How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Vent shades, black outs, things like that
Chris88CL
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How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Chris88CL »

DO NOT TRY THIS UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOUR DOING!  It is NOT easy.  It is NOT for those of you who dont know how to change your own oil.  Its a very complicated project and involved alot of wiring.  ALWAYS disconnect the battery before attempting any electrical repairs or mods on your vehicle.  If you screw this up, its your own fault.  I did it, and I made it work.....if you cant then its because your an idiot ;) Anyone who wants me to do all the wiring for them, you can contact me privately and I'll ship you a harness already modified for $100.  You'll never be able to tell it wasnt stock.  Just FYI the first time I tried this, it took me about 50 hours to complete the wiring and remove/install everything.  Give yourself LOTS of time or else have me do it for you.
Ok first things first.  You need to get the parts you need.
You'll need a 91+ dash obviously, the vents behind the dash (just the ones that screw to the back of the dash, not the actual HVAC box), the pigtail connectors for the headlight/wiper/defrost switches (just cut them but leave yourself room to splice) and the 91+ vacuum hoses leading to the HVAC controls.  I think thats about it.  Oh and the gauge cluster and all dash trim pieces.
Im not going to focus alot on the removal or installation of the dash itself as thats pretty easy.  This is mainly an explanation of what to do with the wiring and most people wont be able to figure that out.
Once you have the parts, you'll need to remove your old dash.  Its pretty easy.  Puck put up a webpage with instructions on the removal of the pre-91 dash so im not writing it again.
Now comes the fun.  My donor car was a 92 GTZ and I was putting the dash in an 89 base.  Nothing special.

Ok by now you should have your old dash removed and have easy access to the dash wiring harness.  Take a look at the gauge cluster connector.  You can use a paperclip to depress the tang UNDER the tab on each wire and they will slide forward and up and out.  Each wire must be done seperately.  I suggest trying on the JY car first just to get the hang of it.
Installation of the wire into its NEW location in the connector is the reverse of removal.  Duh.
The old and new cluster connectors are the same, the only thing that changed is the wiring PLACEMENT in the connector.  So, heres the new placement.  If you look closely at the cluster connector you'll see lettering on the backside of the connector (Its VERY small).
G (Light blue) goes to new location P
H (Yellow) goes to new location O
D (Light Green) goes to new location Q
J (Dark Blue) goes to new location R
K (Pnk/White) goes to new location Z
L (PPL/pnk) goes to new location C
M (Blk/Wht) goes to new location N
T (Grey) goes to new location E
I (Grey/Blk) goes to new location V
E (Tan/Wht) goes to new location U
F (Tan/Blk) goes to new location M
B (Brn/Lt Blue) goes to new location L
A (Dark Green) goes to new location F
O (Blk) goes to new location D
W (White) goes to new location S
C (Tan) goes to new location H
R (Brn/Orange) goes to new location X (Not 100% sure)
U (Drk Grn/Wht) goes to new location K
Z (Pnk) goes to new location B
N (Pnk/Blk) goes to new location (any spot not used?)
P (Orange/Blk) goes to new location (Any spot not used?)
Q Isnt used, but goes to G
V Can go to A
X can go to T
Y can go to W
S can go to I
If I missed any or doubled up on any let me know and I'll fix it.
Start your car with the dash OUT and the cluster plugged in and test EVERYTHING to make sure it all works.  Your car will operate just fine without a dash.  If something doesnt work, let me know and I'll track down the culprit.

Now on to the switches!  Yay.
Ok the climate control WIRING is the same, but the vacuum hoses are different. There is an extra hose on the 91+ HVAC unit.  The convenience centers are also different, so you can use the new convenience center, or stick with the old one.  I stuck with the old one and just removed my remote dimmer since its built into the switch on the 91+ interiors.

Headlight connector wiring:
Cut the headlight connectors off both your old and new harnesses making sure to leave several inches of wire protruding with which to splice.  You can toss the old connector.
Splice the orange wire of the new harness into the orange/white wire of the old harness
Splice the white wire of the new harness into the white wire of the old harness
Splice the green wire of the new harness into the pink wire of the old harness
Splice the black wire of the new harness into the black wire of the old harness.
Splice the red wire of the new harness into the red wire of hte old harness
Splice the big yellow wire of the new harness into the yellow wire of the old harness
Splice the brown wire of hte new harness into the brown wire of the old harness.

NOTE:  The gray wire in the old harness isnt used.  The small yellow wire in the new harness leads to the foglight wires in the GTZ's.  Your new harness may or may not have the small yellow wire.  To add your own foglights controlled by the GTZ foglight switch (if you have it) you can run the small yellow wire to your foglight relay.  The red/white wire you'll have in the new harness if your donor car is canadian goes to the DRL module.  The spare big yellow wire in the new harness also goes to the DRL module.  Test everything before wrapping it all up nice and pretty with electrical tape.

