Hi guys,

 

My long-awaited import has arrived at last but I'm having speedo issues. The car is a 1996 JDM TT and so doesn't have the boost gauge. That looks lopsided to me and I don't like aftermarket gauges so I bought a set of JDM instruments from a 1991 TT to swap in. Unfortunately the connectors are all different!

 

Is it just a case of connect red to red, blue to blue etc or is there something more arcane I need to do? Or was there an intermediate section of loom in the early cars that I'm missing? Alternatively would it be better to fit the boost gauge into the old speedo housing (and if so how would I go about that?)

 

As always, really grateful for any help you can give. I'm sure I saw something like this on be forum once before but I'm damned if I can find it now I need it!

 

Thanks

 

Chris

You have a later series car like me, mines a S4 but our clocks are the same.

 

Like you i was missing the boost gauge and yes it's looks unbalanced or worse still like a N/a !!!

 

I got a later series set of clocks with a boost gauge and fit it in mine and plugged it in, iirc you just need the boost solenoid plus a length of tube to it from your balance bar via the use of a splitter.

 

The shape of the earlier boost gauges is different from ours but you might be able to cut it to shape but you may or may not have the tray it goes in ?

Yes mines an S4 too. I didn't think you could get clocks with a boost gauge after 1995 at all! That would obviously be easiest if I had a set, but as the ones I have are from a series 1 or 2 is there a way to connect them up? I assume matching wire colour would work but as Nissan were perverse enough to change the connectors they might change the wires too!

 

Anybody have a pinout diagram of the S1 and S4 instrument connectors? That would really help.

 

Alternative is to get a later set with boost as you suggest but it took a long time to find any at all so I'd like to use the ones I have.

 

Thanks

 

Chris

Or alternatively can I drop the speedo/boost dial from the S1 cluster into the S4? Will it fit given that there's now a boost gauge to fit in?

The trouble you have with questions like this, the S4 clocks are few and far between especially here in the UK so people don't have a great knowledge of them and why would they when most have the earlier type, my knowledge is only of S4 and not the earlier ones and this works vica versa.

 

I'll have a look through my bag of clock spares (S4 only !!) later for you and just refresh my memory on this and that.

The S1 mountings for the speedo/boost gauge cluster are different to the S4 board - I bought a set of S4 clocks last year (not realising the difference) to repair my S1 speedo but the screw holes to attach it to the main housing are different.

 

From what Andy's saying, later clocks than S4 ones can be swapped into the S4 housing, but the earlier ones won't fit (or at least the speedo won't).

 

I don't know how feasible it'd be to transplant S4 plugs onto an S1 loom (and vice versa)... common sense suggests it should be reasonably straightforward.....

Appreciate all the feedback here! It's only occurred to me today that while I have both S1 and S4 female connectors (on the clusters) I only have the male ones for S4 (on the cars loom), so my thought of patching between the 2 sets of wiring won't work.

 

It looks like the options boil down to seeing if the S1 speedo can slot in, or getting hold of some S4 bits. All made trickier as the car is with the importers being MOT'd so I can't put the bits side by side to compare!

I think iirc i got my S4 clocks from Japan and they were roughly £50.00, i am always looking for more though and yes it's difficult to find one with a boost gauge which but don't ask me why the Japan one did.

 

That only S4 boost gauge i've got is in the car but i refreshed my memory by looking at my other 2 spare clock which are in bits, it only connects by bolting with the 3 bolts to the flexible pcb, nothing else is required, except of course for a boost solenoid which connects near the bulk head and the plug will be there somewhere for it.

Does the S4 cluster have the 3 bolt holes for the boost gauge regardless of whether one is fitted? Because the S1 gauge is also held on by 3 bolts through the pcb so I may be able to fit it. If you have a pic of the back of an S4 cluster could you upload it? I have a pic of the S1 so I can compare. If I can work out how I'll upload it here!

I must apologize as there are 4 holes for the boost assembly not 3, a further one a little away from the triangle 3, two are marked B+ and B- with the other two just positive and negative, B of course is for boost as there is a T for temp and F for fuel on the pcb sheet !!

 

Not having a boost gauge on the bench i cannot offer in and see if all these 4 points are used/required for sure as opposed to just being bolt down points.

 

You may want to check this thread out

 

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?166978-OEM-Turbo-Boost-Gauge-on-a-1994-Series-4

 

 

Edited November 8, 201411 yr by phutumsch

Thanks that's just what I was looking for! Unfortunately my S1 cluster has 4 bolts in a diamond shape (there seem to be blanks for these in the white plastic on yours) so not sure if it'll fit with the PCB connections on the S4. I was hoping to get the importers to swap the gauge in while doing the UK conversion work but it looks like it might be better to wait till I have both clusters on my own bench. It's clearly not the simple plug n play I was expecting!!

