Hello, I have found many non sr5 to sr5 conversion threads but nothing which answers my question. I have a 1981 dlx with the tach just like the sr5, but it doesn't work, I also have a 1983 Dlx cluster with the tach, appart from the round plugs to the square plugs, it is a pretty straight foward swap? As in do I pin the wires in the exact same location or do I have to move some around. I believe some of the colors are different in the harness from 81 to 83, does this apply?

Does anyone have the 1981 wiring diagram? I have the 1983. If anyone wants to trade my 1983 rpm cluster with their 1981 rpm cluster let me know, I also have a base model 1981 cluster if anyone prefers.

 

You will need to get a wiring schematic for your truck, and for an 83. You'll need to compare each wire. They will by definition not be the "exact same location", because when you compare a round connection to a square connection, how could it possibly be the same? It's apples to oranges. Or more like a round peg in a square hole...

The schematic will show what number/location controls each different function on your current panel. You'll need to look at that side by side with the same schematic for the 83 and connect do the conversion.

It's not difficult, just time consuming and very tedious. This is all "in theory"...I can't imagine there would be any issues, but not having done the swap or having it all right in front of me I can't 100% guarantee anything...

But I don't see why it wouldn't work out fine. I wouldn't put too much stock in wire color...Even with my 83 truck and 83 FSM, some wire colors didn't match up.

 

And I'm assuming you mean the entire instrument cluster, not just the tachometer (rpms)?..

 

Hey 83, ah yes, the square to round connections can't match the wires in the same location for sure, haha. Yes I mean the instrument cluster. I have the complete 83 harness too so I hoped I could just chop wires and connect each colour together but now I need the 81 wiring diagram no doubt.

 

Yeah in 90% of the cases, wire color from the FSM to truck will be accurate. And in 70% of the cases wire color is going to be the same from year to year. To completely make up statistics...

But whatever the true percentage is, it's not going to be a direct swap wire color to wire color. At least I personally would not go into this assuming it is. I'd also hate to make this harder for you than it needs to be, though...

You could go with your idea of chopping and connecting, and see what happens. Then if you're done, you're done! And if not, well then, you need to do more work. No big deal.

I think that if you compared them to each other, and you found a corresponding wire color in common to each, then there's a good enough chance they'd swap right over. If you had a wire color on one that you didn't find on the other...I'd look into things a little farther.

Finding the wiring diagram for the 81 would be key. I'm sure somebody's got an FSM they'd scan for you...Hopefully they'll speak up.

Good luck!

 

Thanks Zach that's good advice, now what will be harder, doing the swap or finding a 1981 wiring diagram!?

Edit Well that wasn't hard https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f131...iagram-146721/ thanks dropzone! Although pretty hard to read I'll be studying it.

 

I'm not sure that's going to give you what you want. You want a smaller, easier to read diagram from deep inside the FSM, not those fold-out diagrams at the back.

The first image in this thread is what you're looking for.

 

For future reference of people searching for this, all the wire colours are the same and should match up according to the wiring diagrams I was given (one from 1980 and one from 1983). There are just two wires for the 1983 which I don't seem to have on the 1981 and that's for the speed sensors. I may not even have that in a Canadian model according to a recent post from Slacker.

 

Glad to hear!

But just for the record, they were not all the same color on my truck as in the FSM. It's really cool that they were on yours, but unfortunately it does seem to vary from truck to truck.

Obviously when they printed the manual they didn't get it "wrong" and screw up wire colors, I think there were just changes throughout the year that they couldn't include in the manual. So if someone is doing this and finds they don't all match perfectly, you aren't crazy!