im going to the wreckers this Friday to get some parts for a number of cars, among them the magna's dash. my question is can the spedo part of the dash be removed and fitted to the 'new' dash so i keep the true km's. all the wreckers cars are over 350,000 and mines only done 210,000. also i need to keep it true for my learners log book so they dont begin to ask questions when all of a sudden its done 150,000 ks overnight.
thanks for you help
regards jay

ive done mine and also wound back the klms to others its a complex procedure to pull one apart so just take your time and figure it out

You could get a JP or someone that repairs car's instruments (I just can't recall the mob that did mine) to site the new ODO and sign for it in your log book.

im fairly good when it comes to pulling stuff apart and reassembling it. is the spedo its self independent to the circuitry or will i need to unsolder things to get it out? if its like the one i did in a Peugeot where all you did was un-screw the pcb and lift all that out of the way then unscrew the whole spedo and lift it out then place the new one in and re attach im happy to do that but if i need to disassemble the actual spedo unit i dont think ill go there.
as to paying someone to do it there is many more vital things to pay someone to do before the dash comes into it and because money is of the essence so its going to be a long time before that happens.
thanks again
regards jay

im prepared to swap the spedo of my dash to the new one but the one thing i wonder about is how to remove the taco needle without stuffing up the calibration of the unit because presumably even a slightly misaligned needle will cause quite a difference in speed. any tips? maybe i leave the spedo and tac on my dash and just swap all the printed circuits? is this possible? i know this sounds like allot of trouble to keep the thing true but i rang vic roads and they say that it would become a sticky matter if my log book is stuffed around and that i can get find allot of many, but without a fuel gauge i cant re registrar the car!
thanks
regards jay

On the TP dash
the taco is a seperate instrument doesnt need to be removed

each sender guage is seperate as well if faulty can be swapped out

you can swap out the speedo its a few screws after
the instument panel is seperated from the plastic face

The KM needle and RPM should be resting on the 0 yellow part
mark the positions before removing the needles

thanks for the info. are there any pics of the board disassembled? i had a quick look with the dash still in and it looks like you may be able to slip the whole unit out of the rectangular hole with the needle attached because im still scared of breaking it or something trying to remove it. is the needle a press fit or does it have a snap ring or screw? i suppose that i will have to remove all the fuel gauge and clock assembly anyway so seeing as its a separate unit i suppose i can leave my spedo in because i will already have the clock and fuel gauge out which are my real problem.
thanks allot for everyones help, its making the whole experience bearable!
is there any way to donate to the forum without a credit card or PayPal account because all i have is an atm card?
regards jay

the speedo and rpm pointers pull off and press on

there is a trick when pulling off the plastic cover

as it is held in firmly by plastic tags all have to be pushed
in all at the same time before removal or the tags break
or you could crack the plactic cover itself

when refitting you have to be sure you dont bend any of the pointers

all of the warning lamps on the bottom are on a printed circuit that flexes

the first gen instrument clusters
were supplied br Flexdrive australia Ltd
Important *
refitting the plastic black part
make sure the petrol and temp needles dont get caught up when pressing
panel parts back togeather

my TP panel has this information
part number AW318714 sticker is on the panel
the printed circuit part number 30287102


http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh59/magnabuff/instfront.jpg

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh59/magnabuff/instrear.jpg

once again thanks allot for all the help!
i will attempt to leave everything in my current dash accept the printed circuit board, fuel gauge and clock units.
anything to look out for on the one im pulling from the wreckers in particular? are the bulbs in the warning lights LED's or normal bulbs that i can test to make sure they work? ive had bad luck with a blown oil pressure light in my tractor before :( wasn't cheep anyway!
i will make sure to take some pictures of the thing apart and my process so maybe it will help others in the future
regards jay

the pictures didn't seem to upload when i first loaded the page but they are now!
so from what you say and the pictures it appears that the fuel and temp gauges are actually connected to the lower printed circuit along with the warning lights and they are lifted down with the warning assemble? that makes sense now!
from the pic it seems the bulbs are replaceable so that answers that question. is it normal for only about 3 light to come on when starting the car. all i get is the battery, oil and park brake light when the ignition is turned on were as most other cars have all the lights flash for a few secounds.
also i was reading my Gregory's manual and they say you need to remove the spedo cable from the transaxel first so you have room to pull the dash out. is this the case with you or is it possible to do it without removing it.
thanks
regards jay

yes go by the book and take it off at the gearbox
you need to make sure the inner cable mates in the instrument panel
on the way back in

the row of lights are held in with plastic clips
the lights hang off the printed circuit
after the clear plastic part is taken off

the fuel and temp are within the main housing

my xd ford had a label on the back that said (oh no not again)

i have just re read the manual and its not clear how to remove the cable. is the space to disconnect everything from the back of the dash with the cable still attached? or do you need to take it off the box side and slip slack up into the instrument panel?
as to the xd ford i hope i dont have to worry about these sort of things again too!
ow well its all experience!
thanks
regards jay

undo the cable at the gearbox by hand its a round thingy

the dash should just pop out it has a spring and a plastic keeper

ok so i went off to the wreckers and got all my parts today. the issue is that there seems to be two types of dash board. the one in there has a white printed circuit and one extra wiring connector than the one i got from the wreckers out of a carb sedan. it has a blue printed circuit board which i suppose must be how you tell them apart. i would assume that the extra connector has something to do with the EFI or computer seeing as thats the only difference between the car i pulled it from and my car. i dont know weather mine being a wagon and the one i pulled it from being a sedan would make a difference? one thing i did notice though was that the one i got from the sedan does not have a light for the rear de-mister on the indicator light display.

so anyway here is the procedure i used to pull the dash and re install it (use at your own discression as yours may be different ???!!!???)

