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Hey guys I bought myself a ractive external tachometer, and I have no idea how to install it. I've been researching all day and people install it it near the ecu which is by the glove box. I can't find anyone who has it installed up by the cluster where I wanna put it. If anyone can help me out it'd be much appreciated!

 
Rep Power: 254

RTFM. power, ground, rpm signal wire, light signal wire.

in addition to that, i searched this in 5 seconds.

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...ling-tach.html

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...r-install.html

happy wrenching.

 
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yeah I saw those already, but I was hoping to get something a little more detailed... cause yeah like I said no clue on what i'm doing with the wiring or position.

 
Rep Power: 254

thats as detailed as its gonna get buddy. there are pictures/diagrams and step by step instructions showing you EXACTLY where the wires are at and what to do with them. if you cant do it with those links. you should try a different hobby IMHO.

look at the APEXI install DIY.

 
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alright I figured out that i have to drill a hole in my dash to put the wires down. But now that i'm under the steering wheel area where all the plugs are at how am I supposed to know which wire to tap into? I saw like 3 or 4 different connectors with with the same colors of wires. Does it matter what set of wires i tap into? just as long as they are the right color?

 
Rep Power: 388

Of course it matters... They are all different, some have painted silver striping, some have dashes, some are two toned, they are all different.

Some people dont drill in their dash to run the wires, rather tuck them.

ALSO.... please just sell the tach man, its stupid. Doesnt yours work? If you dont have one, then swap clusters.

 
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Well I got the tach cause my stuipd dx vp version didnt come with one . I was told this was much easier and cheaper to do than swapping clusters. and you have to pay a bunch of money to get the cluster set to your mileage.

 
Rep Power: 388

^ or you could just take a picture of the mileage on each cluster to prove the real mileage of your car when you go to sell. I did the swap and wanted the correct mileage but its not worth the price to get the right mileage on there, but def work the price of a new cluster- looks much cleaner, esp the 03-05 clusters with the LEDS. I love it everytime I start my car. Do yourself a favor. Post that tach on craigslist NOW.

 
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yeah i've seen some of the guys here who have the cluster swap and I love it! I've been searching ever since i got my car for a new cluster but never had any luck..... I guess i'll just sell the tach and wait for a cluster i guess...

 
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hey guys I think I found a guage I want to get from ebay.... it doesnt say if its for the dx or anything just says it fits 01-05 civics and its an Si cluster which i really like....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/01-05...ayphotohosting

it should fit right?

 
Rep Power: 388

Thats a 02-05 civic si hatch cluster. If you bought it, you could get it working. Its not a direct swap and nobody has done it, so it would definitely be unique. Figuring out the wires is the first part, and then getting it to fit in the cluster location is step number two- which would involve making a custom gauge cluster bezel. This would be done by using the outside of the 01-05 dx/lx/ex bezel and the inside of the 02-05 si bezel with a little fiberglass, sanding, priming, and paint. Its totally doable.

 
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Damn I really like that Si cluster! I wish I could get it and do all the fitment and installation but I have no idea how to any of those things . I'll have to find one that will plug and play

 
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and the next cluster I found comes from an automatic.....:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/01-05...ayphotohosting

not sure if having an automatic or a manual cluster makes a difference

 
Rep Power: 254

no it makes no difference if you have the auto or manual cluster.. your drilled your dash? oh god. lol...

not trying to be mean or anything, but if you are asking all these questions and are trying to work electrical stuff on your car i suggest you hire someone to install your stuff. if you somehow screw up something in your electrical system you can mess up the entire car. what tach did you get? installing the new tach would be 10 times easier to do the cluster swap. if its small you can put it where your cluster is so it wont look too bad,

 
Rep Power: 388

Auto and manual cluster will both work- if you have manual and you buy an auto cluster then you'll have the P D N R 1 2 gears vertically stacked in the center of the cluster that of course dont work, and if you put a manual cluster in your automatic, you wont see what gear your on unless you look at the gear stick.

 
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sweet.... I can live with the PRND12 thing just chillin there lol but what are they worth? the guy has a buy it now for 125 with 15 dollar shipping..... is it worth it? and it says that it has 199k miles and its from a sedan.. not sure if its worth that much

 
Rep Power: 388

Thats about average. I cant remember what I paid for mine... maybe that, around there, maybe a little more. You might as well wait for one to pop up thats exactly what your looking for. If you want blue rings, they are from sedans, red rings are from the coupe. Auto and manual obviously we've gone of that. The ex clusters have the ABS lights on them. Thats pretty much the differences, aside from the 01-02 clusters are bulbs and cluster illuminate redish orange and the 03-05 are LED's and have the colored rings

 
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ah damit the one I showed comes from a sedan and i need the one from a coupe .... I guess I'll have to maybe search a junkyard or something

 
Rep Power: 233

the a-pillar would have been a better mount location. they are cheap to replace when you need to re-sell. Holes in your dash are a no go.

 
Rep Power: 254

coupe or sedan cluster is no different... im pretty sure

 
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TRIZ said that its a difference of color blue and red. and I'd like the red lol

 
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this got me wanting a tach... which turned into me buying an 03-05 sedan cluster..... it's an auto one.... i'll prolly cover it up with tape...... 01hondercivic is the man, by the way.

 
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they go for 125 bucks nowadays? dang.. when i first did the cluster swap (which was about 4 years ago) i bought one on ebay for 25 bucks. i guess i was lucky.

but...don't use an aftermarket tach. like Triz said, swapping cluster looks alot better. and i think it's much easier swapping then trying to drill holes and tapping into wires.

 
Rep Power: 254

since your concern is the lighting, you can easily change the lighting of the cluster to any color you want. look in the diy section.

 
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yeah i actually just came across that... looks like a promising thing deal. Changing the LED's should be a snap. I hope I get the tach from ebay stupid people trying to outbid me and ****

 
Rep Power: 236

I got my gauge cluster off of ebay for $62 shipped. It's from an automatic coupe which was an 03 model, but my favorite color is blue. I like it a lot, plus I have a tach!

 
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wow did an ebay search today and found a ton of clusters for sale! if anyone needs one I'd suggest picking one up asap before they are gone. i think I'm goin to get this one:

http://cas07.businessflow.ms/3.9.6/m...a-4daaa9d7b39d