xplosive9z

I tried to install the reverse gauges NOT KNOWING that you're not supposed to pull the needles off and I did... the effect: nice reverse gauge look, but the frickin speedometer, tachometer are whack off alignment... meaning when I'm doing 25mph, the needle is at 40.. same with the RPMs... is there any way I can fix this?!?!?..

please somebody help.

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

Ugh. You're supposed to calibrate the needles before removal. You need to take the needles off again, turn the car off, and push the needles back in.

xplosive9z

yeah but metal I've tried doing that, and for some reason they're not working the way they're supposed too.. for example, the RPM's do not come down quick and go up quick, it takes about 5-10 secs. to come back down to where it should be... same thign with the speedo, it's showing 80 when i'm doing 60 and it comes back down slowly and takes a while to go back up.

any possibilities? fix or replacement?

PoLo

iTrader: (7)

well maybe this. when people do a calibration before they take off the needles, it falls on certain areas. are these areas the same everytime. let's say it falls on 20mph and 2k rpm everytime, then ideally what you can do is do the calibration method, take them off, and put them on at the understood point, and maybe that would work.

best possibility is to wait for others to respond when they took theirs off, at what point did their needles land on.

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

on what Polo said.

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

Oh, and another thing...the reason the needles may not be falling properly would be sue to the fact that the surface of the gauges increases the thickness by xxmils. The needle(s) is/are likley getting caught up. You will need to superglue to indiglo gauges to the OEM in order to clear the needle.

EdgeX

iTrader: (2)

Hey xplosive,

how did you get the needles out of the servo motors without damaging them? I want to do a mod along with Metal, and I want to know how to get the needles off the posts, unless you already know metal, but if you could share that with me it'd be greatly appreciated

xplosive9z

take a bent tweezer that looks like a curved "U" and put it under the needle, and pull on the needle while using leverage with the tweezer.

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

Yep. There is no "failsafe" method. I would rate this as the 2nd most nerve-racking tasks I've undertaken, the first being gaining PCB access on the climate control.

EdgeX

iTrader: (2)

Thanks buddy!

did you have to use alot of force? or does it take some finesse?

xplosive9z

so how WOULD you install the guages without removing the needles?

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

Both. My routine: Remove first needle. Take a deep breath. Go outside for a smoke. Go back in and remove next needle...

Yeah, that I too would like to know.

xplosive9z

you wanna use less force with the tweezer and more with your index and thumb... you'll know exactly how much to apply.. just take it easy.

my suggestion on the other hand... DON'T PULL THEM OUT, those damn things are gonna mess up when you try to put em back in.. trust me on this one.

EdgeX

iTrader: (2)

Hey metal, how bout instead of a smoke, we take a shot of Jack Daniels?

EdgeX

iTrader: (2)

Yea Xplosive I know, I took apart a 4th gen cluster i got cheap and getting the needles out was the hardest part, so thats why I wanted to know, I think if you take a hair dryer and have it on low and warm the plastic a lil it may come off easier, plastic tends to expand when warm, so if you warm the needle (but not enough to bake and warp the faces of the gauges) they may slide off a little easier with ur method then applied

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

Jack Daniels = us taking all day to finish again. Like I said before, though. Since we will be using new needles, all we need to do is cut the existing ones off with a dremel, thereby never even chancing damage to the cluster.

xplosive9z

right, but it doesn't matter if you take them out with force or melt off like butter, putting them back is the hard part because it's never gonna be as accurate and on point like when they came with the factory defaults..

it's either gonna be too tight, too loose and the needles are gonna be off point.

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

Not if you do it right.

xplosive9z

what's the right way? a friend of mine told me instead of removing the needles, just slide the new gauges on through the whole.
yes, no, maybe, never? what do you guys think?

EdgeX

iTrader: (2)

2 Engineers + Alcohol + 1 simple project (LED Swap) = Total cluster F*ck, total time 3 days and 4 trips.

I think the alcohol is where we went wrong. so you're right...lol


So I guess we would super glue the new ones onto the post?

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

There is are calibration points on the needles which may be obtained via entering the diagnostics mode on the cluster. Doing so will allow you to obtain a high degree of needle accuracy upon reinsertion.

EdgeX

iTrader: (2)

Metal is correct, check his car-domain for the cluster calibration

xplosive9z

how would you do it then? the way i did it was took the needles out, and put the guages over them, put the needles back where i though were correct and they still were acting goofy... and i did put them back with precision.
what would be your method.

"There is are calibration points on the needles which may be obtained via entering the diagnostics mode on the cluster." -can you reiterate that for me? Not quite understanding what the "diagnostics mode on the cluster" means.

EdgeX

iTrader: (2)

xplosive, Metal has a how to on calibrating the cluster on his car domain under his "how to brighten your cluster" page read that. It will help. Also check and make sure, with ur finger moving the needle I guess, that the needles can move freely over the gauge face with absolutely no resistance or rubbing.

I hope you figure this bisch out

ope2k4

iTrader: (4)

I have the same problem. My RPM needle seems to stay lower than its supposed to and my gauges are not even lighting up because I didnt know which wires to split and connect to. Can you tell me please? I have a 00 maxima.

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

and I can help.

EdgeX

iTrader: (2)

Dan, kicking *** and taking names...lol....You off today from work man? or are just slacking (and abusing our companies internet usage policy) like I am?

xplosive9z

there is a red/blue wire under the driver's kick panel..
splice that with your power wire from your guages
ground the negative to metal

ope2k4

iTrader: (4)

Driver's kick panel? Could you describe more. for my gauges, there is a red wire, black wire and another set of another black wires. I suppose the black wires are for the switch. The red will be the positive and the black one negative. Do you think its possible to use the wire for the dim swicth beside the side mirror control?

xplosive9z

It's easier to splice the red/blue wire in the driver's kick panel.. btw, the kick panel is the underneath your steering wheel where your fuse box is... connect the red wire to the red/blue wire, ground the black to metal... simple as that

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

Yeah, you could do that. Or you could splice in your own potentiometer, same thing.

EdgeX

iTrader: (2)

the Whosajiggawha? what the hell is a potentiometer?.....I'm confused.


but dan, if we dremel them off, do we then glue the new needles to the posts....I may be thinking your going to dremel them off in a different way then your thinking, so let me know.

-Greg

03maxima1

iTrader: (13)

Does the re-calibration explanation on your car domain page work for a 2003 maxima? I had some custom gauges made and I have to take off my needles.

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

I want pics of the gauges first.

03maxima1

iTrader: (13)

Are you talking about the ones I had done?

xplosive9z

i'll post pics of my gauges up in a bit.. once i get a chance to take pics

xplosive9z

...besides that, is there a part number for the cluster that i can get replaced?
thinking about just getting a new one and trying again. ;\

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

eBay, my friend.

xplosive9z

metal from what I know the odometer is on the cluster itself..
if i get a new one, it's going to have a diff. mileage..
ideas on just replacing the guages instead?

Metal Maxima

iTrader: (30)

I have some I'm not using anymore, PM me.