TO REMOVE DASH:
1. remove plastic covers that resemble vents from both sides of indicator light display and remove single Phillips head screws from each side.
2. carefully pull black plastic hood away from clear cover. be aware there is clips at top that hold it in place so remove them carefully.
3.undo both broad head Philips head screws from each side of the dash unit. be careful not to drop them as its easily done.
4.VERY CAREFULLY ease dash unit forward. it is essential to take care for the first 4 inches to make sure that you dont rip the speedometer drive out and break it.
5. once you have got the unit out undo the wiring clips and withdraw the connector's slowly so you dont bend anything.

TO INSTALL DASH:
1. connect all wiring connector's making sure that the printed circuit board lines up with connectors.
2. coil up the wiring loom so it sits cleanly when reinstalled.
3. carefully place the dash so it is almost all the way in then line the screw holes up and slowly push the dash in so that the speedometer cable engages. this must be done carefully to avoid breaking the tip of the cable off. if you feel any resistance STOP and have make sure everything is in correctly otherwise you may end up with a broken speedometer cable (which costs a bit and is a pain)
4.tighten the top screws on each side of the dash and go for a short drive to make sure the cable is engaged before you install all the other screws and hood.
5. once you know everything is good replace the hood and screws.

these instructions are only intended as a guide to what i did. my Gregorys manual did not describe it in full detail so i though it would be beneficial to others in the future.

heres a pic indicating the plug that the dash from the wreckers doesn't have. its a thin black plastic one with something like 4 wires leading into it. it is a separate solid PCB its self that goes into the dash. maybe its for the taco or something?

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv115/jay_p_a/magnadash.jpg

that means you got a manual instument panel

that part is for the auto its the gear indication
drive park neutral etc

awww makes sense!
so if i cant find a unit out of an auto will it matter? or cam i just connect it up and omit that set of wires?
thanks allot!
regards jay

insulate the loom you dont connect with the right tape

Fit the manual instument panel and if all works ..ok then
if not then you have the option of pulling both dashes apart

and make one good one out of two

i installed the dash this morning and its all working well. im not sure weather the fuel gauge is all that accurate as it shows 1/2 a tank when there is no way that much petrol is in there. i pulled the old one apart and found that the fuel gauge has a loose terminal that was probably the cause of its trouble and the clock has some wires in it that look browned so i remove the whole clock unit and put the dash back together and i might try it one day to see if it works. but for anyone thats wondering there doesn't seem to be any issues with swapping a automatic dash for a manual one apart from loosing the indicator lights, but if you need lights to tell you what gear you are in then i thing there are other issues!
so anyway thanks for the help thus far
regards jay

another question quick question whats the fuel consumption of a wagon is around 8 km per liter inst it? the tank should be something around 50 isn't it? haven't filled it right up in years so wouldn't know. is there any other way of telling if the gauge is correct besides waiting till it gets to the empty line and seeing if you run out?
thanks
regards jay

sometimes the fuel can go 10/l per 100 km

the fuel guages on first gens are often faulty
due to age of the car
I have tried several tank units and not found a good one

I use the trip meter

we have been using the trip meter for the past 5 years and never ran out accept once when 25 liters was put in instead of 30 and the calculations were not differed. we have been working on 8km per liter and that seem to be spot on because at that rate you get 240km out of 30 liters. the only problem is here in Vic you need a gauge that appears to work for roadworthy. the only question i have left is there any difference between the spedo ratios between a manual and auto, because it seems to be going faster than 80 when it shows 80 but might only be my imagination and because im thinking about it.
thanks allot
regards jay

the gear ratios are different for auto and manual

that is controlled from the worm drive of the gearbox
not at the instrument panel
so the readings should be ok

fuel- I have a heavy foot :ninja:

ok so just an update on the dash.
well it works fine now, the mystery of the constantly blowing fuse seems to have diminished so all is good. the only issues are the car gained 116590ks in 5 minutes and i dont know weather to trust the fuel gauge too much. ow well its enough to get it through a road worthy and thats the main reason it was done.
the car its self is running better than ever after an oil chance, the new water pump, alternator (although those things have no real impact on the running of the car it makes me feel better driving it. i also cleaned the dissy rotor and cap up a bit and that made a difference. so the point is that i have managed to keep the car running cheap as chips and it seems to be going better than the days the mechanics use to service it. i think this is because it becomes preventative maintenance and fix on the fly type situations rather than twice a year services. \
thanks for you help
regards jay