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View Full Version : How To: Install Electro Luminescent (EL) Gauges


rheakpl
11-14-2006, 07:36 PM
Here's a quick write-up for a 94-96 EL gauge cluster installation into a 92-93 Prelude (mine was a 93).

What you will need:

-The actual EL gauges and the silver invertor box
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rheakpl/car/CIMG0467.jpg

-Optional, the entire upper uncut dash harnesses from a car that had EL gauges (found in 94-96 models).
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rheakpl/car/harness.jpg

- 2-pin female connector (I cut one off from a motherboard computer fan)
- LOTS of wire (I bought red 12V wire from Wal-Mart)
- wire cutter/stripper
- Electrical tape
- Soldering Iron (optional, for security..)
- Solder (optional, for security..)

Option 1:

-You tear apart your dash and remove your stock dash harness and replace it with the hard to get dash harness from the car with the EL gauges. Done!

Option 2:

If you do not have the harness, you can splice and wire it all up yourself, taking a couple of hours (2-3 assuming you can follow this wiring diagram).
This is the pin/wire write-up that I used for the conversion. The numbers on the left are the pin # on the harness connectors (from left to right). The colors are the wires that you will need to attach to the corresponding pin #. The descriptions of most of the wires are also shown.


Harness H - (10-pin connector; I used the green 10-pin connector from my stock 93 dash harness that connected to the bottom left of the original gauge cluster)

1. Yellow -- power
2. Pink -- speedometer
3. Yellow -- power
4. Red/Black -- dimmer wire
5. Black -- ground
6. Orange
7. No wire
8. Light green (you need to splice the wire from the dash clock harness & run it to the pin) -- trip mileage memory
9. Red/black dots blinkers
10. No wire


Harness J - (5-pin connector found on most Honda power window connector harnesses, but since only two wires are needed to be connected, I used a 2-pin connector from a computer motherboard fan)

1. No wire
2. No wire
3. No wire
4. Green/yellow -- right blinker
5. Red/blue -- high beam


Harness M - (5-pin connector; I used the yellow 5-pin connector from my 93 stock dash harness that connected to the top of the original gauge cluster)

1. Blue/silver spots -- tachometer
2. Black -- ground
3. Red/yellow -- high beam
4. Green/blue -- left blinker
5. Blue -- SRS

When you're looking at the EL gauges from the back/top, there are 5 connector plugs (harness H, J, K, L, M from left to right). This is also a connector plug on the bottom left (when facing the front of the cluster), but you won't be attaching anything to it. Harness K and L are connected to the inverter so we won't be dealing with those harnesses.

(Note: Some of the pin holes on the connectors had some missing wires so I manually shoved a piece of wire into those missing wire pin holes. There as better ways of doing this such as removing pins (with wires) from an unused connector plug and connecting those to the corresponding spots that are missing pins.

1. Begin by removing the gauge cluster and the instrument panel (fuel/temp gauge) so you can have access to the dash wiring harness.

2. There are three connectors that plug into the original gauge cluster. (When facing front of gauges, ones on the bottom left, ones at the top and the 3rd connector is on the bottom right of the gauge cluster. Cut these 3 connectors off, making sure to leave about 3-4 inches of wiring on each plug. Out of these 3 plugs, you'll only be using the green 10-pin (pins are on one row) and the yellow 5-pin connector (pins are on one row). You won't need the other connector (it was a green connector that was connected to the bottom right part of the gauge cluster).

3. Take you're wire cutter/stripper and strip about 3/4 of an inch off the ends of each wire. Now take the wire (you bought from Wal-Mart) and solder about a 1 foot long piece to each wire on the dash harness then cover each solder connection with electrical tape.

4. Now connect the corresponding wire colors to their designated pins listed above. (Note: there are 3 yellow dash wires but you'll only need 2 so I just wrapped electrical tape around the extra yellow wire making sure the wire isn't exposed. This will be the same case with the black wires (3 dash wires but only 2 needed) so cover the extra black wire with electrical tape. Also, you have an extra wire (red) from the dash harness that’s not needed in the install so wrap that wire in electrical tape.

5. Finally, attach the 3 connector harnesses into the EL gauge cluster and then turn on your car to test to see if they work. The only problem that I, along with many others having is that the trip meter resets every time I start the car. In the wiring diagram (harness H, pin number 8) it says to attach “light green” wire to pin 8 on this harness which keeps stores the trip meter in memory. Well, I looked at the electrical diagram of from a 1993 Honda Prelude and it appears to be the “yellow/white” wire from the dash clock wiring harness is the wire that keeps the “time” in memory (constant 12v wire). I tried attaching this “yellow/white” wire (opposed to the “light green” wire the diagram mentioned) to pin 8 on harness H and still no luck. If anyone knows how to sold this problem or if anyone has the dash wiring diagram from the 94-96 Preludes (that includes which color wires go where), please post it here.

