I have an 89 GXE donor car to pull parts from...what do I need to take out of it in order to successfully install it into one without the digital cluster option? I know I need the speed/tachometer cluster and their harnesses....what else? Are the sensors (like the speed and temperature and guage sensors) different?

 

there is a write up in this section about it.
you may want to search for it.

 

It was covered roughly 6 months ago(i think). Fuel sending unit is also different, but the wiring in itself will be a pain unless you switch harnesses(which also isnt fun), but hey, if you like it go for it.

 

Well that thread Brian is talking about is temporarily locked by my request and contains next to no useful information ATM. I was working on a webpage and wanted to get that finished and reopen it with a link to the write up. I got caught up in a related project and the page still is not finished, but enough info is there for you to get it working, I guess now is the time to unviel the site.. Consider yourself lucky to have a parts car, it's pretty much a direct swap. Where's the fun in that though?

Original thread: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....n+dash+digital

Webpage: http://pearlmax.freehyperspace.com/dd/digidash.htm

The video link in the original thread is no good anymore, but the same video is embedded in the write up page.

 

I thought it had actually been discussed.

 

The link for the conversion walkthrough at pearlmax.com...it cuts off in mid-sentence at the bottom of the page: "Once you have the fuel pump/sending unit replaced..." is there another page?

 

I never posted the wiring info because it needs to be copied from my notes in a more straightforward way. I printed out the FSM diagrams, drew arrows to connector pins with letter or number. Then on a seperate sheet of paper wrote each number or letter, followed by the wire color and SMJ location. For example, there are several ground wires for each cluster connector, if I labled gnd as "X" on the table, there is an arrow with an "X" pointing to each connector pin location that needs to be grounded. So you would know to tie each of those leads marked with "X" together and connect it to the SMJ pin noted on the table as "X". I suppose it's the best way to release the info, I just haven't gotten around to copying it in a more legible form.

 

Nope, remember it's not finished I forget what I was going to write after that.. But to answer your original question, you don't need any sensors other than the fuel sending unit. Basically, remove your dash, remove the stock instrument wiring harness and replace with that of the digital car, cut a hole or simply swap dash peices for the HUD, put dash back together, install instrument cluster and HUD, remove back seat, remove analog fuel pump, replace with the fuel pump from the digital car, replace the seat and you should be done.

Once again, be grateful you have a digital parts car. Because if you didn't, tack on 15 + hours of custom wiring, measuring, HUD installing, ect..

 

you made it sound so easy... maybe i should just get a digi parts car... and do the keyless entry install, too!

 

Ok, what about the temperature sensor... Does that need to be swapped too? because the guage in the cluster is digital

 

Only it's not that easy to find a digital parts car, especially one that hasn't had the dash ripped out and the harness connectors hacked off. I was searching in the months leading up to the conversion but I still ended up making my harness.. I've thought about installing the keyless system in an SE, but it's pointless when you can utilize that labor and install a good modern alarm with remote entry.

No. Temp, speedo and tach all work on the same input as the analog cluster does. Fuel gauge SU is the only exception.

 

On your website Hectic, you mentioned that you were repairing the main display units and I was wondering if you could help me in a problem that I'm having. I completed the digital gauge cluster swap (minus the fuel sending unit), but I've only had the main display light up once. It was after I had driven for a while and ever since then it hasn't turned on. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

PM sent.

 

I made the digital instrumentation swap and everything works as expected except for the fuel gauge. With the fuel sending unit installed the fuel gauge shows just under 3/4 full and it doesn't move at all as I move the float up and down. I have installed a couple used digital sending units and they all do the same.

Any suggestions?

 

maybe your harness was mis-connected? if you haven't done so, go back and check your wiring.

 

If that were the case no segments would light at all. I went without a fuel gauge for months because I didn't have a digital type sending unit.

randalst: I didn't touch on a couple of things in your PM (read too fast). I'll just continue it in this public thread in case someone else has the same issue. You said both of the sending units you bought have the same resistance specs as the analog, so my guess is that you bought two analog sending units.

Anyway, you asked about resistance specs:

Digital full - 15-19 ohms
Digital 1/2 - 178-195 ohms
Digital empty - 929 - 1,009 ohms

Analog full - 4-6 ohms
Analog 1/2 - 27-34 ohms
Analog empty - 78-85

So it's a big difference, i'd say all of your sending units are analog. Like I suggested, it's a good idea to disconnect the light green wire until you have the correct sending unit because there is a lot more current running to your digital cluster than there should be.

Compare your sending units to this picture: http://pearlmax.freehyperspace.com/dd/sendunit.JPG That is the analog type, the digital one looks different. Sorry, I never took a picture of the digital type before installing. If I remember correctly, the plastic was white instead of the butterscotch pudding color.

 

Thanks for the resistance measurements.

Both "digital" sending units measure almost exactly to your analog measurements. I've already sent one back and I'll do likewise with the second. I thought something else was going wrong but this confirms the cause. With the specs you provided I can now verify if I have the right unit before tearing my back seat out again only to find it's the wrong one.

Thanks again.