90+ Lebaron digital dash

[phantomrt]

I am a bit confused on the tail lamp deal now. The '92+ GTC Lebaron has a turn signal lamp seperate from the brake lamps and running lamps. The Daytonas do not. The '92 LX's still had the old school nothing-but-red-lights in the rear like the Daytonas.

As you said, time to hit the wiring diagrams. Hard. I need to start training.

[ZoskalonMPI]

I'm sorry. I'm extremely confused now. Does the data bus change from 91 to 92 also apply to the ECU? Or can I use either year with my current ECU. TurboSOB said he changed to 93 BCM, did you also have to change ECU at all? Would I just have to swap my BCM with one from 91- (does it HAVE to be the EVIC bcm?).

How do I make this 90 digital cluster work in my 93 car? I'm sorry, but this is way out of my league :|

[phantomrt]

Yes, the data bus change applies to the body computer and engine computer, and all of the EVIC stuff that communicates on it. The factory alarm as well.

I am not sure, but I think your confusion lies in what the "data bus" is. The data bus is two wires that have digital data packets running along them. This digital data is what these modules (BCM, ECU, EVIC stuff) throughout the car use to talk to each other. 1990-1991 stuff speaks in english. 1992+ stuff speaks spanish. (example) They are two different languages, and therefore, will not be able to communicate to each other.

To sum it up, to get the 1990 digital guage cluster to work, you WILL need a 1990-1991 body computer and a 1990-1991 engine computer. It is not easy to get these 1990-1991 modules to work in a 1993 car due to various wiring differences between them. It can be done, but it is not for the faint of heart. It would be MUCH easier for you to find a 1992+ digital cluster. But even then, it takes some doing to get that to work as well.

One thing I am not too sure about is why the 2 button travelers work perfectly on anything from 1990-1995. The bus change does not affect these.

TurboSOB had to go to a 1992+ engine computer in his 1991 car because all his EVIC stuff and body computer was 1992+. Without communication to the ECU, those devices are boat anchors.

Don't worry. You are normal. Us electronic guru's have a tumor-like growth in our brains that allows us to understand this stuff.

[ZoskalonMPI]

Did the pre1990 digital dashes use the good old analog inputs? Would I be able to, for example, take out a digital dash out of a late 80s chrysler car and wire it into my car? If the old digital dashes are anything like the digital traveler I have, I would be able to take off the displays and wire them from the old dash to fit into a hollowed out 90+ Daytona dash.

Let me know.

[phantomrt]

Yes, the older digital stuff used analog inputs. They did not depend on other modules to give them the appropriate data. This is why the 1980's guys can very easily convert their G/J bodies to digital electronics. If you are extremely good at custom retrofitting, you should be able to get the 1980s cluster to work with the 1993 car. Just give it power, grounds, and the proper inputs, and away it goes.

A little trivia... just to get an idea of how extensively the data busses are used today... If you have a '98 Grand Cherokee for example, you will notice a slight delay between when you hit a power window switch and when the window actually starts moving. This is because when you push the passenger side window switch on the drivers' door, you are inputting into a drivers side power window module that communicates over the data bus to the passenger side power window module and tells it, "Hey, the driver wants you to roll down that window", so it does. The delay comes from the lag involved over the bus. There are numerous advantages to such a setup and it actually makes things simpler. The only disadvantage is that joe schmoe doesn't have any idea where to start to try fixing it. So, when a power window motor goes bad, the modules should be able to communicate an error code to the PCM to say "rear passenger side window motor is open or shorted".

[ZoskalonMPI]

Awesome, I'll try doing that then. I remembered seeing a digital dash in an old chrysler last week at the yard, I'll check that one out tomorrow. The only concern I have, is that I don't think all of the 80s dashes have the RPM on there. It'd look a little weird to have an analog RPM and the rest digital. But I'll see.

Any suggestions?

[EvilcowRoland]

The G/J bodies always had the tachometer in the digital dash. K cars did not, larger cars like the New Yorker did not, and I don't think the AA bodies had them either. I've never actually seen a factory P or H body with digital dash option, so I couldn't tell you about those.

Anyone know if the G body 84-86 digital dash is wired the same as the 87-89 G/J version? My 86 is in sad shape and I see the later versions all the time in LeBarons.

[ZoskalonMPI]

I took out a digital dash out of a 92 Imperial, it had the bus wires, and I was certain that it would work with my computer, but I didn't care so much for the look of it since it still had the analog looking gauges. Then I found a digital dash in a New Yorker I believe? It was 1989, had the cool looking bars for fuel level etc. BUT, it had just one connector and it had a black and white/black pair of wires twisting. I was like wtf, I thought the data bus crap started in 1990, but then I found on a site about a guy who installed a 1988 digital dash from a new yorker into his 92 car and he said that 1988 was the old year that didn't use the bus, so I'm assuming the new yorkers used the bus in 1989

BUT THEN, I find a 1987 LeBaron. It had power everthing, turbo I, leather, 12 button traveler, some systems check monitors, digital climate controls, and most importantly, a digital dash! Its the nicest one out there IMO (excluding the 90+ LeBaron dashes). It has the RPM on there and everthing else in bar form. I was wondering why someone already took it out and put it in the back, but then i found out it was to get the connectors. So I have the dash, but no connectors to get the color codes from

phantomrt, would you be able to send me the wiring diagram for the 87 dash and for my 93 Daytona? I'd really appreciate it.

Also, is this dash one of those that fades out after years of use? Let me know, and thanks for all the help so far all of you.

[EvilcowRoland]

I have not heard of or seen the 80's style dash "fading out". The solder connections on the boards were cheaply done so they tend to seperate over time and cause problems, but they are fixed fairly easily if you are any good at soldering.

[phantomrt]

Fades out after years of use.... hmm. Good question. I really do not know, but I would not worry about it. I can't say that I've seen an automotive LCD dim like that. My alarm clock is pretty ancient, and it still glows as bright as it did from day one.

I am very curious as to how the heck you will get one of these rectangular guage cluster to fit into a 1990+ G/J body dash. Obviously custom work, but its like a square peg in a round hole. With enough ambition, anything is possible. If it were me, I would wait it out until a 1993+ digital guage equipped J-body comes around, and pull EVERYTHING electronic out of it, including the entire in-car wiring harness. It should retrofit into a G-body quite well.

Yea, I can get you those diagrams. Just keep bugging me until I get them to ya. It is going to be a busy next couple days. I COULD do it now, but I just got done working 8.5 hrs, riding my bike 26.2 miles, driving 50 minutes home, about 1.5 hrs of work in getting the transmission back into the Daytona, and its past midnight and I gotta be up again at 5:45 tomorrow morning, so I'm pooped. I really don't care to move my butt right anywhere but from here, to the shower, and into bed. Stay tuned.

[ZoskalonMPI]

Alright man, take your time. I know how it is. I'm in no rush, I need to get myself a plain ol 90+ dash from the yard and start hammering in the digital dash to fit inside.

[Sneezer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phantomrt GTC's never came with the EVIC system, so I need a lamp outage module from a 1993+ EVIC equipped car blah blah blah blah. In 1992, only the GTCs had those updated tailights. In 1993+ they all had them. Just a little monday evening frustration for y'all.

The GTC in 92 did come with the EVIC as an option. I know because I have one. Even shows it on the window sticker, which I still have.

However my EVIC has since lost its display. Haven't had time to troubleshoot it. Still get the various warning dings though.