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DX cluster upgrades FAQ.

 
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Old Oct 14, 2003
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DX cluster upgrades FAQ.

I thought Id gather some of the info Ive learned here so that new DX owners have a one click place for their cluster upgrade questions.

What fits: for model years 2001 and 2002 you can only change the cluster to 2001 or 2002 model years. 2003 and above is not an option. This applies the other way around too.

EX and LX cluster do fit the DX directly. It doesnt matter if they have side airbags or abs, since the fix for that is to lift the gauge faces and cover the lights with black tape, or cut the LED's completly. the SRS light will remain functional since its a seperate light triggered by a different circuit.

MILAGE: this is the big one, If you were lucky enough to have purchased a cluster with more miles than you car did, the best thing to do is wait until your car reaches that milage and do the swap. If youre like me and got stuck with a cluster with fewer miles than your original car milage, it IS possible to change the milage. You must take your car to a speedo calibration shop so that they can crack the computer and tap the original miles from the ECM..contrary to popular belief, the ECM DOES STORE ORIGINAL MILES. If the cluster miles do not match the computer miles perfectly, it will not work...the miles on the cluster will default right back to the milage it had when it was removed from the first car. While the computer will still keep track of the original miles.
If you live in the MD/VA/DC area the number to call is: 410-787-7332
I was quoted $100 for the service

Thats all i can think of right now, but i know some of you other DX owners might have more things to share.

Props to xxsovereignxx for the help.
Old Oct 14, 2003
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thx for the tips, i am very certain that im going to do this in the future... damn i hate the dx cluster
Old Oct 14, 2003
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i already knew that.haha..but it's cool..so all the newbies don't make new threads..im still looking for an lx cluster..any idea where i can get one for cheap?
Old Oct 14, 2003
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again, i tryped it all up for the newbs.

i got mine from ebay. the most popular seller for them is M-K!

and there is one for sale in the forums here:
http://www.7thgencivic.com/forums/sh...hreadid=119641
Old Oct 14, 2003
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i thought you were able to have 2003 clusters in 2001-2002 civics it was just a pain in the *** to calibrate cause the wires dont match. so theoretically it is possible just not practical, well dont mind me...
Old Oct 14, 2003
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good point, infact id love to do it myself if someone had the helms electrical manuals for both 2001 and 2003 model years. its just a matter of matching the pin outs from the plugs.
Old Oct 14, 2003
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BAH!!! WHY YOU!!!

LoL I was going to maethis DIY, but I haven't swapped mine in yet. was gonnatake pictures and everything!


oh wells lol. Thanks for the credit. Please let me write "DX DIY: Get rid of the SRS light after upgrading your DX cluster". Lol that one wil be short and simple!



PS:
I think the DX'ers should definitely get a seperate section. if it's not asking for too much.
Old Oct 14, 2003
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cool mods would sticky this thread
Old Oct 14, 2003
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ONLY 2% OF THE 7THGEN POPULATION WOULD EVEN READ THIS



i'm sorry.....i get ridicule all the time for having an HX (non-power windows, no sunroof, no abs, no color-match trims, fake-me-out vtec, no tweeters, .....about all i can think of for now)
Old Oct 14, 2003
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congrats vinh, welcome to the 2% of the population. lease:
Old Oct 15, 2003
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Originally posted by Vinh
i'm sorry.....i get ridicule all the time for having an HX (non-power windows, no sunroof, no abs, no color-match trims, fake-me-out vtec, no tweeters, .....about all i can think of for now)
What...you don't enjoy being the black sheep of the family?
Old Oct 15, 2003
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i have a manual DX would the AT cluster still would fit?
Old Oct 15, 2003
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yes, the A/T cluster does fit.
some people have the thought of getting AT cluster and then covering the lights with reverse glow gauges for MT cluster. THIS WILL NOT WORK. sovereign discovered that they are on different scales. the MT tach is more accurately displayed through a wider spectrum on the gauge.
Old Mar 30, 2004
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hello guyz. I have an 04 VP with no tach. Anywayz, I bought an 03 cluster from the junkyard and install it but it doesn't work. I then borrowed my friends 03 cluster and it doesn't work either. Have anybody done this swap? Is there a power wire that i'm missing?
Old Mar 30, 2004
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<----- Loves his DX
Old Mar 31, 2004
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BUMP! Any one konws?
Old Apr 6, 2004
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on the dx models the wiring is different
and the seller m-k i think he is using a different account for shill bidding
Old Apr 6, 2004
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Originally posted by hi2nr

and the seller m-k i think he is using a different account for shill bidding

that's what i noticed too. instead of bidding on one of their clusters I asked if they could post another auction with starting bid the same amount as the buy it now price. I bought my cluster from them for $90 shipped.

