DIYnightmare

Hey everyone ... happy holidays. Odometer lights go out on my old cluster, so I swapped it with a junkyard one ... everything works, except the fuel gauge, it's stuck on E with the yellow empty light on. This is the second junkyard cluster that I've swapped; I returned the first one because of the same issue, fuel gauge stuck on empty, yellow empty light on.

When I reinstall the original cluster, everything works, except the aforementioned odometer lights. At first, they are very faint, eventually, they completely black out... annoying... a new module is $300 + soldering and swapping ... a junkyard cluster is a $100 throw, easy decision.

Questions:

1. Is there a reset procedure for this?
Note: My MDX has separate Reset and Select buttons, not just one Sel/Reset button. I already tried the procedure with the lights on, key in #1 position, turn lights off and on etc. ... no dice ...
2. Is it as easy as swapping or jumping a couple of wires in a harness?
3. Can I swap or modify the fuel gauge from either cluster?
4. Does a wrecked MDX (with airbag deployment) from this era automatically reset / short out fuel gauge related wiring / print board continuity?
5. Will disconnecting the battery or fuel sending unit and reconnecting them reset anything?

Thanks in advance for advice ...

Skirmich

Are you swapping for same year dashboard?? because otherwise the Fuel Gauge electric diagram is very simple... If you are swapping for a different year it could have that specific wire moved into another pin in the plug which could lead to a no-signal fault.

DIYnightmare

Thanks, I will call the salvage yard and get the specific year of the donor vehicle. Could the problem be solved by getting a wiring diagram and swapping two pins?

Skirmich

I really believe so.. Cant say for sure I haven´t work on many 1Gs.

DIYnightmare

Skirmich, where can I find the pin out diagram for the instrument cluster harness on a 2003 MDX? thanks

DIYnightmare

I found the harness diagrams on All Data, but the fuel gauge isn't specifically identified, just "gauges and indicators" pin 2, connector A for an '03 model with Nav ... I'll get the year of the donor cluster from the junk yard, and hopefully swap no more than 2 wires ... any more advice?