WIPER/DEFROST connector wiring!
Cut the big connectors off both of the harnesses the same way you did the headlight connectors making sure to leave room to splice.  Toss the old connector.
Splice the red wire and the brown wire off the new harness into the pink wire of the old harness
Splice the white wire of the new harness into the white wire of the old harness
Splice the green wire of the new harness (might be green/white) into the green/white wire of the old harness
Splice the purple wire of the new harness into the purple wire of the old harness
Splice the big gray wire of the new harness into the big gray wire on the old harness
Splice the small gray wire of the new harness into the small gray wire of hte old harness
Splice the black wire of the new harness into the black wire of the old harness
Remove the metal rear defogger timing relay from beside the right side of your steering column.  DONT CUT THE WIRES, JUST DISCONNECT THE CONNECTOR.  You dont need this relay as the timing circuit is built into your new defogger switch.  Cut off all the small connectors at the wiper/defogger switch the same way you cut off the others.  Toss the old connector again.
Cap the black wire and the blue wire, you wont need them.
You can completely cut off the defroster timer now and run the orange/black wire straight up to the defroster switches little connector and splice it into the orange/black wire of the new connector
Splice the purple/white wire of teh new harness into the purple/white wire of the old harness at the wiper defroster switch, NOT AT THE RELAY)
Splice the pink/black wire of the new harness into the pink/black wire of the old harness at the switch and NOT THE RELAY.

RADIO CONNECTOR WIRING
If you have an aftermarket deck you wont have to touch the radio wiring obviously.  If you dont, heres the plan.

With the exception of the black wire in pin C5 of the bigger connector on the new harness (cut it and leave plenty of room to splice), you dont have to cut any other wires for the radio connectors.  You'll be able to remove them with a paperclip.  You do however have to use the 91+ radio connector as its different from the previous years.
Pop pins 1 ,2, 3, 4, 6, 9 & 10 out of the big connector of the old harness and install them in slots C1, C2, C3, C4, C6, C9, C10 of the big connector on the new harness.
Pop pin 5 out of the big connector on the old harness and install it into slot B1 of the small connector of the new harness.
Now take the wire you cut (pin C5 of the new connector) and splice it into the black wire you installed in the previous step.
Pop Pin 7 out of the big connector of the old harness and install it in cavity B4 of the small connector of the new harness.
Pop pins 17, 18, 19 and 20 out of the small connector of the old harness and install them in slots C17, C18, C19 and C20 of the big connector on the new harness.
Once again test everything inside the car with the dash OUT to make sure it works.

If everything works fine, then your ready to put the 91+ dash IN the car.  Now heres the problem.......the wiring is a PITA to try to route behind the dash with it in the car.  Its easier to remove the entire dash harness.  SO, pop the hood and look on the front drivers side of the firewall.  See the giant two connectors leading inside?  Theres a 1/4" bolt right in the middle that hopefully isnt buried under a crapload of sealant.  If it is, start digging.  Once you loosen that bolt those two connectors will pop off with some pursuasion.
You'll also notice two nuts on either side of the connector.  GENTLY and SLOWLY loosen those nuts.  Spray them with some rust breaker or WD40 or whatever first so they dont just spin.  If they start spinning and not coming off, then you'll need to find the proper sized hex key and hold that on the inside of the car in the bolt while somebody turns from the outside, its not fun.  Anyways, once you get those two nuts off and remove a few other misc connectors inside you'll be able to remove the entire dash harness from the vehicle.  Take it inside or wherever you have your 91+ dash and lay it on the backside of the dash and feed all the connectors (wrapped up all pretty with electrical tape etc) through the proper holes and grab your venting.  Bolt the vents on the back of the dash with the wiring harness between the dash and the vents much the way the wiring was STOCK on the 91+ dash when you removed it at the JY (it was hell, remember?).  Once its all in there and the vents are bolted on with all those stupid little 7/32's (or 5.5mm for the canadians) bolts your ready to install it.
You'll probably need two people.  Doing it by yourself isnt fun, trust me.
Position the dash inside the vehicle and proceed to mount it up the same way you removed it from the 91+ vehicle.  Theres those two 10mm nuts by the kickpanels, the 4 screws up by the defroster vent, the one bracket bolt by the glovebox (or two 10mm bolts if you removed the other end of it) and thats about it.  Im sure I forgot a bolt or two, but you'll figure it out.
Then just proceed with connecting the harness to the engine harness through the firewall and the two fusebox wires you had to unplug to get the harness out.  Hook it all back up and you should be good to go.
Im sure I forgot a few things and MAY have gotten one or two wires mixed up (nobody is perfect).
Anyone with more questions can contact me privately at lezarch@hotmail.com or through this message board.  I have pictures, but Im not going to post them in this thread due to the fact that its already too long.  Email me or AIM me and I'll send you as many pics as I can find of my swap.
Have fun with your 91+ dash  It looks SO much better...and now you can use the 91+ doorpanels after a few mods (thats another thread, another day).


