good write up. looks nice. :thumbsup:
DIY 02-04 to 05-06 Cluster Swap
The following is a DIY instructions for swapping out your 02-04 cluster for a 05-06 cluster.
DISCLAIMER: Please do this at your own risk, i am not responsible for any damages that you may cause by doing this. Also, note that removing your cluster may result in a SRS light coming on.
first of all, your going to need the following items:
- rsx (of course!!)
- 05-06 cluster WITH PLUGS
![]()
- phillips head (+) long screw driver
- flat head (-) screwdriver
- wire stripper or scissors or pliers
- wire crimps or taps or soldering iron
- flashlight or worklight
time required: ~ 1-2 hours
1) first step is to open your hood and disconnect the negative (black) battery cable
(no pic)
note: if you dont feel confident in completing step 1, i highly recommend NOT continuing this DIY
2) Remove the under-dash fuse box cover by turning the clips.
![]()
3) Unscrew the 3 screws on the bottom of the steering column.
4) Carefully pry apart the top and bottom pieces of the steering column cover and remove.
Note: You will need to unlock the tilt-steering column thing in order for the bottom piece to slide off.
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5) Locate and remove the 2 screws that secure the cluster in place.
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6) Reach under the dash and gently push the cluster towards you. You may have to wiggle it out slowly. Try pulling the odometer reset button gently, but not too hard or else it will come out, but dont worry, you can just stick it back in if it comes out!
Note: You must have the steering wheel in the lowest position in order to have enough room to slide out the cluster.
7) Once the cluster is out, reach behind it and unplug the 2 plugs that go into the back of the cluster.
8) Now that you have your old 02-04 cluster out, you can start to cut & solder/tap your car's harness to the 05-06 cluster harness.
First, remove some of the conduit around the 2 Plugs to expose the wires. Then, what i did was cut each wire 1 by 1 and checked the pin position on the connector to make sure i was making the right connections. Most wires can just be color matched as they are the same color on the 02-04 and 05-06 . However, there are 2 wires that you should be careful with.
![]()
*Remember that if it says RED/BLK, it means RED wire with a BLK STRIPE . NOT BLK wire with RED STRIPE. So be very careful.
**Make sure you use heatshrink tubing or electrical tape around all your connections so they wont short out on one another!!.
a) On Connector B, there are 2 Black Wires G402 & G401 in Pins 17-18 on the 02-04 and Pins 15-16 on 05-06 . (Refer to connector diagram below). What i did was cut ONLY G401 on the 02-04 harness and then tapped it into the 05-06 harness, and then did the G402.
b) If your swapping a CDM cluster for a USDM cluster (like i did), you will see that the headlight wire on the CDM wire harness are a different color than the wire USDM harness. On Connector A, Pin 6, CDM wire harness uses a RED/GREEN wire for the headlights, while USDM uses RED/YELLOW. So basically, you would connect the RED/GREEN wire on your 02-04 CDM harness to the RED/YELLOW wire on the 05-06 USDM cluster.
***Take your time carefully color matching or pin matching the wires until your all done. There is very limited space so take extra care in the connections and make sure you dont short anything out. Then recheck all connections to make sure they are solid!!
![]()
9) After all connections have been made, get your 05-06 cluster and plug it in. Make sure both plugs are locked in. Then, open your hood and reconnect the Negative Terminal on your battery. Get back into your car, turn the key to the ACC/ON position II and verify that the cluster is working properly. Make sure all the lights work, signals, handbrake, etc. You can even go for a short drive to make sure that the Speedometer, Tach, engine temp gauges work. If something seems wrong, or something doesnt work properly, remove your key, disconnect the negative terminal on your battery, unplug the cluster and recheck all connections!!
10) If everything is in good working order, then remove the key, disconnect the negative terminal on the battery. Then slowly push your new 05-06 cluster back into its slot. Then secure it in place with the 2 screws under the dash (Step 5 above). Place the steering column cover back on with the 3 screws, then put the fuse box cover back on, reconnect the negative terminal of your battery, and you should be finished!!
![]()
After a few days, i would recommend removing the cluster and checking all your connections just to be on the safe side, it should only take you 15 minutes to do.
