im going to be purchasing a 98-02 dash in the next couple of days, complete with radio, gauges, and i DID search (before anyone tells me to go searching) but i could not find any wiring for a vehicle with a carbureted motor.

can someone give me the wiring for 4th gen (98-02 not earlier) to my 86 trans am 350 carbed motor. will all the gauges work after i hook it up, and before i search if anyone wants to help and give me wiring for a 98-02 cd player into the dash.

thanks in advance, please help!

 

In my opinion the easiest way to do this is to use all Autometer guages and make or have someone make a custom guage faceplate to house the Autometer guages and fit in the location of the stock one. The radio and HVAC should wire up the same. So should the light switches and stuff.

 

yeah but thats not what i asked. everyone else is putting in a 4th gen dash with TPI n what not. im just not running a computer, i should be able to hook it up, i just want to know if anyone has a diagram for the wires from 4th going into 3rd gen.

 

I can't imagine it would be all that different. The HVAC, dimmer, fog and headlight switches should wire up very similarly (if not the same) and other than that, the only wiring is for the gauges. Seeing as how there would still be wires going to your gauges in your carbureted car, that's all you need. You'll be splicing the 4th gen gauge connector to the wires from your third gen gauge connectors, and that's it. All the wires are doing is sending a signal to turn on a light or a certain voltage that reflects, for example, fuel level from a sensor. Carbureted or not, the sensors probably work in the same way. The only part that will be tricky is getting the speedometer to work, since yours (I believe) is cable driven, although I may be mistaken.

It wouldn't make any sense to me for it to be different, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

i believe that on 1986 and newer model (firebirds) the speedometer became electrical. 85 and older are cable units, different than the camaro that didn't change till like 1990 or so. Carbed or fuel injected, as long as you haven't gone and changed any of your wiring behind your dash, and haven't removed your onboard computer (you probably have one even if you don't think you do) then you shouldn't have any problems wiring it up. Accessories will be as any other swap, guages as any other swap, etc...only difference is that your engine is controlled by a carb, but your service engine light should work just like it has previously.

Another Q....not sure if anyone fixed the 98+ fuel guage wiring? know it reads differently than the 93-97 setups, and basiclaly didn't work right w/ the later model guages. did anyone fix that, if not, that might be something for you to work out, besides that, should be a no-brainer.

 

well i havent changed any wiring at all but who knows what the previous owner did, the car used to be fuel injected, and now its carbureted since i bought it so i left it like that. i will be going under the dash sometime this week so, if anyone out there can reply to 85f-bird's question about the fuel gauge before i get into this it would be appreciated.

when i looked up information about this, i noticed mostly people are putting in 93-97 dashes, thats why i asked for wiring about 98-02, and diagrams would be great, i know this website has helped with me alot of things.

 

i'd say, if everything is working on the dash right now, as is, then you're fine. just gotta get things working for your 98+ unit. Also, i believe that the guages will interchange, so, you should be able to run the 98+ dash, along with 93-97 guage setup. which would allow you the flexibility of the new dash, but easy compatibility.
Sux that someone messed around w/ the car first, always nice to know that everythign is just as it was when the factory put it together, and thus, like it says it is in the books.

 

hmm so you think the 93-97 dash has the same wiring as the 98-02 dash?

id like to make sure before ****ing things up. lol.

 

no,

the instrument cluster and plug from a 93-97 unit could be used. When you do your swap, you'll be splicing into your cars wiring harness, and essnetially, re-wiring the car. So, instead of using the 98+ wiring for the guages, just use one from a 93-97, and clip it out of the bone yard. Don't think anyone will complain, and it'll still get things done just fine.

You'll end up splicing wires from the 4th gen harness onto your thirdgen harness for:

Headlights and Dimmer
Guages
Hatch release (if uve got one)
Radio
Console

You can leave the rest of your thirdgen-bundle intact, get manuals for each model car you're doing to compare wire colors on, and go. There shoudl be enough tech threads from there forward.

 

just beofre i noticed you wrote back i was going through threads, the guy i was talkin to had 5 or 6 complete 98-02 wrecked firebirds he said.

he wants 600$ Canadian for a full dash, gauges wiring dashboard.. maybe ill get the stereo, does this seem too high?

 

how's can. switch to USD? according to Ebay, most 98+ dashes ive found are roughly 300USD (least they were when i was looking. 97 and newer should be cheaper, as they're older, and often not in as good of shape....and they're not black like the later model dashes. A good price is basically how often you can find them in your area, and how much others are willing to pay. Plus, finding a dash where the airbags haven't blown up can be a chore, i've got two dashes now, 93-97 one in car, on in garage, both have good airbags, and the only reason i got the second one, was because it was the second dash i had found that hadn't had bags deployed, and that was after looking for several years.

Be sure those haven't deployed, if so, you'll be gluing them back down to get that stock look.

 

300$US is less then 400 canadian

dash/gauges/wiring/cd player/manual console is what im asking included for 500$ canadian.

the guy said he gets offers of 600$ CAN but seems kinda high to me.

he has 5 or 6 98-02 complete that were wrecked, some one or 2 are bound to have the air bags still intact

 

best of luck....you'd be amazed at how senesitive 4th gen airbags seems to be. Seen several vehicles at the yards that barely had front facia damage, but the bags were blown. Which is why it always seems that the good finds are hard to come by. Good luck, and happy hunting.

 

thanks, will post if i get the setup, and the progress.

 

i even checked www.ls1tech.com and they sent me here

does noone have the schematics for a 98-02 dash wiring