[valiant67]

Welcome.
I think you will find that the 1990 unit won't work with the 1992 car and that you need to find a 1992 or 1993 to get parts from due to changes in the communication protocol used in the different years.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

The engine node (that black box) needs power, ground, and a CCD bus connection at a minimum to give you compass and temp - 4 wires. You'll need the wiring diagrams for both vehicles to do it. It's not too hard, but sometimes these wire colors vary between years which is why I didn't mention any wire colors in those posts you reference. From there, you'd need to add more wiring if you want things like the engine oil, brake fluid, and coolant level sensors. You may already have the connector for the brake fluid level sensor taped up by the master cylinder, but IIRC it won't be wired all the way back to the connector behind the bumper the engine node plugs into.

The 1990 EVIC console will work, but you won't get the "turn signal on" warning from it. My 1992 Imperial is using a 1990 console, and has been almost since I got the car. The turn signal thing is the only thing it won't do... it supports everything else. The CCD bus compatibility thing is more an issue with the digital clusters in these cars than the EVIC systems. That said, I wouldn't go any earlier than 1990 parts for that car. I didn't have a lot of luck using 1988-1989 EVIC consoles or engine nodes in newer vehicles.

 

[OldsVistaCruiser]

Also, is a digital instrument cluster plug & play when replacing an analog cluster on Mom's 5th Ave.?

Thanks,
Bill

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Nope - the wiring and connectors are different. It can be done, with varying degrees of difficulty depending on which cluster you swap in.

In your case, the 1992-1993 digital cluster would be easiest, but these do often come with their own problems. They use LCDs to display the info and are backlit by regular light bulbs. This means that by now they're often cooked to the point whole display segments are damaged. I was very, very lucky to find a fully working one for the Imperial. If you really want to do it, make sure you have wiring diagrams, as you will need to wire a CCD bus connection to it, either from the BCM or from the diagnostic connector under the dash. If the car has ATC, the control panel will have those CCD bus wires, too. All other wires are found at the analog cluster connectors. Make sure you get the wiring connector and some of the harness with the cluster.

To look for good 1992-1993 clusters at the yard, I usually pull the whole front off the cluster and hold it up to the light. You can actually see the damaged sections that way, if there are any.

The digital cluster from a 1988 New Yorker would be the next easiest as this is the latest AC/AY body cluster that does not depend on CCD bus data, but would require a ton of wiring. 1989-1991 digital clusters will not work.

The hardest one (but coolest) is a swap to the 1987 LeBaron GTS digital cluster. This would give you a tach, too. But it's not for the faint of heart... you have to do all the wiring the '88 New Yorker cluster requires first, then modify the ECM connector for the tach signal, then run a wire from there back to the cluster, then modify the cluster bezel so you can install a 1988-1993 digital cluster shift indicator mechanism (the analog one will not work) in it.

I've done the GTS cluster once. Not looking forward to doing it again, but I've kept it should both of my 1992-1993 clusters die. I've already had one of them go. The disadvantage to the GTS cluster is you lose ABS and airbag warning lights. But that tach is pretty cool. And you need to modify the ECM connector and wire the tach on that cluster, otherwise it registers no oil pressure.

 

[ygdude]

hmmm.

I was actually going to convert my 1991 to analog to avoid the digital problems. Had 2 digital clusters go bad and currently have a 1992-3 digital cluster in it (only thing I could find) which works but no speedo. For that we've been using a GPS.

Have all the wiring diagrams figured out but no time to monkey with it. Oklahoma, what wires do you tap into from the ATC harness?

No time (or patience) to rebuild the burned board(s) in the old clusters either.

I would trade a good working 90-91 digital cluster for the 1992-3 I have if someone is interested. (Better hurry as I'll probably sell the whole car after labor day)

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Actually, I had a look at my wiring diagrams for 1992 and the ATC has no CCD bus connection after all. Good news is, this is irrelevant for analog conversions, as the analog dash has no use for the CCD bus.

 

[OldsVistaCruiser]

I just don't know where to begin to look where to hook the engine node into the ECM. Is the ECM marked? I don't have a wiring diagram for the ECM, either.

On the other hand, I asked about the digital dash because of the problems that I have had so far with two analog instrument panels, and PA requires that the odometer work in order to pass our stringent state safety inspection.

Thanks again,
Bill

 

[valiant67]

The other alternative is to replace the failed gear in the mechanical cluster. There have been a few posts about this, though probably for other models the idea is the same. here's one:
http://www.allpar.com/forums/topic/147785-odometer-repair/

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

The ECM is on the inner fender next to the battery.

Check your local library - sometimes they have a Mitchell or Alldata subscription and can get the wiring diagrams for you that way. For the 1992, the CCD bus wires are violet/brown (CCD +), white/black (CCD -). These are in a twisted pair to minimize interference. Power and ground are dark blue and black/light green respectively. IIRC there is a diagnostic connector near the ECM with all of these wires, but not sure.

These wire colors are only for 1992 - I don't know if 1990 had any difference or not.

Note that the big gray connector behind the bumper will have all these wires present, but most of the EVIC ones will not be connected. That's why you still have to do the wiring yourself.

Unless you're willing to go through a number of hard to find digital 92/93 digital clusters for that car (it's been years since I saw one at the yards), I'd suggest just repairing the analog cluster as mentioned.