And there u go, my first DIY, hope this helps some of you who want to use a 05-06 cluster in your 02-04 . IMO it looks nicer that the 02-04 cluster and you have a higher redline aswell!!
DISCLAIMER: Please do this at your own risk, i am not responsible for any damages that you may cause by doing this. Also, note that removing your cluster may result in a SRS light coming on.
first of all, your going to need the following items:
- rsx (of course!!)
- 05-06 cluster WITH PLUGS
- phillips head (+) long screw driver
- flat head (-) screwdriver
- wire stripper or scissors or pliers
- wire crimps or taps or soldering iron
- flashlight or worklight
time required: ~ 1-2 hours
1) first step is to open your hood and disconnect the negative (black) battery cable
(no pic)
note: if you dont feel confident in completing step 1, i highly recommend NOT continuing this DIY
2) Remove the under-dash fuse box cover by turning the clips.
3) Unscrew the 3 screws on the bottom of the steering column.
4) Carefully pry apart the top and bottom pieces of the steering column cover and remove.
Note: You will need to unlock the tilt-steering column thing in order for the bottom piece to slide off.
5) Locate and remove the 2 screws that secure the cluster in place.
6) Reach under the dash and gently push the cluster towards you. You may have to wiggle it out slowly. Try pulling the odometer reset button gently, but not too hard or else it will come out, but dont worry, you can just stick it back in if it comes out!
Note: You must have the steering wheel in the lowest position in order to have enough room to slide out the cluster.
7) Once the cluster is out, reach behind it and unplug the 2 plugs that go into the back of the cluster.
8) Now that you have your old 02-04 cluster out, you can start to cut & solder/tap your car's harness to the 05-06 cluster harness.
First, remove some of the conduit around the 2 Plugs to expose the wires. Then, what i did was cut each wire 1 by 1 and checked the pin position on the connector to make sure i was making the right connections. Most wires can just be color matched as they are the same color on the 02-04 and 05-06 . However, there are 2 wires that you should be careful with.
*Remember that if it says RED/BLK, it means RED wire with a BLK STRIPE . NOT BLK wire with RED STRIPE. So be very careful.
**Make sure you use heatshrink tubing or electrical tape around all your connections so they wont short out on one another!!.
a) On Connector B, there are 2 Black Wires G402 & G401 in Pins 17-18 on the 02-04 and Pins 15-16 on 05-06 . (Refer to connector diagram below). What i did was cut ONLY G401 on the 02-04 harness and then tapped it into the 05-06 harness, and then did the G402.
b) If your swapping a CDM cluster for a USDM cluster (like i did), you will see that the headlight wire on the CDM wire harness are a different color than the wire USDM harness. On Connector A, Pin 6, CDM wire harness uses a RED/GREEN wire for the headlights, while USDM uses RED/YELLOW. So basically, you would connect the RED/GREEN wire on your 02-04 CDM harness to the RED/YELLOW wire on the 05-06 USDM cluster.
***Take your time carefully color matching or pin matching the wires until your all done. There is very limited space so take extra care in the connections and make sure you dont short anything out. Then recheck all connections to make sure they are solid!!
9) After all connections have been made, get your 05-06 cluster and plug it in. Make sure both plugs are locked in. Then, open your hood and reconnect the Negative Terminal on your battery. Get back into your car, turn the key to the ACC/ON position II and verify that the cluster is working properly. Make sure all the lights work, signals, handbrake, etc. You can even go for a short drive to make sure that the Speedometer, Tach, engine temp gauges work. If something seems wrong, or something doesnt work properly, remove your key, disconnect the negative terminal on your battery, unplug the cluster and recheck all connections!!
10) If everything is in good working order, then remove the key, disconnect the negative terminal on the battery. Then slowly push your new 05-06 cluster back into its slot. Then secure it in place with the 2 screws under the dash (Step 5 above). Place the steering column cover back on with the 3 screws, then put the fuse box cover back on, reconnect the negative terminal of your battery, and you should be finished!!
After a few days, i would recommend removing the cluster and checking all your connections just to be on the safe side, it should only take you 15 minutes to do.
And there u go, my first DIY, hope this helps some of you who want to use a 05-06 cluster in your 02-04 . IMO it looks nicer that the 02-04 cluster and you have a higher redline aswell!!
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