TheSamba.com :: View topic - 1.8 conversion-Passat Instrument Cluster

Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:28 pm

I am beginning a 1.8T conversion using an 02 Passat (I'll start a thread on the project soon!).
Pulled the instrument cluster from the donor and wondering where to cut wires?
The connector will obviously need to be reused but not sure if I can just cut or need to pull length of loom?

Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:38 pm

I've done two cluster conversions, I like to have at least 10" of harness wires to splice; It just makes things simple. I usually end up with maybe 4" etc. when finished.

Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:39 pm

Great. Thanks for quick response! That makes the job much easier...
This is a long way off but when I wire the new cluster to my van I will use Passat connectors and and then connect wire by wire?

Sat Sep 28, 2019 11:35 pm

Yes, you will use the Blu and Grn T32 plugs.

Armed with both Bentley manuals makes the job easier. An example would be vanagon coolant level sensor Blu/Yel pin# 8 on vanagon cluster harness will land on Passat coolant level BluT32 plug pin# 16 Blu/Yel....

These are examples I didn't consult my Bentley, but this is how the Jobs done! Most of the time VW used the same color wires for the same signals. The plug ends will have tiny numbers, this helps identify them when checking the Bentley.

I've done a Mk3 cluster that was all white wires and had to trace them only by numbers and I'm in the process of an Audi A4 that has colored wires but the only one that has been the same is the fuel level.

Sun Sep 29, 2019 10:37 am

I've been going over an '02 Passat (AWM) engine harness the last few evenings, prepping to do a DBW/WBO2 converson on the AEB in my camper. I've got a 4B0906018CM ECM and 3B1971072AD harness, also have an 018CH ECM floating around. Since the donor was an automatic and I'll be deleting SAI (no port for it on the AEB head) there are some wires I don't need, but to my surprise the Bentley diagram wire colors actually matched up to the harness on the bench.Powered it up last night and got the codes I was expecting in VCDS-lite so .. so far so good.

Since you're working with cluster maybe you can help -- I haven't been able to suss out the MIL wiring even with the Bentley diagram, even after tracing the harness wire-by-wire from the ECM pins. The ECM MIL pin is incorrectly labeled as "Trailer Operation Indicator Light (K18)" in the Bentley diagrams for the '98-'99 AEB engines -- which is why I didn't trust the Bentley diagrams and checked it myself.
But even after tracing everything, I don't have any mystery wires from the ECM. Any thoughts on that? Did they go to CAN for the MIL with ME7.x? I'm not using the Passat cluster, adapting it to a Bay would be a pain and kinda wreck the "stealth" install I've got going.

I've been putting together an ECM pinout list and re-working Christopher Schimke's "Vanagon/AEB 1.8T Fuel Pump/Power Supply Relay Interface" diagram to reflect the AWM body/harness plug colors and pin numbers and difference in wire colors for those between AWM and AEB. I'll be adding it to the collective knowledge base here in case it can help others -- I wouldn't have been able to do my swap without people sharing info here -- but not until it's done, and I don't want to call my documentation "done" until everything's installed and working correctly. Need to find figure out an IMMO and SAI delete for my ECM...

Sun Sep 29, 2019 11:40 am

Has anyone ever installed one of these clusters without using an ECU to process the various signal inputs for the speedo and tach? I still have the donor Jetta cluster from my ALH swap, but I have a manual injection pump

Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:09 pm

Tritesa,

The 98-99 are bastard years at least in the Audi world, I'm suspect that since they both are B5 platforms that it's the same. CanBus they maybe and some may not? I know that's not much help! I ran into this swapping my ABA-T to AEB management and then finding a cluster that would work...the 98s I found were a limbo of early cluster w/ CanBus. So...97' was the year for the win!

Casey, all mine have been done in van as the bench, armed with both Bentley manuals though!

Sun Sep 29, 2019 5:33 pm

How does the cluster get signal for vehicle speed? Obviously electronically somehow. Just want to make sure I grab everything I need before I haul off the donor vehicle.

Sun Sep 29, 2019 5:53 pm

You'll have to get your speed sensor from either the CV type or the converter found on the cruise control

Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:06 pm

I still have the VSS that installed in the donor trans and which has a mechanical interface with the female end of a speedometer cable.

Sun Sep 29, 2019 8:21 pm

akmush wrote: How does the cluster get signal for vehicle speed? Obviously electronically somehow. Just want to make sure I grab everything I need before I haul off the donor vehicle.
In the B5/B5.5 Passat/Audi manual transmissions (no idea about the automatics), the vehicle speed sensor is in the transaxle near the left CV output flange. It's a reed switch with a three-pin connector housing, only pins 2 and 3 are used. Pin 3 goes to ground, pin 2 goes to the cluster. The "drive gear" has eight magnets, which makes for 8 pulses to ground per wheel revolution. VSS connects to the cluster, cluster passes the VSS signal to the ECM.

I've been reading up on the VSS signal because the DBW cruise control system needs it. I'm using the Passat 012 transaxle in my swap (engine runs CCW aka "backward"), and it looks like it's straightforward enough to use a pull-up resistor to get the existing VSS to generate a signal that the ECM can use.

Some of the best description of the VSS I've found so far:
https://forums.quattroworld.com/s4s6/msgs/168463.phtml