VtecNotRequired

Sorry if this is in wrong category.

DIY: 90-91 CRX Dash & Cluster in 88-89 Civic Hatch
Differences:
The differences of the dashes are easily seen, the crx dash looks slightly different shaped, the climate control is aimed more at the driver and the center console connects to the shift boot connecting your interior to give it more of a cockpit feel. The 91 gauge cluster is rounder and set up slightly differently. Wiring on 88-89 is different then the 90-91. The gauge cluster hood has the hazard button on right and defrost and dimmer on the left compared to the 88-89 hazard being on the steering column and defrost being on the right.

Parts List:
I will be using all SI stuff because it’s nicest to me but you can use 90-91 DX or HF parts as well.
Needed:
90-91 CRX Dash
90-91 Gauge Cluster with plugs
90-91 Gauge Cluster Hood
90-91 CRX Center console
90-91 CRX pocket/ash tray (under center console)
Interior Cleaner
90-91 CRX Column cover
Stubby Phillips head screwdriver
Flat Head screwdriver
Phillips Screwdriver
10mm socket
12mm socket
19mm socket

Option 1:
90-91 Under dash harness (uncut, can find on ebay)

Option 2:
Extra wiring
Butt Connectors
Wire Strippers/Cutters
90-91 cluster button plugs
I will mostly be using option 2 because you don’t need to purchase the extra harness even though that would be the easiest option. I will put notes on what to do on option 1 as well.

DIY:
After you acquire your parts to put in your 88-89 civic then we will want to remove your old EF dash.
In order to take out your dash its easiest to drop your steering column, so Ill explain how to do that.
First you need to remove your fuse panel, steering column covers, gauge cluster hood, steering wheel & center console. Use the pictures below to find the screws to remove in order to take parts off.

Use a small flat head to pop out the Honda emblem in the steering wheel and then use an extension and the 19mm to remove the steering wheel.
After you remove the steering wheel there are 4 screws holding on the gauge cluster hood. 2 on top underneath tabs that you need to remove with a flat head. Once the tabs are removed use the stubby Phillips to take the screws out. There are 2 more screws on bottom of cluster cover underneath the defroster button and dimmer. Once the screws are out reach behind and unplug the buttoms plugged in. Then unscrew the cluster and unplug the speedo cable and 2 plugs behind it and remove cluster.

Next unscrew the three screws holding on the steering column cover and
Then separate the cover by pulling apart the top from bottom.


Next remove the center console. Its being held in by 4 screws.


After the center console is removed you need to unbolt the steering column from under the dash.

You will see these two bolts. Un bolt them and the column should come right down.

After that unscrew the climate control and lay it on the ground. You can use your 88-89 climate control or replace it with a 90-91 (will need 90-91 underdash harness then). If you keep your 88-89 lay it on the ground out of the way under the dash. Then you can start unbolting the dash.
First unscrew the two vents on the left and right of the dash between the door. Once those are removed there is a 10mm bolt on each side you need to remove. Also pop down your change pocket and remove that as well.
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There is also a bolt in the direct center on top of the dash that is under another tab that you need to remove with a flat head. Another bolt is located at the bottom of the center console piece near the floor. It’s a 10mm also. Now remove the glove box by taking out 2 screws on each side of it near the bottom of the glove box. The dash should now be disconnected from the car and removeable but now there is wiring you need to be careful with. The wiring is connected to the dash by screws so you need to disconnect all the wiring connecting to the dash because you wont be able to get a screwdriver where you need it to remove the wiring inside the car. After all the wiring is disconnected you should be able to just pull the dash out and have an empty car.



Now is the time to mess with any wiring you want to modify or change. This is where option 1 and 2 come into play. If you choose option 1 unscrew the old harness from under the dash and screw in the new one. From there your new 90-91 dash, cluster, cluster hood, and climate control is all plug and play. However you will need to unscrew the hazard button from on top of the cluster because the 90-91 column cover does not have a whole for it to come out. The hazard button is required for your blinkers to work so this is necessary. You will have to rewire the old hazard to a new plug that is on the cluster hood now. Do this by using the button plug to match up wires from the old hazard lights and use butt connectors to wire it together. Stretch it out long enough to reach the new location. From there everything should be plug and play just reinstall everything in reverse order. If your choosing to be cheap like me and want to convert your current 88-89 under dash harness to 90-91 it will take some more time. First you need to connect butt connectors to all the wires on the 90-91 cluster plugs. (these are 88-89 plugs but its just to give you an idea of where to connect the butt connectors on the plugs you should get with cluster or can be gotten at a local junkyard for free or cheap. Theres only one butt connector but you get the idea cut your wires so they are longer then mine lol.)



Once you have all your plugs setup to splice go into your car or on your harness under your dash and cut the old 88-89 plugs off that look like the picture. You do however have to know which ones to reconnect where so use the diagrams below to figure out which wires to splice where. Once you have them all connected your cluster should be plug and play with your new harness, all you have to do now is relocate the hazard button and rewire the dimmer button to the new 90-91 plug using the same method with butt connectors, if you use the same 88-89 plug into the new dimmer it seems to blow the tail lights/accessories/cluster lights fuse, I was having this problem so rewire the dimmer and defrost to the new plugs that should come with the buttons on the hood or you can get cheap at a junk yard. Any 90-91 civic or crx has the plugs you need. Once your Cluster work and buttons work just install your new dash in reverse order above and make sure you thread all bolts in before you tighten them down. I have found that sometimes the below diagram is slightly off, however if you do end up with the wrong colored wire or pin somewhere use your head and cross reference what you know works with what isn’t connected and then match colors. I may have forgot something in there somewhere if so let me know so I can fix it.

VtecNotRequired

Oh yea I still have the 89 SI dash in with the 91 cluster but I just purchased the rest of the stuff I needed to finish my 91 CRX si dash so Once I install it in my own car I will post up pics.

gdf

VtecNotRequired- I'm thinking about doing this now, thanks for the write up. I wanted to clarify something, does the 91 cluster attach to the 89 dash without problems (i.e. the screws all line up, no gaps, etc...)?

KINGVEM^^ED6

iTrader: (1)

nice

VtecNotRequired

as long as you got the right cluster cover there will be no gaps, all screws line up and the 88-89 and 90-91 plug is exactly the same the pins are just in different spots so you have to rewire but plugs are exactly the same

tonythetuner®

Diy ftw

k20rex

nice write up. this should go in faq

jlk16188

nice write up. If you dont change clusters, you can just swap your stock harness onto the crx dash and avoid all wiring messes all together.

I have swapped 2 crx dashes into hatches and never removed the column covers but thats ok, do it if you want.

Also...THANK YOU VERY MUCH for making this DIY. Now there is no need for endless amounts of questions about swapping crx dashes into civic....its not that difficult but no one seems to want to try anything for themselves anymore without someone holding their hand and walking them step by step through things.

Tyson

good thread.

instead of cutting and splicing the wires to the new connectors, can you just de-pin the wires and insert them into the new harness? are the crimp terminals even the same? or are the wires too mixed up and connectors too far apart and wires too short to cross over?

tollickj

nice

StreetsideStig

Good tutorial. It's always nice to see people put time into these.

91grape

ok so i can take the 88-91 crx dash and stick in my 88-91 hatch with no trouble besides switching the harnesses?

24TEN

iTrader: (2)

Did you read it?

Vagitarian

anyone know the answer to this?

Vagitarian

bueler???