baca00ex

I tried using the "fork" and the "flat head" methods, still broke the stupid needles. Broke the temp/fuel gauges using fork, while being super cautious.. they both broke right at the very top. So figured I would try the flat head method on the tach, it broke off at the very bottom. I thought it worked at first because the entire bar slid out, then looking closer it was broke at the very very bottom.

I'm really not feeling like messing with the speedometer because with my luck, I'll break that one too. Trying to get rid of these annoying ricey gauge plates my brother installed on this car before I bought it from him. Does anyone know any other way of removing these? Already going to have to order a new tach and fuel/temp gauges, might as well try to remove the speedometer and if break that one... so be it. Also, anyone know where you can buy replacements? Fuel/temp is $45 and tach is $100 direct from honda, could probably get an OEM cluster from pick-n-pull for $75-100.

Wrona

just go to the junkyard and grab a cluster if you get a broken cluster i think u pay less for it so just break what u dont need like the glass and they will probably drop the price

best way i know is be very very slow with a fork

baca00ex

Yea, was doing it like that!! Hands weren't shaking or anything and probably spent a good 5-10min working at it. Then you hear the "snap" and you're like.. damn that really sucks, f it.. lemme try the other one, 5min later SNAP. S O B !! lol All I need would be the gauge plate assembly for tach, temp and fuel... Wouldn't need the cluster housing, front clear cover or any of that stuff. I should just jack my brothers wifes out of her 96 and slap my broken one in there for her, super glue the needles back on .. She would never know! That's just evil and mean though, I couldn't do that.. or could I?

Wrona

lol just for safety of not getting banned or B*tched at lets say you are just joking so the mods stay cool :D

baca00ex

Lol yea no doubt just messing around, I could never do something like that!! I'll probably just end up buying a completely new cluster (used of course) and go with it. I don't want to just buy the needle assembles and end up breaking them again. Considering look around can get a cluster for anywhere from 20-100, would be the best route to take.

Wrona

yep you can always switch out ur speedometer assembly into your new cluster for actual mileage

baca00ex

See the only problem with that is the old one will still have this stupid indigo blue gauge plate on it. I'm worried about breaking it off... then again, could always just de-assemble it from the back and that would work. (If I broke the needle of course)

Wrona

yeah but u don't have to use the gauges just uncrew the milage away from the gauges and just screw them into the new cluster stock clusters without any mods like ricer gauges usually the needles come out smooth maybe ur brother did something when he was installing the gauges

fleabag

Man you suck, however I feel your pain.. You see, you can take off those ricey gauges without taking the needles off, I know because I did it too. However I broke the needle for my temperature gauge when I attempted to recalibrate it. Don't throw away your old cluster with the broken needles because I'm in the middle of working on a potential fix for this issue and hopefully one day we can salvage these clusters. Just pull up and slide the gauge faces up and around the needles.. It's not impossible and it doesn't require removing the needles.

baca00ex

Hah, I tried that and the hole was the same size as the OEM ones. No way it was going to slide over it or wouldn't be able to install the OEM ones I have without getting the needles off. I think my brother must have done something to it when he installed them. They literally would not budge at all and that was being super careful.


Oh yea forgot to mention, it's not just gauge faces.. it was the complete plate that was different. The OEM ones got replaced by some crappy indigo plates, no clue where or how he did it. Just wanted them gone, bought this car off him couple of years ago and finally have the chance to start working on it. It's not my dialy anymore, thank God or I'd be driving around with just a drivers seat and broken gauges!!

D Griff

First of all, that's stealing, don't do that.

Now that that's out of the way, I broke my speedometer needle and glued it back with epoxy and it works fine. It's slightly noticeable if you're looking for it, but otherwise perfect, it doesn't bother me any and I would say I'm even a moderate perfectionist.

Wrona

how is that stealing if you pay for the broken cluster??? you just pay less its not like youre destroying the whole cluster and putting parts in ur pocket i did not say to do that.. its not like hes messing up the whole cluster for fun and leaving it at the junk yard like i see everytime i am there i see kids that mess up clusters for fun how many GSR clusters ive seen with low miles messed up already just because someone wanted to i didnt tell him to steal it i told him simply to break something on it so the price goes down since its damaged....

D Griff

Which would be damaging the junk yard's property in order to short change them aka give them less money than what they charge for an item. You could call it fraud instead of theft if you prefer, either way it's illegal and wrong. Don't come crying to honda-tech when your Civic gets stolen, karma is a b!tch.

Tattooedfish

Word

Bad Juju is no good mate pay up full price or don't get it at all

baca00ex

Now I just have to locate some good junkyards in the Houston area that would even have the parts I'm looking for. I've googled a few, hopefully I can give them a call tomorrow and see if they have any 96-00 civic coupes laying around for me to rummage through.

fleabag

take a pic so we can see what you're talking about.. I had gauge faces on my civic that I removed without touching the needles.. It may turn out that the previous owner actually used an aftermarket cluster of sorts which is why you broke the needles.