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How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Guest »

Chris, just a note, the 91+ dash cluster harness clip is different from the 1990 and down. I believe on the 91+ the larger clip is on the reverse side of the 1990's larger clip and the 1991+ actually uses a smaller clip reverse of the large clip. The clips are part of the connector that plugs into the back of the dash cluster. Just wanted to say that you will need a 1991+ dash cluster clip (the one that takes all the wiring ends into it).

-Steve


Chris88CL
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How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Chris88CL »

Mine wasnt.  I used my 89 cluster harness clip on the 91 cluster and it worked fine.  I'll take pics even ;)  I still have a 93 GTZ harness sitting upstairs.


Guest

How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Guest »

Quote (Chris88CL @ Dec. 27 2002,4:55)Mine wasnt.  I used my 89 cluster harness clip on the 91 cluster and it worked fine.  I'll take pics even ;)  I still have a 93 GTZ harness sitting upstairs.
Chris, I don't know why mine didn't work. Hmm, maybe it does work just needed some finangling? Argh, I can't remember. It's been so long. I'm going on your word, since you've been recently working on your conversion.

-Steve


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89GTZ
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Joined: Tue May 01, 2001 12:50 pm
Location: Northern IL

How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by 89GTZ »

Thanks to both of you guys for all your help so far, I should be able to add the digital to analog stuff too.


89GT(Z)
15.904@85.15 - many years ago
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How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Guest »

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when you remove the remote dimmer, don't you have to splice the pink and green wires together there? Or run the green wire from the remote dimmer to splice into the new green wire (which can be accomplished by connecting the pink to the green at the old remote dimmer)





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How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Guest »

How Soon can you get the harnesses together I have a 90 base model? swapping whole interior out of a 94 base?


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89GTZ
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Location: Northern IL

How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by 89GTZ »

Quote (89GTZ @ Dec. 27 2002,13:03)Thanks to both of you guys for all your help so far, I should be able to add the digital to analog stuff too.
My advice for digital dash people is to keep the old interior and digital dash.  


89GT(Z)
15.904@85.15 - many years ago
Chris88CL
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How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Chris88CL »

haha.  Thats my advice for anyone.  Period. Once your done you can sit back and say it was worth it, but most people probably wont think it is until its finished


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How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Guest »

Is this for the digital only. I had a 1994 Z26 display and just pulled that out and put it in my 1995 Beretta. The only thing I had to change was the oil pressure senser. Easy job but if it is digital then I have no idea.


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89GTZ
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How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by 89GTZ »

Quote (Luckymc420 @ Nov. 30 2003,18:28)Is this for the digital only. I had a 1994 Z26 display and just pulled that out and put it in my 1995 Beretta. The only thing I had to change was the oil pressure senser. Easy job but if it is digital then I have no idea.
This is not a cluster swap.  This is a complete dash swap from the old style to new style interior.


89GT(Z)
15.904@85.15 - many years ago
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How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Guest »

Oh well dont i feel like a horse's ###


Guest

How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Guest »

Quote (Chris88CL @ Dec. 26 2002,19:18)Headlight connector wiring:
Cut the headlight connectors off both your old and new harnesses making sure to leave several inches of wire protruding with which to splice.  You can toss the old connector.
Splice the orange wire of the new harness into the orange/white wire of the old harness
Splice the white wire of the new harness into the white wire of the old harness
Splice the green wire of the new harness into the pink wire of the old harness
Splice the black wire of the new harness into the black wire of the old harness.
Splice the red wire of the new harness into the red wire of hte old harness
Splice the big yellow wire of the new harness into the yellow wire of the old harness
Splice the brown wire of hte new harness into the brown wire of the old harness.

NOTE:  The gray wire in the old harness isnt used.  The small yellow wire in the new harness leads to the foglight wires in the GTZ's.  Your new harness may or may not have the small yellow wire.  To add your own foglights controlled by the GTZ foglight switch (if you have it) you can run the small yellow wire to your foglight relay.  The red/white wire you'll have in the new harness if your donor car is canadian goes to the DRL module.  The spare big yellow wire in the new harness also goes to the DRL module.  Test everything before wrapping it all up nice and pretty with electrical tape.
Ok after looking through that I have 2 yellow wires left and the red with the white stripe.  Now since my car is not canadian do I completely disregard the red/white wire?  Also the 2 yellow ones do they both run to the fog lights?


Chris88CL
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How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Chris88CL »

What car are you working on?


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How to upgrade to a 91+ dash

Post by Guest »

Quote (Chris88CL @ Jan. 12 2004,08:14)What car are you working on?
I have a 96 base and I'm trying to add the headlight switch with the foglight button.


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