Page 1 of 1
Anybody swap clusters?
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 4:15 am
by IronMonkeyL255
I was just curious if anyone doing a 4EAT to 5MT swap had changed out their auto cluster for a manual one.
I was wondering if the plugs were the same, and whether or not pins would have to be removed for the 4EAT gear indicator.
I'm gonna have access to an entire parts car when I swap, so I was wondering if it would be worth snagging the cluster as well as all the other parts I need.
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 4:30 am
by PhyrraM
According to my diagrams the pinouts are different between the two.
I opened the cluster and took the center indicators (the PRND321 and the "car icon") from the auto cluster and placed it into the manual cluster. This should keep the pinouts the same. The manual cluster will cover the PRND321 part of it.
This is not installed yet, but I believe it to work fine.

In both pics the one on the left is from a manual trans.

Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 4:35 am
by IronMonkeyL255
That is exactly what I was looking for.
Is the one plug on the MT cluster the same as the left plug on the a/t unit? If so, does this mean that the right plug is the a/t indicator display plug?
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 4:44 am
by PhyrraM
From my diagrams...no it is not the same. If you look at the PC boards they are not the same, the pathing doesn't really even look similier to me.
That is why I chose to install the Auto unit in my manual cluster. The manual cluster will go in the car, but the center display will be my original auto one. The other connectors on the cluster ( the ones not on this module) are all the same, so no problems there.
As you can see, the manual fascia covers the PRND321 just fine. I find it funny that the manual display has all the silkscreening already there. They just install a different PC board for a manual.
Once again....did the homework, but as of yet not tested.
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 5:10 am
by PhyrraM
I'll add that the auto cluster is a '93 and the manual cluster is supposed to be a '93 also. Both are post-facelift in either case.
Pre-facelift might be slightly different. I know the clusters on pre-facelifts are slightly different in arraingement, but not sure if that is just cosmetic or something electrical also.
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 5:14 am
by IronMonkeyL255
Well, my donor car is also a '91, so I shouldn't have to worry about year-to-year differences.
I just found the diagrams in my FSM, and it looks like they are different. I could probably re-pin the connector, but it would be MUCH easier to do it your way.
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 5:35 am
by PhyrraM
My thought process was the exact same as yours. Much easier.
Another pointer...you don't have to pull the needles. Remove every screw from the back of your cluster. Keep them in order, there are a few diffent kinds/lengths.
Undo the clips but don't remove the cover yet. Let is sit on the "glass". Something under one side so it sits level might help.
Lift off the white casing (the flexy circuit board will come with it), the instuments will mostly stay put. They will technically be loose, but the "glass" and the facia will hold them in place.
The PRND321 unit will now just lift out. It sits on a few locating pins, but is not restrained by anyhting at this point. Drop the auto one in and reverse the disassembly procedure.
I used the auto cluster as practice, then did the manual cluster. The white casing is the exact same part on both clusters so use re-use whichever has a better circuit board. My auto one actually had a trace burned out.
Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 5:45 am
by bmxkelowna
on the same subject but a little different
any one wire in an impreza cluster or any thing?
my friend just wired and fitted a newer sti cluster into his gc just woundering if we could do the same?
Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 2:09 am
by IronMonkeyL255
I don't think it would be that hard, except for physical fitment.
Also, you would likely have to stick to one with a cable-driven speedo, or find a sender to put in place of the cable in the trans.
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 4:03 pm
by livestrong14
I swapped out the auto to manual cluster when we did my swap. They are both the same. My car is a 91' BTW. For some reason the tach likes to bounce around every once in a while. Hasn't done it for about 1 month. I don;' know if that is due to the cluster swap though. I have tried using 4 different cluster to fix the problem to no avail. What could be causing this problem?
Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 4:40 am
by HomeSlice
fyi maybe the two trees prnd are diferent cause one came from a sedan and one came from a wagon. cause i know the pins are different for the two.
Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 4:33 am
by IronMonkeyL255
I don't believe it's a difference between wagon and sedan.
My FSM only shows differences between manual and auto.
Just got done swapping mine over. Used the speedo and tach from my auto, and switched over the face for the center tree and the face around the gauges and the fuel and temp gauges from the manual cluster.
Also changed the bulbs at the same time. FWIW, the 74 bulbs fit fine in the socket, but were a smaller size, so the bulb condoms didn't fit as snugly as I would like. If I could have found some to replace them with, I would have, but it doesn't really matter now.
To get the speedo cable back in, I hooked the end into the corner of the cutout it was protruding through and pressed the cluster onto it, since I have gargantuan hands that are incapable of fitting back there to do it.