 

I really appreciate you taking the time to upload the pics. This forum has the best people on it!

I now have a picture of the back of the S4 cluster and it's exactly like the blue one you posted. So there are pub tracks and bolt holes for a boost gauge even though one isn't fitted. But it's totally different to my S1 cluster. So it looks like I'll have to start searching for an S4 boost gauge or a cluster with one. This could take some time!

 

Thanks again for all your help

 

Chris

That's PCB tracks not pub tracks. Thanks autocorrect!

Trying to work out the source of an S4 cluster with boost gauge I've been searching fora etc and it looks like the gauge was reintroduced for the final production year in 2000. Do you know if yours is from a 2000 model? The only pics I have of these show them with black on white dials but I have no idea if they were all like that. Thanks

Why not just fit an aftermarket boost gauge. It will be;

A. Easier

B. More accurate(depending on what you buy of corse)

C. Able to read a higher range for when you inevitably decide you want more boost. I think the stock gauge only goes to 10-12psi doesn't it? Mines Jspec so reads in hmgm or whatever it is.

You don't have to go for some Lairy pillar mounted tumour that lights up pink at night, there's subtle ones and even way to incoperated it to look stock. Andy Isherwood had an inter grated boost and water temp I believe that looked stock and proved both if those commonly inconsistent gauges.

Why not just fit an aftermarket boost gauge. It will be;

A. Easier

B. More accurate(depending on what you buy of corse)

C. Able to read a higher range for when you inevitably decide you want more boost. I think the stock gauge only goes to 10-12psi doesn't it?

 

All what you state is true but if he's anything like me you want it as well, even though i have aftermarket gauge and an ebc and yes to be fair the stock gauge is useless when a car is capable of 20psi but the needle swings about ! And gives that balance against the oil pressure gauge.

 

Trying to work out the source of an S4 cluster with boost gauge I've been searching fora etc and it looks like the gauge was reintroduced for the final production year in 2000. Do you know if yours is from a 2000 model? The only pics I have of these show them with black on white dials but I have no idea if they were all like that. Thanks

 

My S4 or S5 clocks i bought complete with boost gauge cannot of been from a S6 facelift 2k as they were the 'normal' black faces.

 

Now it's a bit of a mystery why i even have them at all as the boost was left off as we know on the later series, was it an optional extra that nobody bothered with ?

 

I have never really thought about them before but it seems i was lucky in acquiring such an item. I am always looking out for S4 clocks and i must admit i have never seen another with a boost gauge since.

As phutumsch says, I'm after restoring a bit of balance to the cluster relative to the oil pressure gauge. Not that bothered if it's accurate, I just want to see it swing to know I'm getting boost.

 

The in-gauge aftermarket ones you mention sound like they might be an easier option if they're not too bling! Do you have a link the the Andy Isherwood ones you mentioned?

 

Thanks

Andy used to be a member, if you search you should find posts by him he did post pics etc.

I think it was my gauges you bought with the boost gauge? I thought they were series 3, this may if true give more options. I got them from andy who breaks zeds, cant remember the company name. He said, oh the airbag model, yup got that

Hi Ian,

 

I got the gauges off eBay from Lincoln so I don't think they were yours if you're in Guildford. They were advertised as being from a 1990 car and have 58000 on the clock if that helps?

 

Chris

Just for reference, in case it helps anybody else in a similar position, I finally pulled my finger out and managed to get a photo of the backs of the two clusters uploaded...

 

 

The green one's from an S1 (with boost gauge), the blue ones's from the S4 (with no boost gauge, but with all the connections for one)

Let's try that again...

 

 

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9mPqnuqJYgE/VGYdvFeoHxI/AAAAAAAAAik/4zfK85a7Q2s/s640/IMG_4292.JPG?gl=GB

I couldn't believe my eyes about 10 days ago when i saw some S4 clocks on UKebay with the boost gauge, i double checked, kept rubbing my eyes and i struck a deal with the seller and they duly promptly arrived.

 

So they do appear from time to time :yes:. The front lens wasn't great but luckily i had a vgc one and this took only minutes to fit, i also put some fuel in :devil2:.

 

Not for sale let me make that clear as they're a great stock untouched spare for mine, the ones i have fitted in the car have the boost gauge of course with bespoke made indiglo dials - to my annoyance my low fuel light doesn't work and i have tried and tried to get it working but to no avail, so one job at some point would be fit the new acquisition you see pictured and see if the low fuel does come on.

 

Well spotted mate! I'd stopped looking on eBay, maybe I'll pull my finger out and try again ;)