I just changed my instrumentation cluster on my 92 SC400. The old speedo & tach motors were stuck & no needle lights worked. Got used one, installed as is & it worked good, except odometer had 285K instead of my prior 180K miles. All needles lit & not stuck. Yeah! So I decided to swap odometers to get correct milage. Now ignition key is locked. Boo! Is there some electronic check with the odometer & cluster that causes this to happen? I'll switch back to the odometer that came with the cluster to hopefully get it to work again.

 

i know this sounds very stupid..but u sure u didnt lock ur steering wheel causing the ignition to lock?

 

I don't think so. The steering wheel is locked, but I can wiggle it a bit, as I thought that might be it. Also pushed up on shifter as I recall reading that could lock ignition too. Even put shifter into neutral, still no luck, key will not turn at all. I just pulled the cluster & swapped back the odo that came with it. So I'm back to where I started. I'll put it in tomorrow and hopefully get this task done...for now. I got to wondering if the odometer must be completely compatible with the cluster. I thought it was, maybe. Same plug, same size & looks, but different part number. Also, although the clusters have same plugs, they have different p/n's too. Circuit boards have same plugs in same place, same lights (almost) but the board obviously is different. Mine is from a 92 SC400 and had white needles that used to light red. New-used cluster has red needles that light red.
On the positive side, I'm getting good practice at installing & removing my cluster. I'll post again tomorrow with status after going full circle.

 

well i swapped a 95 cluster into my 92...i then took the 92 pcb and swapped it into the 95 which worked sorta(the needles for 94-95 are different then 92-93 so they didnt work) but everything else lit up with working odometer(which is why i swapped it cause i have 139k and this 95 cluster has 211k)\

and yea im pro at installing cluster too..i installed/took out and reinstalled about 5 times in a day haha not to mention taking the entire clusters apart numerous times trying different things to get my odometer to work.

 

also..its locked..and u know when u put the key in..u have to turn ur steering wheel and the key to unlock it right?..its dumb little things like this that can sometimes be overlooked or assumed they are being done and they aren't..

 

Well I try to avoid doing stupid things like that (or at least admitting to it). Now this is tomorrows list.
1. Install used cluster as-is when I got it.
2. Turn the key & mess with steering wheel if ignition still locked. But I expect it to work.
3. IF it works, leave it alone.
4. IF it works, I might take it out & swap the old odo back in to see if ignition lock was this simple oversight.
5. IF it work, have a beer.
CRuby

 

yea i definitely know what you mean..but sometimes its the simple dumb things that are overlooked ..either way good luck and post back ur results

 

This AM before heading out to work I decided to re-check locked ignition w/o yet having the cluster installed & battery disconnected. Turned key---locked, wiggled steering wheel---unlocked. Well imDementeD, I guess I just showed you who knows what they're talking about!
Change of plans. After work I'm going to re-re-install the cluster with the odo that goes with the car. Step #5 still in the plans though.

 

good stuff man

 

Installed used cluster mixed with original odo. Turned the steering wheel (duh!) and got the ignition key to turn on. Cluster comes to life, needles lit & tach needle unstuck. Car in garage checking leaky door so didn't yet recheck the speedo, but it worked with the used cluster before.
BUT...my original odo doesn't read correctly when it's mixed with this used cluster. WTF. It was ~180K + change miles when in the original cluster. Now it reads 248_ _ _ . There is nothing showing up in the hundreds-tens-ones location. I removed & checked for loose odo plug wires, but all looked good. Possibly something shorted on the odo to make it not work correctly anymore. If not that, then I suspect my '92 odo is incompatible with this used cluster.
I checked Lextech Lighting Systems (LLS) forum & O.L.T. says:"If you have a 92 to 94 SC your cluster needles are white." Well my original cluster has white needles & the car's a 92. OK so far.
LLS also says "If you have a very late 94 to 96 your cluster needles are the red faced one's". So my used cluster must be that because it has red needles.
Based on my odo working fine when in the original 92 cluster but not working when in the 94-96 cluster, I suspect the odo's are not interchangable. Anyway, I now have the used cluster with it's workinh odo & my car just went from 180K miles on it to 285K. But it's a minor issue since now the needles light & are unstuck.

 

yea you cant switch these around like you want..i tried the same thing..i tried swapping the odometer and the entire pcb..but the needles arent interchangeable..so your stuck with ur mileage unless you find another pcb from a 94-96 with lower miles

 

Thanks again. 1 problem down, several more to go with this car. See some of my recent postings. Maybe you can correct another gotcha for me. Unfortunately it seems like it's been nothing but one repair after another with this car just to get it in useable condition. Owners must be do-it-yourselfers to own this vehicle, or else have deep pockets for repair bills. But it is 18 years old... My son bought the car in Jan '10, & it's been in my garage for ~7 of 9 months for various repairs. I generally only get to work on it during weekends (if that), so that's why it's stretched out so long. However, all the problems seems to be somewhat common & have been addressed by other members before, thankfully.

 

will check em out...i bought mine a 92 with 139k and had some issues and still does but slowly fixing them all..i can do a lot on my own but not everything..did loads n loads of research on it before buying and continued after to learn as much as possible..i really think this car is the easiest car ive worked on..coming from swapped hondas with NO room to work on anything...

these cars are great imo as well but yea if someone didnt take good care of it then there will be plenty to fix and like said it being 18 yrs old ..a lot of parts arent meant to last that long or longer especially if they weren't taken care of during that process which most do not. anyway good luck on the future repairs