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Touring wagon gauge cluster into L series???

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 1:33 pm
by neirbo-turbo
Hey everyone,
Just wondering what's involved in swapping the L series speedo dash cluster over for a touringwagon model varient equipped tacho? I have the touring wagon cluster already, but upon pulling the original one out, i discovered that the looms are different! If anyone has done this change, any help will be much appreciated!
Thanks in anticipation,
Orion.

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 2:04 pm
by Alex
its a big job. i looked into it ages ago and thought itd be WAY easier to just get an after market tacho.

i beleive most of the dash has to come out and looms swapped over. Not worth it IMHO.

alex

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 2:55 pm
by Fang
LOL - you have my sympathy neirbo.

I just went through this in my DL L Series. You can change the loom - or change the dash plugs (which I did). You have to change the wiring on 4 plugs - it can get very confusing.

I have been through it two times in my two L Series. I don't regret doing it as it looks good - but its a b*stard of a job.

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 2:57 pm
by brendan
Yeah i looked into as well and actually went as fair as getting the a couple of these instrument clusters, but the plugs in the back are totally different and as Alex says its heaps easier to install after market tacho.

But if ya got tha time and the lust for the original in-cabin look...

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 3:15 pm
by El_Freddo
I converted to MPFI EA82 - it came with the tacho dash :D

It's doable, just time and effort to play with the wiring...

Cheers

Bennie

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:16 pm
by Suby Wan Kenobi
If you want the factory look with the Tacho dash get hold of the touring wagon front loom and replace the front loom, it will plug into the rear, downside the dash has to come out but it will look factory when finished.

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 9:40 pm
by El_Freddo
Suby Wan Kenobi wrote:If you want the factory look with the Tacho dash get hold of the touring wagon front loom and replace the front loom, it will plug into the rear, downside the dash has to come out but it will look factory when finished.
Umm... I don't recall the L series loom being in parts like that of an MY or Liberty. That's why I spliced in the rear of my L loom into the MPFI L loom up front when I dropped the MPFI motor in... The L loom is one piece from the front lights to the rear with the dash loom plugging into this.

Correct me if I'm wrong but this is how I remember it.

Bennie

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 10:03 pm
by Fang
The dash loom is separate Bennie - I have no personal experience in swapping them though.

When my dash board came out - so did the dash loom ;)

Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 7:31 am
by El_Freddo
Fang wrote:The dash loom is separate Bennie
That's right. The other part of the car's loom is a one piece. If your L was not equipt with a tacho there's no wiring for it. Its very tricky to get wiring to plug and play in an L unless you have the same year/month of manufacture can you be sure it will have the same sort and amount of wiring in the car. Changes are caused by new emissions gear, an extra relay or some random thing they thought was necessary.

If you do the dash loom swap I'd love to hear what you had to do to get it to work or if it just "plug and plays".

Cheers

Bennie

Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 7:35 am
by Fang
Yes agreed there. Not sure if you can just run a tacho wire to the appropriate "in" plug on the touring wagon dash loom?

I still had an amount of custom wiring to do - we have wired the "choke warning" light to the radiator fan so I know when it's on. There is two wires for that too.

Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 3:51 pm
by neirbo-turbo
Hey guys, thanks heaps for the input. Yeah wiring is not a strong point for me, frustrating as hell... too many colours haha. might attempt it one day when i've got the time, but for now it'll have to wait!
Cheers again,
Orion