Swapping over my Instrument cluster - HDJ81

[Dances with Chimps]

Hi All,

I have a 1993 4.2 12V HDJ81 and just recently the speedometer and odeometer stopped working. On taking it out I noted some corrosion on the back electronic panel and it had evidentally burnt out. I tried to clean it up and by pass the circuit that had sustained damage but no joy. So looking online I found another on ebay from an HD80 basically same vehicle same year. However the new cluster is in miles rather than KMs. I am happy to swap this over to miles BUT do I need to add some kind of converter or will it work just by wiring it in? Has anyone else on here perfomred this? Any advice would be great thanks in advance.

 

[StarCruiser]

I believe there are all sorts of different types. You can always change the front plate over.
Mine has a little gearbox fitted to officially convert the Kmh to MPH between the sensor and the gearbox. Have you checked this sensor is working correctly? You may find your new speedo works correctly as I believe the sensor is the same whether your speedo reads in kmh or Mph.

 

[karl webster]

i thought i had read somewhere that this carnt be done? i may be wrong.

 

[StarCruiser]

i thought i had read somewhere that this carnt be done? i may be wrong.

You could be right Karl, I believe there are a lot of variations. I couldn’t remember if some worked and some didn’t. As the OP has already got the unit it’s just worth a try as long as the sensor is working ok which I suspect could be the problem.

 

[chapel gate]

It is worth trying. We had a toyota surf that had been converted to mph, the 'calibration' was achieved by the digits being spaced different, it showed 160mph.
its worth noting that the separate components of the cluster can be replaced individual.

 

[AndycruiserguyLomas]

Hi All,

I have a 1993 4.2 12V HDJ81 and just recently the speedometer and odeometer stopped working. On taking it out I noted some corrosion on the back electronic panel and it had evidentally burnt out. I tried to clean it up and by pass the circuit that had sustained damage but no joy. So looking online I found another on ebay from an HD80 basically same vehicle same year. However the new cluster is in miles rather than KMs. I am happy to swap this over to miles BUT do I need to add some kind of converter or will it work just by wiring it in? Has anyone else on here perfomred this? Any advice would be great thanks in advance.

Is yours a JDM import?

 

[StarCruiser]

Also have you checked all the 4 screws are present in the back as these make the electrical contact as well as holding the thing.

 

[Dances with Chimps]

Hey all, thanks for the replies, it looks to me like it will be harder than I first thought. Oh well, the cluster only cost £35 on eBay, I didn't inadvertently buy it from you did I Karl? When it gets here Ill swap it over and see what it does. The unfortunate things is that without a working speedo I very much doubt it will pass an MOT. I'm surprised they allow one in KMs tbh. Its defo the speedo circuit board as we`ve checked the wiring from the senor near the gear box all the way up and that's fine, the circuitry is obviously corroded on the speedo though.

A word to the wise and for all of you wondering, the cause of its demise seems to have been a leaky sunroof. Which, overtime caused water build up and condensation get behind the console and corrode some of the electrics. This was one of the first things I fixed when I bought her a little over 18 months ago.

Yes a Andy this is a jap import. Rust is usually something I don't need to worry about.

 

[Dances with Chimps]

Also have you checked all the 4 screws are present in the back as these make the electrical contact as well as holding the thing.

Yes 4 screws are in situ,

 

[Dances with Chimps]

I believe there are all sorts of different types. You can always change the front plate over.
Mine has a little gearbox fitted to officially convert the Kmh to MPH between the sensor and the gearbox. Have you checked this sensor is working correctly? You may find your new speedo works correctly as I believe the sensor is the same whether your speedo reads in kmh or Mph.

Hey Star Cruiser, you are based near me, I'm in Brighton. Are you the guy that fits those nice rear windows, if so you showed me around them at the Stratford show last year.

 

[Dances with Chimps]

It is worth trying. We had a toyota surf that had been converted to mph, the 'calibration' was achieved by the digits being spaced different, it showed 160mph.
its worth noting that the separate components of the cluster can be replaced individual.

Yeah I was actually thinking of just swapping out the speedo and keeping the rest intact as mine is still in pretty good condition.

 

[fbnss]

The Speedo on my golf didn't work for years and it passed the mot every year. Only got it fixed when Mr plod told me off and gave me a producer. Got it fixed, turned up at an mot place to get it stamped and he said " how do I test that then?" I told him to drive it forwards and he stamped the slip.

 

[Dances with Chimps]

The Speedo on my golf didn't work for years and it passed the mot every year. Only got it fixed when Mr plod told me off and gave me a producer. Got it fixed, turned up at an mot place to get it stamped and he said " how do I test that then?" I told him to drive it forwards and he stamped the slip.

They are very hit unpredictable these MOT places, mine passed a few months back. The window wiper rubbers were hanging off, I have very bright LED lights all around and I'm sure the speedo wasn't working then. I at least expected a telling off!

 

[karl webster]

no it wasnt bought from me mate.

 

[StarCruiser]

Hey Star Cruiser, you are based near me, I'm in Brighton. Are you the guy that fits those nice rear windows, if so you showed me around them at the Stratford show last year.

Yep that’s me. Looks like you’re not far away then.

 

[StarCruiser]

I have a write up on here about fixing the breaks in the tracks. These aren’t particularly complex electronically. Your wiring is ok, what about the sender? I have a known working spare from an 81 if you want to try it sometime. Alternately swap yours to another 80/81 and see if it works. About 2-5 minutes to swap.