And for all you haters out there who said it wasn't worth it -> it was easy as hell. Now, i'm fully legal and don't have to worry about my title getting screwed when my car gets emissioned (every stinkin' year). Hardest part was getting the speedo needle lined back up (what a bitch!). If anyone wants to know how to, I can post directions here or IM me privately.

B96v6

 

glad to hear you got it working

 

Post directions.

 

Here it goes. Pulled from IM, so sorry for the redundancy:

It's pretty easy. The hardest part, like I said in the post, is getting the speedo lined up right. First, take out the cluster. Remove the clear plastic overlay (about 7 tabs) and set aside. Then, remove the black plastic overlay (about 9-10 tabs). You'll have to unplug the cluster light and remove from the first clip (you'll understand when you can see it). Then CAREFULLY pry the speedo needle straight up. It is attached via a pin into the speedo unit. You don't want to bend the pin. It will take a fair amount of force, but be patient and don't rush this step. Then remove the two small screws on either side of the speedo pin and remove the speedo gauge face. Now, turn the cluster over. On the back, there are 4 screws in the middle in a square pattern. Remove these and the odometer unit will fall out. Repeat on the other cluster and then just screw in the other odometer unit you are using and reverse the steps to put it back together. To set the speedo, what you may want to do is drive around w/ your current cluster in and record what speed your car is at at certain RPMs in certain gears. I didn't do this, but it sure would have helped (hindsight is always 20/20). Then, before putting the clear plastic overlay back on the swapped cluster, plug it in and drive around to see where you speedo is. Then, adjust accordingly. I estimated where my speedo should be since I usually drive ~45mph in 3rd gear at 3000-3200 RPM. I'm sure mine is still a little off, but pretty close. If you need more clarification, let me know. The process is pretty self-explanatory once you pull the cluster out and look at it. Good luck.

B96v6

 

Just wondering why you had to remove the needle. I swapped an Si cluster into my DX and just removed the 4 screws in the back of both clusters and swapped them. It was simple and straight forward - no calibration needed.

 

use a fork.

 

Because the Si face is a different color than a DX face. What you said works if you are swapping in a HX/EX cluster because they are the same color.

I think I'm too afraid to pry off the needle. I've heard too many horror stories.

 

Exactly. The needles look different. The one on my DX cluster was black with a white line. The one on the SI cluster is black with an orange line and matches the other needles. You could do it that way, but the needles/gauge faces wouldn't match. But, it would be hella easier.

Swapping the needle really wasn't that big of a deal. My only problem was that mine was on pretty hardcore. I used a trim removal tool to pry straight up from both sides of the pin. I was using so much force (maybe they glue it at the factory) that when it popped off, it bounced off the ceiling and landed behind my couch. That and I hit myself in the forehead with the tool. Now, I gotta nice little scratch and had to play hide-and-seek with the needle.

B96v6

 

I just swapped the whole thing into my 96 EX, the Si gauge cluster, since I have a B16B in it...