Gauge Drives?
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,741
Likes: 3
Gauge Drives?
Does anyone know how the gauges are driven on the '05-07 SD's?
That is, are each of the gauges driven from a discreet sensor signal for each gauge? Does the cluster receive a digital signal for one or more from the PCM? Where the signal crosses the cluster is sort of irrelevant for now.
We've pretty well beaten to death the issue that the factory gauges are junk (a disturbing thought in a $40K truck), and, to give my mind something to do during long boring stretches of CA interstate, I'm wondering how difficult and/or possible it would be to build a gauge cluster to fit the factory housing. Has anyone done this in the past?
Say, with AutoMeter gauges, or other units, and adding in the pyro and a volts gauge (among others), that are mysteriously left out of the factory unit.
I've looked at the options for mounting gauges elsewhere, but most of the currently available bezels and the like don't work with the '07 cluster; the aftermarket gauges block the 2 that actually give useable information.
(For those that don't know, the '07 cluster has the aux gauges smaller and on on the outside, 2 on each side; with the larger, but same-sized tach and speedo in the center; versus the older style where the large speedo was in the center, with the tach smaller on the right, and the 4 aux gauges much smaller on the left.)
-blaine
That is, are each of the gauges driven from a discreet sensor signal for each gauge? Does the cluster receive a digital signal for one or more from the PCM? Where the signal crosses the cluster is sort of irrelevant for now.
We've pretty well beaten to death the issue that the factory gauges are junk (a disturbing thought in a $40K truck), and, to give my mind something to do during long boring stretches of CA interstate, I'm wondering how difficult and/or possible it would be to build a gauge cluster to fit the factory housing. Has anyone done this in the past?
Say, with AutoMeter gauges, or other units, and adding in the pyro and a volts gauge (among others), that are mysteriously left out of the factory unit.
I've looked at the options for mounting gauges elsewhere, but most of the currently available bezels and the like don't work with the '07 cluster; the aftermarket gauges block the 2 that actually give useable information.
(For those that don't know, the '07 cluster has the aux gauges smaller and on on the outside, 2 on each side; with the larger, but same-sized tach and speedo in the center; versus the older style where the large speedo was in the center, with the tach smaller on the right, and the 4 aux gauges much smaller on the left.)
-blaine
Last edited by Frankenbiker; May 6, 2007 at 01:52 AM.
Post Fiend
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 10,007
Likes: 4
From: Central Florida
You can try, but you better have degrees in electrical and computer engineering. Each sensor reports the ECM. The cluster, ECM, radio, and all other modules communicate with each other for the information they require. If you remove one of the components you will most likely have issues with the rest.
If your dead set on it, you would probably be best off hiding the cluster and making a new cluster.
If your dead set on it, you would probably be best off hiding the cluster and making a new cluster.
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 10,626
Likes: 7
From: Plano TX and Brentwood TN
I was going to do that exact thing, it is going to take a lot more time and money to do that then you probably would want to invest. There are 2 ways you can do it: 1. Hide the cluster up in the dash and then configure yourself a new one, you will have to disable the old fuel gauge when you put the new one in for sure or 2. You can do what everyone else does and do pillar pods, windshield pods etc and get the gauges that you want. I had wanted to do a custom cluster with the antique beige gauges(two big gauges, one speedo and the other a quad gauge(water, volt, oil, and fuel)) and then do the C2 gauges(egt, tranny, boost), instead I put them on the a pillar and on a windshield mount with the exception of the fuel, the others I did and in the style I mentioned. Our trucks are just to electrical intrigrated in order to do the custom cluster, I was bummed out, but that is how it goes.