A lotta sellers bid their own items with a different accounts. You can notice it when there's a single bidder who keeps bidding but never outbids you. But sometimes that may mean that bidder's just cheap. When I sell items, I always cancel any bidders like that. yeah i lose money, but I don't want anyone thinking i'm cheating


Bid once, bid high. That's my eBay motto
Old Apr 6, 2004
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Originally posted by blue_dlb
BUMP! Any one konws?

sorry blue, I guess Honda wasn't happy with just restyling the outside of 7th gens. they changed wiring too

your best bet would be to look/wait for a wreck 2004. Just wait a couple months. It's almost summer and a lotta kiddies will be out riding
Old Apr 6, 2004
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Yeah, that guy M-K on ebay seems devious (sp?) because i told him that his cluster will not fit onto 04 and he's ignored my emails.
Old Apr 6, 2004
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If you buy a new cluster the car does not retain the miles stored in the computer , it is stored in the gauge cluster.
When you install a Brand new gauge cluster the reading will be a 0 miles. Thats why when we install new clusters at work we are required to write the orginal milage FROM the old gauge cluster on to a sticker that is then placed in the door jam of the drivers door. All we do then is A give the customer the options to contact a speedo shop, which I have already posted the phone numbers and address to 2 different shops, or just add the milage off of the sticker with the milage on the new cluster.,


Jeff

Last edited by Jeff; Apr 6, 2004 at 10:05 PM.
Old Apr 6, 2004
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i wanna do this too since im a dx owner(yay). probly go thru some wrecking yards soon.
Old Apr 6, 2004
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i wanna do this too since im a dx owner(yay). probly go thru some wrecking yards soon.
Old Apr 6, 2004
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i'd rather go buy it from www.hondaautomotiveparts.com cause they sell you unused mint honda oem parts for all models. instead of buying from mk cause he lied to me when i asked him would it fit a 04 civic dx and he said yes. I guess the email i sent him sounded like i was desparate for it so i think he went and bided under my max price by like 2 bucks. i think he used the account AFYANYMOUS to outbid then he expects me to outbid him, but i was smart and didnt go any higher. so then he ended up winning himself. hahahahahah
Old Apr 7, 2004
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hahahah That's pretty funny. I was tempted to buy a cluster from hondaautomotiveparts.com but they would never give me an actual picture of what i needed. They give this drawing with numbers on it. I don't wanna just buy parts of the cluster. I need the whole cluster. The discription of the number that the dude gave didn't seem right.
Old Apr 7, 2004
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Like SkipBarber summed up at the beginning of this thread:

If you install a NEW cluster (for example, a new one you bought from HondaAutomotiveParts.com) it will read '000000'. Why? Because the cluster counts it's own miles, not the miles that are on the car it is currently in.





**My suggestion for DX owners who want to swap clusters:

1) Find a used functioning cluster with MORE MILES than your car currently has. (ebay or a junk/salvage yard)
2) Put the cluster you bought aside, and drive car as usual UNTIL the car's mileage gets really close to the cluster's mileage that you bought
3) Swap the cluster in your car with the cluster you bought when the mileages are the SAME.

Therefore you have "matching numbers"! It makes the most sense this way. I just kept driving around my block, and then pulled into my driveway.

If you want it to be accurate, find a place that will electronically match the car's recorded mileage to the swapped cluster. DON'T CALL HONDA about this, they will not help you.

Last edited by XxSoVeReiGNxX; Apr 7, 2004 at 10:24 AM.
Old Apr 7, 2004
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Currently (from the information i gathered):

2001 & 2002 are swappable with eachother.
2003 clusters are unique.
2004 clusters are unique.

Therefore if you have a 2003 DX, then find yourself a 2003 LX or 2003 EX cluster ONLY.
Likewise if you have a 2004 DX, then find yourself a 2004 LX or 2004 EX cluster ONLY.


It is possible to swap between any year, but it WILL NOT be anywhere close to installing an Intake or other simple DIYs like that.
Old Apr 7, 2004
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you cant swap a 2004 dx coupes cluster with 2004 lx or ex because i tried and the wires are different.
Old Apr 7, 2004
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Really, can you give us the pin number and the color for the cluster. That totally sucks. It's breaken my heart. The cluster is so freaken nice. Shoulda got an EX. freaken AAAAA.
Old Apr 7, 2004
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BUt then i don't think 04 makes DX. They only have VP, LX, EX and that hybrid thingy.



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