Cluster Project

[Shaw520]

Thank You Sasq,... If thats the case then I WONT do it,... I can monitor Trans Temp with my Torgue Pro App, either through my smart phone or on my Kenwood Head unit 6.1" display. When Im traveling or hauling I usually have one or the other on display.

 

[Rocket Man]

I heard it'***** or miss on plug and play; sometimes it just works and sometimes it has to be programmed but I believe the programming is in the BCM.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

I have done EXHAUSTIVE research on the trans temp add. NBS trucks through mid 04 appear to work by just adding the stepper motor (and obviously the face and needle). Halfway through 04, they start requiring the gauge to be "turned on " in the cluster program. Multiple shops /services can preform this, but everybody is very tight lipped about how it's done. At first I thought maybe a tech 2 could do it, but now I don't think it can. I have one guy near me that says if I bring him the cluster with the gauge added, he can 'turn it on with his factory scanner' I'm not so sure. I recently found one more gauge cluster guy /shop not too far away who advertises the service. I have yet to call on that one.

 

[iamdub]

I know the data stream changed in '03, somewhat went from analog to a Class 3 data bus. I got a cluster from an '02 Yukon Denali with the trans temp gauge and, once I made an adapter harness to make the different pin locations plug-and-play, all the gauges worked in my '02 S10 including the trans temp gauge.

Maybe this is why the newer ones require more involved steps.

 

[Tonyrodz]

I got an Esky cluster from an 04 and after having it rebuilt--with no programming done--everything worked fine in my 03, including the trans temp gauge.

 

[Shaw520]

Wow ! A lot of variables,... and because im 04',.. kinda makes it a crap shoot.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

I got an Esky cluster from an 04 and after having it rebuilt--with no programming done--everything worked fine in my 03, including the trans temp gauge.

But it had a trans temp gauge to begin with, right?

 

[Tonyrodz]

But it had a trans temp gauge to begin with, right?

The Esky cluster, yes. But not my Tahoe. All I did was plug it in and everything worked. Nothing to program.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

The Esky cluster, yes. But not my Tahoe. All I did was plug it in and everything worked. Nothing to program.

The programming is required in the cluster when adding the gauge where there wasn't one before.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Ok. Someone said up to a certain year it was plug and play. Then from a certain year the bcm might need to be programmed for it. Was just adding my personal experience.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

Here is what I have come up with in all my reading on NBS trans temp:

A cluster with the factory trans temp will work in any truck.

You can simply solder the motor into the cluster up until somewhere in 04, and it will work. (this is @Shaw520 's crap shoot)

Beginning sometime in 04, the gauge needs to be "turned on" if added to a cluster that didn't have it originally.

I think it's in the eprom chip. I know it's in the cluster because places like digital dash solutions can do it when you send them yours.

 

[ladorn45]

ScottyBoy would know this the best. From all the research I have done on this, simply adding a stepper motor will not work unless the unit is programmed. I ended up just getting a 2500hd gauge for like 80 bucks off ebay and continued to do the same thing your doing. Its plug and play and now i have extra gauge parts, But please keep posting photos cause i was thinking of doing the same thing with the 6mm chrome, but was not sure how nice it would come out.

 

[Shaw520]

Will do,... all parts are in except for the overlay,...so soon as that arrives i'll begin. Yes the chrome edging will be trial an error,...if its not coming out to my liking im will ex it.

 

[Sasquatch]

I figured i would throw up a picture of my cluster, I had it rebuilt with red needles and a silverado SS white overlay and love the way it looks.

 

[Shaw520]

Project started; The 6mm chrome looks good except I could find no way to make a clean ending at the seam,...so im nixing the idea for now,....and the YT vid I saw on how to do the pointer is different then my pointers,... they are orange through and through,...so I just painted them,.. will probably loose there transparency but we shall see,..if its bad I'll buy new blue pointers.

 

[Goodinblack]

View attachment 196565 View attachment 196566 I figured i would throw up a picture of my cluster, I had it rebuilt with red needles and a silverado SS white overlay and love the way it looks.

Looks awesome

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[HiHoeSilver]

View attachment 196565 View attachment 196566 I figured i would throw up a picture of my cluster, I had it rebuilt with red needles and a silverado SS white overlay and love the way it looks.

That's the overlay in my ebay cart, too.

 

[ladorn45]

The chrome actually looks better then I thought. If you cut the strip straight or do not go all the way and stop it maybe like a half inch or in before meeting i think it would look good.

 

[Shaw520]

The chrome actually looks better then I thought. If you cut the strip straight or do not go all the way and stop it maybe like a half inch or in before meeting i think it would look good.

Ah,! that a good idea may go like 220* and stop it,..and that would solve the problem on the others that are NOT complete circles! I'll try ending the chrome aprox where I penciled in the blue lines and see how that looks.

 

[ladorn45]

Yea thats how the 2003 - 2006 escalades do it so I cant take all the credit.