Rep Power: 0

okay.. after 30 mins of searching on forums.. im curious to ask now.... is the cluster in a 2003 EX different from a cluster in a 2003 DX? this was brought up in one of the threads....

i just picked up a 03 cluster from a sedan.. how do i know which one is it? and i drive a 02 EX (or Canadian Si) would it interfere with the different engines (vtec and non vtec)???

real confused now....

 
Rep Power: 335

LX, HX and EX clusters have a tachometer.
DX clusters don't

Non-DX Sedan clusters illuminate white and blue.
Non-DX Coupe clusters illuminate white and red.
DX Clusters illuminate orange.

Changing the cluster will not interfere with the engine's functionality... at all. It's not like you're going to be doing something to your ECU to really make the car know you changed the clusters.

Case closed.

 
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^^nicely put

 
Rep Power: 812

there are two styles of cluster. OLD with bulbs, and NEW with leds. You cannot swap between old and new without rewiring the harness. But you can swap between old and old, or new and new.

OLD includes (backlight green/yellow for sedan, amber/red for coupe)

01-02 LX/EX
01-05 DX

NEW includes (backlight white/blue sedan and white/red coupe)

03-05 LX/EX

 
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Ooohhh, so that's why the new EX ones are so bright?

 
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um ya? i thought you knew. all chip leds embedded in the board, that are channeled by light guides evenly around the numbers. the rings are tinted plastic, the needles have red leds below them

 
Rep Power: 335

No, I thought it was you who "LED-ified" the clusters.

For real!

 
Rep Power: 812

lol well only the new ones. i "tried" to do the new one 03+ but the cluster doesnt go back together. so if you take it apart, its broken. none of the needles will ever work again. the 01-02 is easy and everything goes back and works. i had to throw all this away

 
Rep Power: 335

Good to know.

 
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I've read one more thing regarding cluster swap. The key is that if clusters are swapped between 01-02 to 03-05 can't remember which models (DX, EX or else), than side airbags won't work. Can this be true?

 
Rep Power: 812

just make sure the new cluster also has side airbag light. only the ex clusters have side airbags, and only some of them. but the cluster might have the light anyway. i think my old one did even tho my car didnt have that feature.