Hey guys, I have a 1997 4th Gen SE with the white faced gauges, analog odometer, and red needles. I just scored a 2001 silver AE cluster today and am going to go through with this swap. I'm documenting everything with my digital camera and will definitely post up a guide on how to do this swap and how to wire it, but first I gotta figure that out!


The first main issue I ran into involves these wiring diagrams:

1997 Cluster diagram



2001 Cluster diagram





1st issue:
The 2001's diagram is very confusing in relation to the speedo, tach, temp, and fuel gauges. It all goes to this "unified meter control unit" box on the diagram. I take it number 32 goes to the speedometer? So that is one wire on the 2001. The 1997 lists 14,11,28, and 10 as going to the speedometer. How should I go about wiring this?

2nd issue: (somewhat related to 1st issue)
The 1997 diagram lists nothing for the odometer, so I take it at least one, maybe more of these wires are odometer related, which one(s)?

3rd issue:
Why does the 2001 harness have 2 wires, 26 and 27 for the high beam light and the 1997 has only one? How should I approach this?

4th issue:

Going back to the "unified meter control Unit (with odo/trip) " box on the 2001 diagram, notice how there are four things, the speedo, tach, water temp, and fuel gauges, yet 5 wires, 32,16,15,13,and17. I take it they each hook up in respective order and 17 is some sort of a group wire for both the fuel and temp gauges?






I have heard this swap has been done successfully and 100 percent functional by some members, there just isn't a guide out there, I hope to change that. The question is just trying to figure these above issues out!

 

Issue one: The FSM is your friend. On page EL-111 of the 2001 version is the section on Meters and Gauges. The next page has the pinout for the four gauges in question.

Issue two: I'm going to make the baseless claim that th odometer gets a signal from the same wire the speedometer does. I just have a hunch.

Issue three: It's a light. Tie one end to ground and the other end to wherever pin 21 goes on the 97 harness. I think its to the left side high beam light. The meters and gauges section and exterior lights sections both have schematics.

Issue four: That's a horrible assumption. Never assume just because of the location of a wire coming out of a "black box" that is has a function. Check out page EL-116 of the 2001 FSM

Good luck. From looking at both FSMs I'd say there is ample information. I realize you may not be an electrical engineer, but proceed with caution, never assume, and you should have a volt/ohm meter to double check your conclusions from the FSM.

 

Tavarish on NYCMaximas.org has already done a HowTo for this swap. You may want to speak with him.

 

Awesome, definitely making progress. I hit up Tavarish but haven't heard back yet. I also poured through the FSM's all last night.

The cluster has no bulbs so I can't test illumination or warning lights, but other than that, it appears everything works as far as gauges except for the speedometer. The tach is fine, same with fuel and water temp.


Here is how I have things hooked up in relation to the speedometer:

Pin 15 on the 2001 is hooked up to 28 for the speedo on the old car
32 new is going to 14 old (I take it this is the signal from the cluster out to the ecu?)
59 new is connected to 38 old for grounding.




Major issues though. Ever since this swap, the car is HORRIFICALLY slow in closed loop. As soon as it hits somewhere around 3000RPM power abruptly comes on, so abruptly I start to get a wee bit of wheel hop. I am almost positive this has to do something with the new cluster, any ideas?





EDIT: Just tried putting number 15 on the new harness to number 11 on the old, that didn't change a thing at all.

 

Here is the 1997


Here is the 2001

 

Looks like the VSS is a little AC generator. So the amplitude and frequency of the output voltage increases with increasing speed.

After looking at the schematics for the engine control systems on both cars, I think you might want to try grounding one side of you VSS and hooking the other side to pin 15 of the new cluster. Then take pin 32 of the new cluster, and hook it to pin 14 of the old harness.

That should feed the cluster with a ground referenced signal from the VSS and should provide the ECU with a speed signal from the cluster, which is also ground referenced.

 

Bingo! That was it! Speedo and odometer work now.

Still having the hesitation issues with the car below 3000 RPM still. Actually had something really weird happen. The car was was at maybe about 3/4 throttle in 2nd at 2300 RPM accelerating really slowly, then all of a sudden the speedo and tach dropped dead to 0 and then the car started accelerating normally. Something with this cluster seems to be effecting the ECU's performance and I can't figure it out.

 

I can see the ECU freaking out if it doesn't know how fast the car is going.
What is interesting is why your speedo went to zero and the car started working fine. Does the speedometer intermittently work, or does it not work at all now?