Wiring parts from HT- Jos3ph.
I also have an easier before and after view of the harnesses; might be easier..so I can post that if it's easier..

Thanks.
-Jen

Prelude13
11-14-2006, 09:37 PM
Excellent :tup:

Qnz92Lude
11-14-2006, 09:58 PM
ahhhh gotta luv a woman with a sick lude and she knows whats she talking about. Nice Job

na93prepre
01-23-2007, 01:23 PM
nice write up! So if I just get the upper dash harness it's PnP?

rheakpl
01-24-2007, 02:19 PM
well yes technically it should be plug and play...BUT youd have to take everythinggg out and re-plug in everything..

in the image you can see that the harness has liek 15+ plugs...not including the clips..erf..

JOSE_LUDE
04-30-2008, 10:24 PM
so if i connect H and it don’t turn on would that mean the cluster do not work??

Ok so ur saying to connect these wires ..
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa304/JP_LUDE/DSC03413.jpg

to these ones (the ones that where connected to the bottom left of the original consul)
as u can see that the wires are not the same colors ?.....
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa304/JP_LUDE/DSC03412.jpg

and i don't need to plug in anything on these one.....(The green bottom left)
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa304/JP_LUDE/DSC03415.jpg

hojemwod
05-01-2008, 09:32 AM
so if i connect H and it don’t turn on would that mean the cluster do not work??

and i don't need to plug in anything on these one.....(The green bottom left)
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa304/JP_LUDE/DSC03415.jpg

i would think that plug is there for a reason yea it has to be plugged in...you ought to get the EL guage wiring harness. if im wrong someone correct me

JOSE_LUDE
05-01-2008, 02:16 PM
NOp sorry i did not read the entire write -up at first it tell you u to cut all 3 harnesses and then just match all the wires(by color) :rolleyes: sorry i got it. and no shes right no plug goes in there.
took me 2 hours to do it 1 to figure it out and the 1 to actually do it :smile:
oh and my mileage meter do not reset to 00. and i didn't even wire the light green one to anything just cover it up.

Thank you
REAlly Nice write-UP

hojemwod
05-01-2008, 03:17 PM
interesting, glad you got it to work d00d

mizlude
05-02-2008, 02:57 AM
Im about to do this and I cant wait to take out the dash lol im replacing it at the same time btw.

hojemwod
05-02-2008, 07:05 AM
Im about to do this and I cant wait to take out the dash lol im replacing it at the same time btw.

the whole dash? whats wrong with the one you have lol

mizlude
05-04-2008, 10:42 PM
the whole dash? whats wrong with the one you have lol

the mounting points are broke(the very out side ones)

Ok I have an issue....if I use the 94-96dash harness will that get rid of the fog light switch plug (i have the tweeter cover one if you dont know) if so I think Im just going to hard wire this thing. let me know quick.

2.2Lude
05-05-2008, 12:16 AM
if it gets ride of the tweater one, doesn't have the switch for the center console?

mizlude
05-05-2008, 02:28 AM
the more I think about it the more I think its is separate. But I'll find out at like noon today lol.

rheakpl
05-05-2008, 10:49 AM
yes the 94-96 dash harness might not have the fog light harness at the same spot...
it would run to the center console but i dont remember anyone ever mentioning it being in a diff spot....
if its still at the tweeter then yay.

if not, yea like you said you can always hot wire it anywhere else...
or just extend the wires from the harness (wherever it is) back to the speaker if you want it there and not at the center console?

ChicagoRSX
05-05-2008, 09:48 PM
having replace one dash at work(albeit was for an odyssey) and knowing what kind of never ending pain in the ass that was, you people who are willing to do this at home are a special brand of psycotic...and I admire that.

hojemwod
05-05-2008, 10:00 PM
having replace one dash at work(albeit was for an odyssey) and knowing what kind of never ending pain in the ass that was, you people who are willing to do this at home are a special brand of psycotic...and I admire that.

agreed, i took a dash out, id never dream of putting one back in iy yi yi, a pain in the ass i would imagine

ChicagoRSX
05-05-2008, 10:27 PM
yeah, and I had to do it not once but twice.

mizlude
05-05-2008, 11:46 PM
Well I had to take apart the 92 dash harness to get the fog light stuff off and I didnt wire it in right (I know I didnt put one of the wires in the right pin...damit) so I'll be redoing it when I have some time. Oh and I'm having a issue with the turn signal lights on the dash, when I put on the blinker they both blink like the hazards are on but if I put the hazards on they dont blink at all.

