster! You are the man!! Clean that sucker out good, fix what you wanted to fix, replace them lights, and of course, assembly is the opposite of disassembly! Be careful not to overtighten, as like I said, things 25 years old, man! And like someone told me, lube the odometer gears so they don't chatter!Peace out, Lumpy-569 Quote Selected
83-84 Tbird digi cluster dissassembly writeup *DUW* Reply #1 – December 01, 2008, 08:44:48 PM Good write-up!QuoteBetter pic! LOL! Quote Selected
83-84 Tbird digi cluster dissassembly writeup *DUW* Reply #2 – December 01, 2008, 08:59:24 PM Nice job man Quote Selected
83-84 Tbird digi cluster dissassembly writeup *DUW* Reply #3 – December 02, 2008, 12:13:28 AM WOW!!!nice pics and good write up! Quote Selected
83-84 Tbird digi cluster dissassembly writeup *DUW* Reply #4 – December 02, 2008, 12:48:31 AM OK EVERYONE!!!!! I MISSED A STEP!!!!!!! I didn't include the shifter indicator!! Why?? Because this one had it broken out :hick:Why don't I care?? I'm going to a floor shifter!! :hick:-566 Quote Selected
83-84 Tbird digi cluster dissassembly writeup *DUW* Reply #5 – December 02, 2008, 08:38:10 PM i just painted over mine with silver Quote Selected
83-84 Tbird digi cluster dissassembly writeup *DUW* Reply #6 – December 03, 2008, 01:35:44 PM so what is needed to swap from buttstuffog to digital, the cluster and sender i know, any thing else? Quote Selected
83-84 Tbird digi cluster dissassembly writeup *DUW* Reply #7 – December 03, 2008, 02:28:47 PM from base buttstuffog to the digital like i have, as far as i know the fuel sender is the only thing to change. all that either cluster is, is a fuel gauge, speedo, and panel of idiot lights.speedo is on a cable and presumable made digital by that circuit board setup on the modulefuel gauge is the sender. everything else is the same lights and as far as i know....the same sensors should still work to say "OH S***!"-560 Quote Selected
83-84 Tbird digi cluster dissassembly writeup *DUW* Reply #8 – December 03, 2008, 02:37:48 PM Quote from: LumpyCheeseman;245960from base buttstuffog to the digital like i have, as far as i know the fuel sender is the only thing to change. all that either cluster is, is a fuel gauge, speedo, and panel of idiot lights.speedo is on a cable and presumable made digital by that circuit board setup on the modulefuel gauge is the sender. everything else is the same lights and as far as i know....the same sensors should still work to say "OH S***!"-560lol the idiot lights will not be connected on mine, got 3 guages to put where the cig. lighter is below the radio...thanks bud Quote Selected
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