 

It works now. Although what seems to be really interesting is now I have an intense battery drain. I figured I'd just roll the car down the street and kick start it. I made it about 300 feet and died because the ignition and the battery drain drew more than the alternator could generate. Apparently my battery drain is now more intense than the alternator can compensate for? I had to get our Subaru Forester to jump start it down the street, I started the Maxima, removed the cables, and by the time I was putting the cables in the trunk of the forester it was already sputtering. I had to rejump it, and then twice more to get the car to my house.


None of the wires seem to be hot, I can't figure out what would be running so much current through it that could be draining the battery this badly. That much current would melt these little wires in a hearbeat. I have no idea what this could be.

The thing is, I already noticed it was hard to start it before I ran that ground to the VSS and got my speedo working, which leads me to believe it is something else.

 

Negative, I shot him several Pm's and he rudely replied that he got my countless pm's and basically didn't offer any help at all. In short he told me to get both FSM diagrams and match each wire. I quote " that how I did it" was his response as far as help. I may have it all figured out but I needed to get my hands on some longer harness connectors for the 5th gen cluster that I now have thanks to BlackWind from here on the Org .

However, I just can't find the time to finish this project going to school full time and working full time. When my semester is over in May I can more accurately be of some help as to which wires feed where. I also have the same 2001 AE silver gauge cluster. I have a 97 which is analog cluster so Im not sure if it will work all work. Tavarish had a digital OD for his 99 maxima so the swap may have been easier for him. The FSM diagrams for 99 and 97 are completely different. We both are working with the same year max and gauge cluster so that is a plus.

 

Make sure you have the ALT batt indicator wires going to the right place and that its grounded. Take a good look at the diagrams and compare them wire for wire where they go and how you can duplicate that in the existing 4th gen wiring. Thats basically what needs to be done. BTW BlackWind also complained about a battery drain and frying his alternator. When I had my 5th gen cluster hooked up I had none of those problems. My trouble was wires being to short to work with on the harness connectors which caused loose connections. So I never got a chance to see if the speedometer worked or not. I did have the fuel, tach, temp and all indicator lights working on the 5th gen cluster.

 

i have this same cluster sitting in my back seat for about 4 months now. as soon as i am done with my tranny this mod is next.

 

Hmm, I've looked over all my connections and I hadn't even hooked up the battery light yet. Maybe I will just pull everything out and try again.

 

Is there a benefit to this mod besides looks? Anyone got a night picture of a 5th gen speedometer?

 

Nope. I really like the look of the 5th gen AE cluster though. It looks a lot different at night too. The main thing is I really like the silver background it has.

Though had I known it was going to create this many problems, I probably wouldn't have done it.

EDIT:

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...r-problem.html
That is Blackwind's thread. Apparently if your charge light isn't hooked up to the cluster, the cluster is damaged, or if the charge light bulb burns out or is nonexistant, the alternator will not charge the battery. Doesn't sound like a smart design to me, but oh well. I guess I gotta track down bulbs now for the charge light. None of the 97 cluster's bulbs fit.

 

I'm not convinced you need the bulb as there is a resistor in parallel with it though should still supply a positive voltage to pin 68 on the '01 cluster. Just make sure that pin 68 on the 01 cluster is hooked to pin 42 on the 97 harness. Check out EL-90 and EL-131 form the 97 and 01 FSMs respectively.

 

That ended up being it! That also had to do with my gauges going dead and my hesitation issues also. Hooked up 68 to 42 and it runs and charges just like it did before my swap! So far everything is completely functional as far as the meters go. The cluster has no bulbs, so I can't test any of the warning lights or illumination.



Only issue I have left to deal with is getting the trip odometers to keep their readings. Since I have analog odometers in my 97, there is no wire that supplies battery power to the cluster, I'll just have to run one to my fuse box or tap into something else which should be no biggie.


Thanks for all your help ajm8127! I'm definitely going to give you some credit in my guide!

 

Awesome, glad I could help.

 

pics!

 

This is just a quick teaser pic. None of the warning lights (except for battery) are hooked up yet, also I don't have any bulbs at all for the cluster, so I gotta track some down first before I can test any warning lights or background illumination. It also isn't cut and mounted. Toward the end of the week I will post up a heavily detailed and pic intensive guide step by step laying out exactly what wire goes where as well as some before/after pics and cluster comparisons.

 

I actually have a '97 SE, & i think I jus fell in love with this mod...ill be waiting on the post with all the steps....thnx

 

pm me your number ill send you a pic. BTW this wiring is different for us 98-99 owners.

