VR6 Clusters...

[The_Hawk]

I stumbled on this post about updating your lights, which had me interested not in the upgraded lights, but in the difference in OBDI vs OBDII clusters...

http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/campingart/jettatech/dashclustermod/index.htm

I my case I went from this:



to this:


If you look closely at the bulbs for the warning lights across the bottom, the new cluster does not have the second light socket... so does that mean the OLD one was an OBD II on the new an OBDI? More importantly does it matter? Also my old cluster was more flat faced where the new one "sticks out" more to fill the face... does anyone know what the difference is?

I also swapped the front housings which means I have the old template rather than the new one, so that fuel and airbag light on mine are *maybe* different between the two. (The main reason I swapped the front housing is so I could cover up the "auto" selection lights since I'm driving a manual).

Maybe I need to pull it all apart again and see what's what. Also is there any way to find out what computer I have without ripping it all apart? It's a 1/96 VR6 but seems have a few different parts on it so who knows what computer or cluster etc it has in it.


Lots of questions I know but any info or help is alaways appreciated.

[tommymac]

aha no wonder my mk2 with mk3 dash conversion wont allow this cluster to work there must be wiring issues at the Loom level, i know tho that both cluster are OBD 2

[peedman]

I thought only the US had obd1 and obd2 stuff.

[tommymac]

yer i dunno theres a differnece with fuel lights or something

[BlackVr6ix]

obd2 gauge cluster will work 100% with obd1 loom.
Australia only got OBD1 cars.

[The_Hawk]

I can't see what lights are what in the cluster in the car, but I'm pretty sure it has 2 x ABS lights because I remember thinking that was odd. When I next pull it out I will have to check.

As for the old one, it's the same as the OBDI except it has the ABS and airbag lights blacked out.

So similar to this one:


Also remember that the two cluster I have looked very different on the back:

Old:


New:


Notice the old has lots of capacitors, the new has more chips.

[99gti]

obd2 gauge cluster will work 100% with obd1 loom.
Australia only got OBD1 cars.

What does C3PO have to say about that?

[peedman]

Ive never seen the first two on the left or the third from the right (whatever that one is). I might have to look harder or perhaps there is a further difference between vr6 and cl/gl clusters besides the speedo and mileage stuff

[The_Hawk]

Right now I couldn't tell you wich ones flash up when you turn the car on, I know there is a couple, but....

Ive never seen the first two on the left or the third from the right (whatever that one is). I might have to look harder or perhaps there is a further difference between vr6 and cl/gl clusters besides the speedo and mileage stuff

If you mean the temp and seatbelt... well I've never seen the temp, but I have seen the seat belt qhwn you start the car.

As for that other one... not sure what it is but Bently's doesn't point it out. It does point out that the Airbag light and fuel light were added from 01/96 although from what I gather thats a OBDI vs OBDII thing, so maybe Australia got the updated cluster, but not the updated computer ??

[peedman]

Oh sorry no i meant the seatbelt and the trunk light. Ive seen the very first one thats low water level - if u unplug the sensor in ur coolant overflow it will light up. Prob just whack everything back in minus the plastic cover and see how it goes if u know what i mean.

[BlackVr6ix]

It does point out that the Airbag light and fuel light were added from 01/96 although from what I gather thats a OBDI vs OBDII thing, so maybe Australia got the updated cluster, but not the updated computer ??

Knowing our luck when it comes to that sort of thing i wouldn't be surprised....

[The_Hawk]

Knowing our luck when it comes to that sort of thing i wouldn't be surprised....

I suppose more amazing is that the OBDI was phased out elsewhere for what I have to assume is an upgrade to OBDII? Yet the older module was still manufactured for other (anyone besides Australia?) markets? Very wierd.

I was also reading the pinouts for the plugs at the back of the unit and can say that my unit doesn't have the wires for the fuel light... from memory there is only one wire to the second plug. If fact from reading the pin out most of those pins were never used for anything. If I had to guess I would say that maybe when this cluster is used in another VAG vehicle some of those other pins do something, although what's left leaves me wondering... It's just a lot of extra pins. Sure they could be there for "future upgrades" so they can then have new functions built into a new cluster while maintaining backwards compatabillity, but thats still an awful lot of spare pins.