Lumina Digital Police Cluster

[cubsfan24]

Can I just swap in a digital cluster and have it work without changing any wires? I was looking at the wiring diagrams and it looks like the digital cluster and the standard clusters have the same pinout on the main connector. However the digital cluster has a trip/reset switch in that cubbyhole to the left of the steering wheel. Is this module necessary for the digital cluster to function?

[Crazy K]

Can I just swap in a digital cluster and have it work without changing any wires? I was looking at the wiring diagrams and it looks like the digital cluster and the standard clusters have the same pinout on the main connector. However the digital cluster has a trip/reset switch in that cubbyhole to the left of the steering wheel. Is this module necessary for the digital cluster to function?

it will be needed for the cluster to function, but it might be on a direct wire from the cluster?

[cubsfan24]

Was looking on mymonte and sounds like you need to run a minimum of 3 wires to digital cluster specific harness. Power, Ground, and the VSS. The other wires are run to the switch in the cubbyhole to control the trip/reset ect.

Does anyone have any experience in doing this?

[cubsfan24]

Took a chance and bought the cluster off of ebay for $35 shipped. The second wire harness on the cluster for the digital part should be included since you need to take the cluster apart to remove it. I just cut the connector off and soldered the power, ground, and VSS wire to back of the 32 Pin connector that all Luminas/Montes come with. This is all you have to do to make the digital cluster plug and play. I did want the trip meter/reset functional and since I was to cheap to buy the real accessory switch, I just bought a DPDT toggle switch at radio shack for a couple bucks and wired it so when I pushed the switch down I grounded the white wire from the second wire harness on the cluster (shows the trip instead of the miles), and when I pushed the switch up I grounded the white and light green wire on the second harness (resets the trip). Mounted the switch next to my trunk release under the steering wheel. Works great. Was going to advance the mileage on the cluster to my actual mileage but the cluster I bought had only 44k miles on it! It would take like 34 days to get it up to 154k miles.

[cubsfan24]

Here are a couple of pictures of the wires I soldered.

[98LuminaLTZ]

Just completed this same gauge cluster swap into my 98 Lumina LTZ, this info proved invaluable, works great, Thanks man.

[dodgethis]

Cubs how would you advance your mileage on your digital cluster?

[98LuminaLTZ]

I would assume, bench power the dash, and apply voltage to the VSS wire making it think the vehicle is in motion, thus "clocking" miles on the odometer. Would be a LONG process, mine I would need to clock just over 40,000 miles to catch up to actual mileage.

It's not worth it for me, I plan on driving this thing "till the wheels fall off" so, I am not worried, if I did sell I would disclose mileage isn't right, and let them know its off by 40,xxx.

EDIT: If you are going to try this, just an FYI I believe the VSS wire is AC voltage not DC, and I want to say its range is like 0 - 8 volt or something, PLEASE read service manuals before attempting. This is just from my memory, I could be completely wrong, cubsfan24, maybe you can shine some light on if my memory is right here.

[jimmyfloyd]

VSS is Pulse Width Modulated I believe, at a rate of 4000 Pulses per second or something like that. Not easy to replicated without proper instruments I believe.

[slick]

4000 pulses per mile.

I've seen circuits with simple chips and transistors that people have built from scratch to create the signal. I'm sure if you do an internet search, you can probably figure out what you need to do it. Hell... I bet there is someone out there that sells such kits.

[98LuminaLTZ]

4000 pulses per mile.

I've seen circuits with simple chips and transistors that people have built from scratch to create the signal. I'm sure if you do an internet search, you can probably figure out what you need to do it. Hell... I bet there is someone out there that sells such kits.

That would make sense, I was basing my info off something I had read long ago about VSS interfacing with car audio/nav units, and people reading AC voltage with multimeters, but PWM would make more sense than just voltage and a simple meter wouldn't read the PWM signals, I just had no hard data in front of me either way. My brain doesn't work as well as it used to, lol. That said, generating PWM wouldn't be too hard with some electronics.

[dodgethis]

Well stupid question, if you can use a pulse width modulated wave to increase the mileage, can you decrease the mileage, with the PWM wave? Say the cluster had too many miles and wanted it to match the mileage i currently have.

[slick]

Don't think it works like that, although I could be wrong.

Just keep the signal on it long enough to roll it over and start from the beginning?

[GnatGoSplat]

I used a 555 timer circuit on a breadboard to advance the mileage on the cluster in my Silverado. It's been many years, but I think that cluster was able to advance at up to 999mph, though it still took several days because my truck had much higher mileage than the cluster I installed.

You can't decrease mileage because the odometer is a counter. You could roll it over, but that would take forever. I think these clusters can go to 999,999 miles before rolling over. Not to mention, there could be some telltale indicator if it rolls over. I don't think anyone's ever gotten to a million miles to find out. An older analog odometer is easy to reset just by popping it apart to where all the digits are loose.

[dodgethis]

Damn i can't help but laugh at the idea of someone trying to progress the mileage to make it meet their old cluster, and missing it and not being able to go back. Jeese that would suck. Hell it would suck if you had 106,000 and the cluster had say 110,000, i don't know what would be easier, forward it til i flip over, or just wait 'til you get to 110,000 on your old cluster. I would like to find one, but now got to take into consideration about the mileage.