Cluster swap in a '90 hatch

I've read all over that you can swap the instrument clusters from one car to another as long as you stay within the same body years. My hatch doesn't have a tach, so for my birthday my wife bought me a cluster from a local guy that does have the tach. As I was taking mine out, I noticed it has an extra little box with a blue plug that the other cluster doesn't have. Long story short, I went ahead and attached the two plugs and turned the car on to see if it worked. The only thing that worked was the battery light and the speedo. After an hour of googling answers, someone mentioned that they had to re-pin the plugs. Ideas? And what is the extra piece on the back of. One? I searched the forums here but I didn't really find a good answer...

Edit: I found that the extra plug with the blue connector is for the seatbelt warning so I'm not too concerned with it... I found on another site a repin diagram so I may try that first. The guy I got the new cluster from said it's out of an '89 SI and mine is a 90
 
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I did manage to get mine repinned to the 89 cluster and it works great. I'll put something together and post the repin schematics later
 


Mr.Baker

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'89 cluster will not physically fit in the 90-91 Civic, they're shaped differently as well as wired differently.
For it to be plug n play, you need a cluster from a 90-91 Civic or Crx.

I did a small info thread here, it applies specifically to the Crx, but will apply to the Civic too.
http://crxcommunity.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6216
 
Mine "fit" with no issues other than having to use the 89 bonnet as well as using the mounting brackets from the 89.
Bad part is after I got everything wired up and working, I realized that the temp gauge and the fuel gauge didn't work. After inspecting the cluster, there's a small "burn" mark on the copper ribbon that goes from the switched power lead to these gauges. Is it possible to repair this possibly? If not, guess I need to find another cluster... anyone got a spare for sale ;)

Also, since I have the re-pin schematics, where would be a good place to post those to?
 


Mr.Baker

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Mine "fit" with no issues other than having to use the 89 bonnet as well as using the mounting brackets from the 89.
I realize you can make it fit, but it's not plug n play.

It's too bad that the cluster is smoked and you went through the trouble & repinnned it, I would have sold the 88/89 cluster and gotten a 90-91
Would have saved you some work.
 
I realize you can make it fit, but it's not plug n play.

It's too bad that the cluster is smoked and you went through the trouble & repinnned it, I would have sold the 88/89 cluster and gotten a 90-91
Would have saved you some work.

Gotcha. Yea, definitely not plug and play but easy enough to repin once I figured it out. Problem is that I can't find a 90-91 that's anywhere close or at the price I got this one. I only paid $40 and the guy was super cool about giving me my money back. So now I am trying to hunt down another one with in a reasonable amount of what I paid for this one. I can find them by the dozens for the automatic trans but nothing in the standards...
 

Mr.Baker

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I only paid $40 and the guy was super cool about giving me my money back. So now I am trying to hunt down another one with in a reasonable amount of what I paid for this one. .
I looked on eBay, I didn't realize they were pulling that sort of money, upwards of $60 plus shipping.
 


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