 

Moderna, I also had some issues with the digital odometer. I have a 97 so we are both converting to a digital odometer. I had some very short harness wires to work with prior to getting some new harness connectors for the 01 AE cluster, much thanks to Black Wind. I had a few loose wires before I received the new harness, so I never got a chance to see if the digital odo worked. When I'm done with school in May I'll concentrate on finishing mine.

Again, in my opinion the only benefit of this mod is that the 01 AE looks sick compared to the 97 cluster. It also has the gear display if you added a shift boot to your auto like I did, you will then have the gear display in your gauges. You will need to tap the TCM behind the radio to send the signals to each corresponding bulbs in the cluster for the gear display to work.

 

Back to business, I told you guys I'd be back after my semester is over and here I am. I have everything almost wired in from the 2001 harness back on the 97 harness. Im still wondering if the digital odometer will work since our 97's are analog odometer. I'll find out soon as soon as I finish this up tomorrow and go for a test drive. Modenaf1 did you verify your digital odometer works? Did you ever finish your swap?

 

wierd!! i was gonna call you today

 

Funny I though about you too. Yeah man, I'll give an update tomorrow thanks again for those harnesses. makes the job so much easier.

 

If the speedometer works I don't see why the odometer wouldn't.

 

They have nothing to do with each other. The odometer is feed from totally different wires on the harness. In any event I got everything to work but there are some difficulties and due to these difficulties I will not be keeping this 2001 cluster and will revert back to my stock 97 cluster.

1 The speed sensor on my navigation registers me going 90 plus MPH and Im only doing 30 mph (don't think this issue can be resolved) with this being said my navigation will never properly work if it cannot detect the proper speed.

2 I have an ABS light continuously lit and I don't know why (minor issue)

3 There is a slight hesitation to when the speed starts to register on the cluster, though this can be lived with again, if you have navigation it will effect it from working properly.

So If you do not have navigation then this swap may be for you. The issues with the speedometer will effect your GPS from working. The odometer being digital was not an issue even though the 97 is analog odometer, if its wired properly it will work fine. Just test drove it to verify. There you have it people, if anyone needs any help with their swap from a 97 going with a 2001 cluster I'll be glad to help.

 

You have factory navigation? (it is the rarest option I know of)

 

Nope, I should have specified. I have the Eclipse AVN 6620. I just don't understand why the navi is picking up signals that are way off with actual mph. I guess its something with the way the cluster is wired to get the speedometer to work.

 

I also cant get the cruise control, seat belt or ABS light to work properly. I have been over the FSM so many times and nothing. Anyone get these lights to work? Post the wires you tapped into so I can see If mine are the same.

 

That is incorrect. They both get their signal from the VSS. Check post 6 where I explain to the last guy how to get it to work.

 

It certainly doesn't look that way according to the FSM, any how the speedometer will work with out the odometer. I have witnessed it, so I don't know if you say so. I really hate to not keep this cluster after all the work I put in getting it to work. Any ideas why the seat belt, cruise and ABS lights wont work? I have them going to the corresponding wires as per the FSM.

The ABS light stays on all the time.

The seat belt light illuminates when I turn the key to start then goes off. It should stay lite till I put on my seat belt.

The cruise control light on the cluster wont come on at all. Maybe I have to get the signal from the cruise control switch.

 

[QUOTE=maxprivate;7578761]It certainly doesn't look that way according to the FSM, any how the speedometer will work with out the odometer. I have witnessed it, so I don't know if you say so. I really hate to not keep this cluster after all the work I put in getting it to work. Any ideas why the seat belt, cruise and ABS lights wont work? I have them going to the corresponding wires as per the FSM.

you havent messed with it since yesterday? you gonna get ity looked at today?

re-check the connections on this too,

this part is tricky because the Cruise on the 5th gen is a different setup than the 4th, according to the fsm its always ON, and you NEED the cluster to have your cruise work, ill be working on this this weekend and ill post up what i find, i think i may have it all figured out so ill post up what i find.

 

[QUOTE=Blackwind;7578926]I think the cruise control itself still works. I have to check it out today. I think I might have to tap into the cruise control switch on the dash sending power to the cruise control light connection on the molex plug for the 2001 cluster. Sounds like that might work.

 

Either way Im going to leave this cluster in for a while and I'll have a friend pull the codes to see if there is a reason why the ABS light is on all the time.

 

[QUOTE=maxprivate;7579145]ive taught you well lol!! yeah thats the route im thinking of also. if you get it before me call me.

 

[QUOTE=Blackwind;7579161] will do. I'll that this weekend.

 

Im thinking if I take power from terminal 3 on the 97 cruise control switch, when switched on to activate the cruise control, the indicator light on the 2001 cluster should then light up. Makes sense.

 

thats what im getting from this