Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

What part do you need exactly? I saw you posted for the wiring connector but I'm assuming you need something more?

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

If you're referring to the steering wheel, some of the terminals that are molded onto the steering wheel have broken off.

Scorpner

iTrader: (4)

Yes, I thought it might be something in the column.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I ordered a Grant 3-spoke 15" wood steering wheel w/horn button and a mount kit. Should open up the view of the cluster.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Finally, a clear view:




A bit retro, I suppose. A little more dish than I would like, but it still feels good, and doesn't block the cluster anymore.

peterc005

The gauges look very neat and probably easier to read than the factory ones.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

For sure the factory speedometer had more space between the MPH marks...

I haven't had it to the track yet, but for daily driving, it's very nice to have. Don't miss mounting the Garmin each time I get in at all.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Reading back through this, a couple of things to clear up:

Voltage - no readout. Warning only, which you can set the level. I'm a bit disappointed in that. If you want a volt meter, you need to set up a separate gauge.

Shift/tach warning - that's an output from the module for a shift light. No such function built into the cluster. Rats.

Dim - the brightness at night was too high, so I just lowered the basic setting. Still easy to read in daylight. If I happen to pull the cluster out for some reason, I'll connect the park lights to the DIM terminal so I'll have both day and night settings. One reason to pull it would be to hook up the VSS output to the SCV of the stereo.

Low fuel - it has an automatic low fuel function that kicks in at 10%, then counts down. Since my sender isn't accurate, it set the warning when I still had over 4 gallons left. I think I'll have a gallon of fuel with me and let it run dry to see where I need to worry. Or, after running it dry, I could use the custom calibration function at the fuel pump, telling it when the tank was empty, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full (after running it dry, going to the station with the gallon I'm carrying, then hitting the settings after putting in 4, 8, 12, and 16 gallons). Per their instructions, you would do this with the sender in your hand.

Senders - you have to use their oil pressure and engine temp senders. The cluster isn't compatible with those factory senders.

Metric - you can set the odometer display to read out in Km/hr. If you want a Km/hr speedometer needle, you could calibrate it to a Km instead of mile, but you'd be limited to 160 Km/hr. The odometer would also read out in Kms if you did that. Of course, the Km/hr function would then be useless, along with the 1/4 mile functions. They could make the face plates metric to solve the gauge readouts, but other functions would have to be reprogrammed within the cluster. There probably wouldn't be much of a market for metric calibration - can't hurt to ask, though.

Odometer - You can reset the odometer to whatever mileage you want within the first 100 miles. I didn't do that, as it was pretty much meaningless in my situation (and too late now).

Turn signal indicators - They have green lenses behind the factory bezel arrows (which you can see in the first photo I posted when I started this thread), but the actual indicators are small green arrows on either side of the speedometer needle. I'd rather have the factory arrows, as you have to look right at their little arrow lights as they blink (and the left arrow is slightly hidden behind the speedometer needle when you aren't moving). I thought the instructions gave some alternative way of wiring up the indicators, but going back through the instructions, I can't find what I thought I saw. Seems like it would have been easy enough to use the factory bezel arrows...

I think that covers all of the misstatements I made, and requests for information that hadn't been covered.

(Still wonder if blue would have been a better choice - match the stereo, and now the horn button...)

diablizzard

iTrader: (8)

did you extend the wires when you hooked them to the box, or were they long enough once you pulled the conduit back?

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

There were a few I had to extend. The tach and speedo signals come from the PCM in my case, so those wires had to be extended.

diablizzard

iTrader: (8)

I decided to do a more remote mounting and put the box under the underdash panel. I'm emailing dakota digital and asking about the optional plug that is on the back of the cluster. One manual says that it is an optional turn signal, and then references to the other manual that doesn't mention it. I'm hoping that the second connector runs the turn signals in the orgional placement. There are LEDs behind the green plastics. I will also be running the shift light, I just need to find a light that fits well in the cigarette lighter placement.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I was wondering about the turn signals as well. I prefer the original location, as the little arrows in the speedo are hard to see, and the left arrow is often covered by the speedo needle.

diablizzard

iTrader: (8)

Definitely same here, I figure that if they're available I might as well use them. I took a leap of faith and just hooked them up to the optional plug in. I didn't get a very good answer from dakota digital, and they haven't responded to my added question yet. It'll be a little bit before I find out if it was the right choice. I'm still putting my car together, and waiting for my A/C line to be finished being bent up. I'll get a new battery for it in a couple weeks and hook it up, and a lot of other priorities popped up.

diablizzard

iTrader: (8)

I received a solid good answer from Dakota Digital. I'll post the picture up when I get to my computer. He said that it didn't make it into the manual.

diablizzard

iTrader: (8)

SINGLE COMBINED TURN SIGNAL BOARD:

This system comes with the option to use two sets of turn signals in your dash: arrows located in the faceplate of your new VHX display, and arrows in your vehicle’s stock turn signal locations. To use the new faceplate arrows, follow the wiring instructions for the turn signals found in the main VHX manual.

