mk3 gauge cluster removal walkthru

[flotsam]

unfortunately, that won't work if they scan the car.
obd2 will report the fault and you will still fail the inspection.

your best bet is to try to find someone or a shop who has a diagnostic scanner and can clear the fault code for you.

good luck to you though. i always hated smog tests in los angeles, but now that i live in washington, no inspections!

In Maryland the inspections are done by service stations & its a one time thing. But I don't now that they use scanners as part of their test. I thought it was mostly safety inspections (ie . brakes etc) Its been so long since i did one of these I can't say what will happen.

Now emission tests are every two years now and they do connect a scan tool to the OBDII connector. Now that is for emissions so i don't know what they would do if they encountered an airbag fault.

Come to think of it i am sure the emissions folks (and probably the mechanic doing the inspection) wouldn't even see it if they hooked up a scanner since I doubt they have a VW specific scanner. (my current problem!)

I am going to disconnect the bulb! nothing to lose

[VR6 NRG]

this helped a lot

just popped mine out in less than 5 mins. going to swap in another cluster to see if it fixes the P1613 code i have.

[Cmethvin]

Gotta say, after using this walkthrough, I've become quite the champ @ dismantling, and putting it back together again! Thanks!

[AnthonyLawson]

Got to the bottom of the 2nd page and became impatient...what if you have one of those old car problems...where if you hit the dash hard a few times the cluster lights come on...hit it too hard and the lights go off and the speedometer drops and dies...hit it again...speedometer is fine but the lights don't work....

[AnthonyLawson]

Got to the bottom of the 2nd page and became impatient...what if you have one of those old car problems...where if you hit the dash hard a few times the cluster lights come on...hit it too hard and the lights go off and the speedometer drops and dies...hit it again...speedometer is fine but the lights don't work....

Actually figured this one out myself...the lights on the cluster are in a circuit...one gets loose, knocks the others out...

[etsd311]

Actually figured this one out myself...the lights on the cluster are in a circuit...one gets loose, knocks the others out...

Oy! Sorry, totally didn't see your first post from February.
Glad you were able to figure it out!

[Patl]

So my tach works on my car but the speedo works here and there. Recently the gauges have started to stop working and then start working while I'm driving and there seems to be a loss of short loss of power. I'm assuming this would not have anything to do with the gauge cluster and more the wiring harness? I'm driving a 96 jetta. Any thoughts on what it could be. Thanks

[etsd311]

I'd check the speed sensor in the transmission.
They go out every once in a while.

http://tinyurl.com/6t5okbb

[Patl]

I changed that sensor already. Nothing changed

[kalaURU]

doing it later..

[jaykicks]

after I get the cluster out, how do I access the lights on the bottom where the check engine light is? I want to remove it for now

[deletedo1m]

You will see them at the bottom on the back of the cluster. Just spin them a bit and they pull out.

[OrgYetta]

great thread, ttt

[afrobeast]

Great walkthrough! Only question I have is if you buy a used cluster on eBay does it matter? Are there anymore steps that need to be added? And will my mileage still stay the same or will it be that of the new cluster?

[etsd311]

no new steps.
just follow the walkthru.

as for the mileage...
unfortunately, it will indicate however many miles were driven on the previous engine it was attached to.

i've read there's some software you can purchase called "vag tacho" that will let you change the cluster mileage to whatever you'd like.
not cheap, but if you'd like it to match what you've got, might be worth it.

[OrgYetta]

Where can I find diff colors, instead of green? I saw a thread of a guy selling a bunch of colors , but he hasn't replaced back n it's been weeks... I know how to hange them Bit need the strips

[etsd311]

you can make your own. just call your local art supply store and ask if they have coloured vellum paper.

trace out the green strip out of your gauge cluster and cut the new colour to fit.

boom! whatever colour you want.

btw, remember the bulbs shine yellow/orange, so adjust your colours accordingly.

[SkiRaceRide17]

Does anyone know the name of the bulb that illuminates the instument cluster. Went through this tutorial to replace one of those bulbs. Much appreicated!

[etsd311]

can't, for the life of me, figure out the actual bulb number.

however!

here are the replacements you can buy on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VW-VOLKSWAGE...-/290616038643


you can also change the color of the light as it shines through a green diffuser.
with the green diffuser removed, your gauge cluster will shine a slight amber (which i prefer).

[etsd311]

wrong thread, my friend!

try the new beetle forum for some help on your interest...
http://forums.vwvortex.com/forumdisp...le-Convertible

[SkiRaceRide17]

Yeah that looks really good. I think I might just take the green strip out and replace the two lights with two new green LED lights. Brighter and I am a bit of a freak about keeping everything the same color.

[glyph]

My Mk3 golf has a dead cluster. Is it possible for me to buy a used working one, and to simply replace it using the instructions in this post? Is it that simple?

[SkiRaceRide17]

It is the only thing is that it wont show the correct mileage. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but it will show the mileage of the car the instrument panel was in last.

[glyph]

I see. How can I find out if that's 100% the case? If it is, is there some way for me to change the mileage on the new cluster so it matches my actual mileage?

[SkiRaceRide17]

Mk3 clusters aren't programmable at least 2.0 clusters. But you can swap them out

[glyph]

I see. So worst case I could get a cluster with similar mileage on it. But essentially it's just plug and play? I don't need to change anything else with the car?

I'm not much of a mechanic, but I'm good with tinkering, so a straight replacement sounds fine - I just don't want to find out I was meant to do a bunch of other things for the cluster to be installed properly.

[SkiRaceRide17]

Yeah take this walk through and then reverse it when you get the new one

[vdubbros]

Hello I am new and wanted to say thanks for the info. I have a cluster that the speedo and tach are dead. the trans was done at a shop and these gauges were working. I tested the vss(G22) with a multimeter and it checked out. I have to check the engine sensor for the tach. The temp gauge works and fuel gauge as dead before it went there. I found a very cheap cluster and I am going to pick it up this week. I did the reset the tcm using the accelerator down and it worked. Now the trans shifts and downshifts correctly. Stupid mechanic!!!! Thanks again for the info. Ken

[etsd311]

glad to hear it all worked out.

[vdubbros]

glad to hear it all worked out.

Thanks ets311. My name is Ken. Nice to meet you and everyone.