yea i need to know what i need to change in order to put the i35 cluster in my max

 

Step 1: Sell Maxima
Step 2: Buy I35

Hope this helps.




















I'm kidding. Hope you get the answers you need.

 

good one anuj.
are they the same fit, as in size, and do they have the same layout?

 

It should fit, but I I have no idea about the wiring differences. As soon as someone manages to do this swap, I'm totally in. That is the only thing I am jealous about on the I35 is the slick looking electroluminiscent guages.

 

It's been done before. I've seen the pics. Unfortunately the people that have done it have declined to tell others how the did it.

Dimensionally it should be an exact fit. Other than that really it's just wiring. Grab the wiring diagrams from the respective FSMs and it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

 

When u gonna attempt to do this??

 

real soon,,,, the reason why i am doing this is becasue our gauges are not bright enough and to to make them brighter involves alot of work, soldering wiring etc dang i thought sombody would have a writeup on this

 

Well now you can be the person that does the write-up. Good luck!

 

My guages are really dim as well, what about the odometer, can you set it to match your current mileage?

 

well mines at 62,000 the one i am trying to get is at 67,000 soo it not bad

 

what is the FSMs and where can i get these diagrams

 

FSM=Field Service Manual...Dealer, Ebay, maybe Chilton's.

Will be interested to see how this comes out, would like to do it myself.

 

I agree. Besides the suspension, the only other knock I have on my 2002 Maxima is how TERRIBLY dim the gauges are.

That said, I'll be following this discussion very carefully. I'm more than willing to pay the time/money to get this mod.

 

Even my Gf noticed that the guages were dim, I would like to see the I35 guages in person, I looked them up on eBay but its not the same. I like the maximas white/titanium faces though...


<---------- Hey, I'm not a newbie any more! 50 posts?

 

I think its cool to have the "LED" guages like the new lexus gs3, or the honda accords have. Thats the only thing Im jelous about the new accords are there guages! Can something be done to our maxes to get guages like that?

 

I dont get it. I have an I35 and I think the guages are nothin to write home about. They look like cheap versions of Euro car guages. I think the white face guages on the maxima SE look MUCH nicer. Also I think the I35 guages are too bright at night and when you try to turn it down just one click then its too dim, theres no happy medium. I dont know about you guys but I want very little light pointed towards me. That way I can get my night vision to its absolute peak so I can see animals on the side of the road, like those doughnut scarfing piggies.

when it comes to interior in general though the I35 blows the max away. Not to mention the added insulation really does make the car feel a lot more luxurious. When I was shopping for cars I thought for sure I was going to buy the altima, I tried the I35 just because it was there and I wanted to get a feel for the vq35, (because the first 3.5 altima I drove had AT LEAST a bad MAF and I knew it cause the car was so damn slow I knew that it couldent be the same vq35 so many people had been talkin about) and I was knocked out. Handled just as well if not better than the altima and it MOVED, and was really smooth.

Ended up pickin up the only I35 with sport package within 300 miles of my house about a week later

 

Yes. But it's ALOT of work.

Brightening a 5th gen cluster will require all of 10 soldering points on the gauges, and 12 soldering points for fabrication of all of the needle-based LEDs. Retrofitting an i35 cluster will require researching respective FSMs, then determining how to splice the leads, then splicing all 38 (IIRC) leads independently.

Did you really think this through?

Good luck, nonetheless. If I can be fo any assistance, please let me know.

 

The 02-03 Maxima's gauges are TOO dim. The I35's EL gauges are much nicer IMHO. While the I35 is no Acura TL (which IMHO has the best gauge display), I wish Nissan would have transplanted the I35's cluster to the 5G Maxima. That said, I can live with my gauges as is.

 

I have done the I35 cluster in my 02 GLE and I love it. I actually have the diagrams and an extra cluster with 62K miles on it if anyone is interested. The first $125 shipped takes it and I will even give support to make sure the install goes well.

I think Eyekon actually asked before but he wasn't serious at the time so I just held on to it. You must be careful when buying these as the car it came from must not have had VDC or it will NOT work believe me I tried everything and finally found 2 non VDC units 1 of which is in my car now.

Just an FYI for Sciff5, an I35 doesn't have any additional sound deadening material that the 02-03 Maximas. I have had both vehicles doors skins, seats, complete carpeting and trunk lining removed and the asphalt and foam style sound insulation was identical in both cars. This cluster is really all we lack aside from some external front and rear end differences.

 

I havent gotten a chance to actually compare the sound deadening of both cars but I drove both of them and the I35 was much nicer. I figured it was the amount of sound deadening mainly because thats what I had heard, and the I35 doesnt seem to suffer from any of the interior rattles and noises that max owners have reported at times.

 

Can we see pics?????

 

If someone would tell me how to post pics I would be happy too. I have been a member for many years and have never known how. Do I have to use photobucket or something to have them show up?

Maybe this will work?

 

subcribing to this thread....

 

it lights up quite nicely..but the SE titanium faced guages along with the layout are a lot more symmetrical

 

Ok, and how are I35 gauges better then Maximas?
I personally don't like them. They are too green for my taste and remind me of older cars.
The layout is also not the best.

 

The SE gauges aren't too bad as they have slightly larger bulbs, but the GLE are terribly dim.
Actually the light output of the I35 cluster is mostly white nothing like the old fords etc. like choktua mentions and its really the tinted lense which makes it appear to have a slight greenish look when photographed. I had originally switched out the tinted lense with a clear one from the maxima and it was perfect. It allowed the full output of the electroluminscent to fill the car but mine had a slight scratch that drove me crazy so I changed it back. I too wish the tach and mph were symmetrical like the Maximas with the fuel and temp on the sides but you get what is available. It is still Much Better than the Maxima Cluster and mines an Auto so I really don't need the tach much so the centered MPH is fine with me.

 

I've never thought the SE gauges were bad at all. I don't find them dim. I would prefer EL, but then the color wouldn't match the rest of my car. I also used to not like the silver faces, but they've grown on me. I like them better than white on black, but not as much as black on white. So overall, I can't complain. Now the only thing I like on the I35 gauges more than mine is the gear indicator pattern. But that's not a biggie.

 

so i think from what you wrote you are saying switch to the I35 gauge is harder than redoing the LEDS on the max.....well thats a relief....some what....


Did someone do a write-up to change the gauge LEDS?