swapping instrument clusters

[fraigan]

hey all!

i've got a '98 xc from canada (my wife's car) that i want to bring into the states so i need to swap out the instrument cluster from metric to standard to comply with regulations.

i found a '99 cluster at the bone yard but when i plug it into my '98 the odometer lights up with mileage but then goes to all dashes after ten seconds ------ . and the speedo doesn't work. and the tach doesn't work. i've been told in another forum that a '99 instrument cluster won't plug and play into a '98 but i'm wondering why? seriously, i'm wondering if it's the sensors located at the wheels, the ABS module, or something else that's fixable mechanically or perhaps through the obdII port.

any experience with swapping-out instrument clusters out there? any suggestions? your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

cheers!

[Ozark Lee]

Try to find a '98 cluster. It is my understanding that all of the software download nonsense started in '99 to marry parts to the car whereas the '98 should be plug and play.

I have very little experience with the S/V series cars so hopefully you will get a more definitive answer than mine.

...Lee

[jblackburn]

My understanding is that the 99 & 2000 models use a different ECU, which probably has different pin-outs to the instrument cluster, which is why it's confused. So while a 99 and 2000 cluster would be interchangeable, the 98 and 99 is not.

There's a guy over on Volvospeed parting out a 98 R that I've asked for a couple parts for mine, I believe he still has the instrument cluster. It's worth shooting him an email if you can get it for cheap.

[VCA]

Try to find a '98 cluster. It is my understanding that all of the software download nonsense started in '99 to marry parts to the car whereas the '98 should be plug and play.

I have very little experience with the S/V series cars so hopefully you will get a more definitive answer than mine.

...Lee

Worse, the cars are electrically different between '98 and '99. Different cluster board, different pinouts, different signaling (just as an example--the ECC uses 16x signaling from the cluster for vehicle speed on the '98s and 4x signaling on the '99-00s). '98s are pretty much 850s with a rounder body, the '99s are closer to S80s of the same vintage than anything else.

[fraigan]

thank you, all!

well shoot, these weren't the answers i was hoping for but they are the answers i expected - knowledgeable. through your collective responses i've now got the info required to get the job done: locating an instrument cluster specifically for a '98. until then, and if need be, the dial faces on the clusters and the light arrays are rigid and removable. and should i not be able to locate a '98 for replacement? peel and stick will get me over the line (so to speak). although doing this is less than perfect in more ways than one - for the kilometers on the odometer will forever be interpreted on the title as miles (much, much higher) and the needle on the speedometer will indicate i'm cruising much faster than i truly am - i'll have that peel and stick as backup when the date with destiny draws near.

until then, the search continues.
cheers!

-- b.

p.s. anybody ever remove a needle from a speedo display? since there's spring-tension resting the needle at zed, i'm wondering if the spindle is grooved to assure alignment.

[jblackburn]

http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index.ph ... n-98-v70r/

http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/volvo/141 ... r_awd.html

There's two for you to ask about.

the needle on the speedometer will indicate i'm cruising much faster than i truly am

I rode with my Canadian neighbor one time in a car he'd brought down with him, and I looked over and he was doing 120

[fraigan]

jablackburn I rode with my Canadian neighbor one time in a car he'd brought down with him, and I looked over and he was doing 120

haha! yeah, the car's been in the states for awhile now with a display that only tics and clicks in kilos, so i've got my routine already rehearsed should the event arise:

"son, do you know how fast you were going?"
"why yes, yes i do! -- 120, is there a problem officer?"

thanks for the links, i've inquired into both