What are the effects of swapping a V6 gauge cluster into a V8?

Jason.Silus · Feb 3, 2022

As I understand it to be, the connections for the gauge clusters are specific to years 94-95, 96-98, and 99-04. I have a '96 GT, with the fuel gauge needle not moving. I've tested the resistance and replaced the sending unit, and all is normal. I've come to the conclusion the gauge cluster is the problem. I've bought a '97 V6 gauge cluster, which the face only go up to 120MPH.

And I'm not sure what to be prepared for. If the needle on the gauge hit 120MPH, does that mean I'm actually going 120MPH, or would that mean I was going 150 MPH? Are there any hurdles for trying to get the V6 to work with the V8 cluster? Is the rest of the gauge the exact same between both? Any advice and knowledge would be appreciated.

ttocs · Feb 4, 2022

have you pulled the gauges out recently? It is not uncommon for the copper traces that go into the harness on the gauges lifts a little and does not make contact. If you swapped bulbs on the cluster for example and it quit working after, I would start here.

Jason.Silus · Feb 4, 2022

Yes I had pulled the gauge out, but no matter how the copper traces were set, the fuel guage would never work, and it was the only one that didn't work. Every other gauge works just fine. It also didn't stop work until a few months after I had pulled the gauge out and reinstalled it.

ttocs · Feb 4, 2022

did you secure the traces down or just move them into position and then plug it in? IF they are not secured they probably got pushed back out of the way when you plugged it back in.

Jason.Silus · Feb 16, 2022

The new cluster came in yesterday, and installed it same day. The '97 V6 was a direct plug-and-play part to the '96 GT. Of course, the redline and top speed aren't accurate, but we knew that going in. I DO believe that the needle for the speedo is accurate. When it says I'm going 10MPH, that is the actual speed I'm going. However, I have only driven it in a parking lot, and I'd like to get it on a backroad and hit about 40-60MPH to make sure. I checked it just by setting a random location on Google maps and using the speed monitor on that as my comparison. Obviously this method has a margin of error, but I think for this purpose it will suffice, especially at higher speeds.

Now on to the reason I installed it. The fuel guage works? I haven't had enough time to drive it to watch it go down, and it does have me a little concerned. When filling the car with fuel, the needle didn't move until I tapped on the glass, where it finally rose to the correct position, at just over a quarter tank. I am worried that it will get stuck again, and won't tell me if I'm about to break down, but only time can tell.

Now to find out if I can drive so fast the speedo does a full 360!!