To optionally use the stock turn signal arrows, do not wire the turn signals to the VHX control box. Instead, use the provided two-wire harness. The harness plugs directly into a connector on the back side of your new VHX system. Connect the wires from this harness to your turn signal circuits as shown below. Doing this will light green LED bulbs, located in the original locations of your dash panel, when turn signals are active. Make sure to check left and right to verify they were wired correctly.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I don't recall a 2-wire harness. Guess I'll have to look at the leftovers again.

diablizzard

iTrader: (8)

it's really itty-bitty. were there 2 connections on the back of your guages? If you don't have one, they'll probably send one to you with no problem. If they give you guff I have a second one. I fixed the pic that didn't show up. It works when you click on the picture when it shows up blank

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I saw the 2nd connector, but didn't have a clue how to use it.

Is the harness a twisted pair? I'll have to try to find the leftovers...

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Looked through the box (still had it with all of the leftovers from the project still in it, amazingly), and no such 2-wire harness.

Guess I'll try contacting them. Do you have a phone number or email address that would improve the chances of success?

diablizzard

iTrader: (8)

I was in contact with tim@dakotadigital.com in tech support. He pretty much offered new harnesses without asking. There shouldn't be any problems. On the contact page they have a little form to fill out and direct it to either the sales or tech department. I think it might be a sales department issue.

diablizzard

iTrader: (8)

I just looked at your first picture again, and you might still have the pigtail laying around. It's the bundle of predominantly white wires.

I found an LED to use for the shift light. It fits right in the cigarette lighter hole. It should be a low enough wattage to wire up with no relay.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Well, after not thinking about this for awhile, and finally sending an email to Tim at DD, who told me it was in the first picture I posted, I fished around in the garage a little more and found it with the removed senders. I thought I had put everything unused back in the original box - fail!

Not sure when I'll get to this, but it will be nice to have the more obvious indicators again.

diablizzard

iTrader: (8)

I would go nuts if I couldn't have the signals in the original spots. I still need to hook up the wire to the dim feed. That shift light works pretty good, but half the LEDs stopped working in it.

91z28 98ta

iTrader: (1)

I'm doing a ls1/t56 and was wondering about these gauges. If I use the ls1 tank can I use the ls1 sender in tank for the dakota gas gauge. Does the Speedo use the t56 vss signal and can be calibrated? But you say volt gauge does not work only has warning light?

If I buy a box to convert mechanical speedo and a different sender for gas gauge I'll have 4 or 500$ in that

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Yes, you can use any sender you want for the fuel level. Several different settings are available, or you can do a custom calibration, where you start on empty, then tell it when you're at 1/3, 2/3, and full (if I'm remembering correctly - the instructions available on their site tells how to do it). If the sender is anywhere close to linear, it'll read properly.

Unfortunately, the 3rd gen sending I'm using is funky, so it doesn't read properly when the tank gets below half, even with the custom calibration (didn't work properly with the stock fuel gauge, either). Can make for some "interesting" behavior... If I ever drop the tank, I'll replace the sender.

The speedometer/odometer can be custom calibrated as well. I'm using the PCM output for that - I've got the settings adjusted in the PCM for gears and tire diameter to calibrate it. You could use the VSS output, but you'd have to recalibrate the speedo if you changed tire size or gears (I have HP Tuners, so changing the settings in the PCM is very simple).

It would be nice to have a better voltage function. You can adjust the warning set point, but that's all. This past summer, my alternator went out on me, I didn't have any warning until it was too late.

Oh, I did hook up the turn signal indicators earlier this summer. Much better.

91z28 98ta

iTrader: (1)

Aahh yes the PC output ...yeh that would seem to be better than direct vss signal..thanks for the help

peterc005

I'm thinking of buying a red Dakota VHX cluster with the satin black face plate next month.

How has this unit been working for other people?

Are there any more photos?

bigals87z28

Requesting more pics as well.
This is quite a chunk of change, but this is the best option I've seen so far.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

You reuse your factory face plate. It doesn't come with one.

I don't have any other photos. Not sure what you're looking for.

bigals87z28

if no pictures, then I want to know more about why the voltmeter doesn't work? I was looking at a few videos on YouTube, and they were going through the menus on the information display. It gave a digital readout of voltage.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

They may have changed it since I got mine. I have no voltmeter readout. If it exists now, good for them.

Thomas Aquinas

iTrader: (14)

Sorry for bumping an old thread.

five7 - Thanks for the good info.

I'm considering using these gauges just to get rid of the cable driven speedo. I'm going to be switching to a T-56 with my LSx

Has anyone tried hooking up any of their Expansion Modules?

I'd like to hook up a boost and fuel pressure input. Seems straightforward from the instructions on their website. It sounds like those values get displayed on the two LCD's in the speedo & tach. is that right? Seeing if anyone had any experience.