2.2Lude
05-06-2008, 12:22 AM
Well I had to take apart the 92 dash harness to get the fog light stuff off and I didnt wire it in right (I know I didnt put one of the wires in the right pin...damit) so I'll be redoing it when I have some time. Oh and I'm having a issue with the turn signal lights on the dash, when I put on the blinker they both blink like the hazards are on but if I put the hazards on they dont blink at all.

i know it sounds kinda dumb but could you have mixed up a wire

mizlude
05-06-2008, 02:01 AM
i know it sounds kinda dumb but could you have mixed up a wire


i said that read it lol

mizlude
05-07-2008, 11:41 AM
im going to find out how in the f**k to wire in the fog light switch to the 94 and up harness. oh and what did I do wrong the blinker light on the cluster are acting funny(as in they both blink with one of the blinkers on lol

Bobby_V
05-18-2008, 09:59 AM
is it possible to get EL gauge lights with a 97-01 or are they only LED's?

mizlude
05-18-2008, 03:01 PM
Ok I got my fogs working I had one the wires in the wrong pin like I thought so it is easy to put the 92-93 switch on the 94 and up harness.

Hondamugen103
09-24-2008, 10:02 PM
hmmmm do you have any more pictures? anything like step by step? i'm really interested at doing this. i have a 93 on jacks in the garage that i just took the dash off. so i kinda know what i'm doing, but not with the harness.

hojemwod
09-24-2008, 11:00 PM
hmmmm do you have any more pictures? anything like step by step? i'm really interested at doing this. i have a 93 on jacks in the garage that i just took the dash off. so i kinda know what i'm doing, but not with the harness.

basically when you take the guages off the wiring harness runs along the dash behind them and then it goes down into the dash to your sunroof etc switch on the drivers side and on the pass side it plugs into a big ass plug. basically take your old harness out, put the new one in and line up the plugs. hopefully someone will post up a pic because i dont have one

Hondamugen103
09-24-2008, 11:06 PM
so using the harness, its plug and play? are the conectors the came color? if not are you better off inplugging at one end and pluging in hte new one behind it so you know exactly where the plugins go?

2.2Lude
09-24-2008, 11:53 PM
yeah i would probably disconnect the old one put on the new one just make life simpler for yourself

Hondamugen103
09-24-2008, 11:57 PM
okay.. now i gotta find a harness and a cluster lol

hojemwod
09-25-2008, 10:07 AM
okay.. now i gotta find a harness and a cluster lol

they come up on ebay every once and a while. sometimes someone will list the el guages for 30 bucks not knowing what they have and they dont put the keywords in the title so the bidding doesnt go much higher ha. the harness comes up less frequently then the guages.

you'll also need the silver converter box

Hondamugen103
09-25-2008, 10:21 AM
well i think my best bet is to go to junk yards

hojemwod
09-25-2008, 04:54 PM
yea i agree. i got the guages, inverter box, and harness for 30 bucks at the junkyard

Hondamugen103
09-25-2008, 10:31 PM
damn. was that his price or yours?

hojemwod
09-25-2008, 10:49 PM
damn. was that his price or yours?

thats what i paid for them...i sold them for 200 lol...i wish i kept them but then id have to pay to get the mileage changed

Hondamugen103
09-25-2008, 10:53 PM
why? i woulda just left it.

hojemwod
09-25-2008, 11:13 PM
why? i woulda just left it.

because i want to know the mileage that is on my car without having to keep track of numbers on a separate piece of paper. + im all about making money and that was a hard decision

Hondamugen103
09-25-2008, 11:19 PM
oh. haha ok. how much does it cost to do that to a cluster?

hojemwod
09-25-2008, 11:25 PM
oh. haha ok. how much does it cost to do that to a cluster?

one of the members on here quoted me $50. he also did a writeup to DIY but you'd have to buy some chip programing equipment and i couldnt find anything cheap.

abelsgotspeed
09-30-2008, 05:15 PM
will someone please get step by steps pictures lol i get the whole process but id like to see your set up i dont have the h j m male side plug so... do i stick wires on the pin # or what haha

DrZoidberg
10-12-2008, 07:04 PM
okay, well i have some electro gauges(bought the car like that) and the speedometer won't work when it's cold outside, all the other gauges work. i realize the thread is for the fourth gen but i have a 5th (97) and could really use some help please.

abelsgotspeed
10-17-2008, 09:10 PM
is your call throughing you a cell? could be your vss is going bad?

abelsgotspeed
10-17-2008, 09:12 PM
EL turn out. Thanks alot

http://preludezone.com/picture.php?albumid=130&pictureid=868
http://preludezone.com/picture.php?albumid=130&pictureid=867