camaro 22

I have a donor car from a 95z28 that i'm swapping everything into my 97 rs vert. I first found a cluster with 18k from a 98 z28, but couldn't get the gas gauge to work. So I then found a cluster from a 97 that works perfectly, however it has 20k more miles on the cluster than my actual car has. I only have 66k on my car and the cluster reads 86k miles. I know it sounds ****, but I don't want it reading higher miles than it actual is. Is it possible to take the digital odometer with the 18k miles on it i have, and put it in proper functioning cluster I have? Or even taking my v6 cluster I have with the proper milage and put that in? Any help is appriciated. TIA

Shawn

camaro 22

ttt

madwolf

I know it's possible to swap the analog odometers without any problems, but as far as digital ones, not sure. I know the dealership or some speedo places can program your cluster for the right amount of miles though. I guess the best way to find out is by taking the clusters appart and see if the odometer modules are removable.

93CamaroDude

I was going to swap out my cluster awhile back and the guy who was selling me the new one said it was possible with a few screws, but other than that I'm really not sure.

InjectedSS

Yes it's possible to swap out the regular analog odometer's that roll... Im sure you can do the digital ones too if you swapped the BCM or what not...

camaro 22

Could anyone tell me how to get into the cluster without breaking anything? Also, what is a BCM? Is that just another word for the digital odometer itself? Thanks again.

Shawn

camaro 22

ok, after reserching, BCM is a Body Control Module. Now, what is it? I'm guessing it's kinda like a pcm. What will this do for me by switching? Sorry if I sound stupid, just don't know too much in dept about cars, just the basics. Thanks

shoebox

It depends on what drives the digital odometer/speedometer. The actual odometer memory might be stored in the BCM or PCM or in the odometer, itself. I don't know. If your car was not equipped with a digital, it might not even work at all without the "other" proper items. I have a feeling that the odometer memory is stored in the pcm, since OBD-II can report miles elapsed since codes were last reset.
It may even be that you could swap the digital unit in and have to do nothing else if the pcm has all the info stored in it. I don't have any 1997 books to tell me.

magius231

how about swapping a working gas gauge into the cluster with the 18k speedo?

camaro 22

Thanks for all your help and ideas guys. I got it to work. I just took the gauges apart, and the odometer is basically a small lcd screen with a chip on it that just plugs into the circut board. By switching the 2 out, it worked. My cluster now reads 18k. I was thinking about also switching the fuel gauge out, however I heard that if you have a 97, then you can only use a 97, so i decided to keep it. Besides, when I had the 98 cluster in before, the low oil light was always on. Now when I put the 97 z cluster in, it's not there anymore. Who knows, i'm just happy that it worked. Thanks again.

Shawn

Camaro_Guru16NY

This isnt really about swapping parts but cant you program you car for a really low gearing with and all that will do is throw off your speedo and it will tell your odometer different and there for add less miles when driving. If you have a seperate speedometer and bypass the originals wireing then you would ber set and end up having lower than usual miles.

JUst I though,
-JOhn

madwolf

You can and it will "work", but I wouldn't say that driving with the speedo really off is a minor issue.

Camaro_Guru16NY

Ok it may not be a minor issue but if you do know how much it is off by you could drive it anyway and just compensate for the difference. But what about a aftermarket speedo, could you wire one in seperately and use it instead and be totally different than the stock one. Just curious.

Later,
-JOhn