Cluster swap to GT; functionality questions
Thread Starter
3rd Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 818
From: South Carolina
Cluster swap to GT; functionality questions
I know I will need to get it reflashed at a dealer at the end, but here are some extra questions:
1. As soon as I plug the new cluster in, will it accurately display my speed and RPMs?
2. Will the oil and battery gauge work without any extra wiring? Is that data already being fed to the cluster?
3. If I wait to go to the dealer to reflash, will the miles I put on the car during the time I drive with the new cluster be lost? Does the car keep track of the mileage elsewhere?
And finally, for those who have done this, what is the cost for reflashing at a dealer?
1. As soon as I plug the new cluster in, will it accurately display my speed and RPMs?
2. Will the oil and battery gauge work without any extra wiring? Is that data already being fed to the cluster?
3. If I wait to go to the dealer to reflash, will the miles I put on the car during the time I drive with the new cluster be lost? Does the car keep track of the mileage elsewhere?
And finally, for those who have done this, what is the cost for reflashing at a dealer?
Last edited by defiance; Feb 3, 2014 at 12:55 AM.
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 159
From: Texas
so your swapping out a gauge cluster....are you going from the v6 to the gt cluster? not sure why you think you would need to have the car flashed for the cluster to work. most of the time the mileage is saved in the cluster itself so your true mileage will be wrong. as for the speedometer you would have to recalibrate it. you MAY be able to do that with a tuner and a custom tune but i wouldnt get my hopes up of that working correctly. I dont know all the differences in the v6 to GT clusters.
5th Gear Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,071
From: CA
Yes it will accurately display RPMs and MPH, these are configurations stored in the cluster.
Yes the extra GT gauges will work from day 1, it gets the information of the CAN bus.
The dealership will set the odometer, in the 05-09 mustangs, the mileage is stored in the cluster, so if you make a note of how many miles you have driven since installing it, you can have the dealership add those miles to the miles from your old cluster.
Yes the extra GT gauges will work from day 1, it gets the information of the CAN bus.
The dealership will set the odometer, in the 05-09 mustangs, the mileage is stored in the cluster, so if you make a note of how many miles you have driven since installing it, you can have the dealership add those miles to the miles from your old cluster.
5th Gear Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,388
From: Central Texas
... the reasons to get the dealer (or shop who can do it) are:
-> to activate/deactivate the systems that are appropriate for your car, referred to as "as-built data". This includes things like ABS, TCS, and Tire Pressure Monitor (depending on the cluster).
-> to get the mileage accurate.
If you get ahold of a gauge that has the proper things activated and the mileage is very close to your actual mileage, there is no need to get it programmed at the dealer. The odometer will be off to begin with by the difference in the odometers in the two clusters, but everything will work.
If you V6 has ABS and TCS and you put in a GT cluster, the cluster should work as-is.
If your v6 does not have ABS or TCS, when you plug in the GT cluster, the ABS, Brake, and TCS lights will come on and/or flash and give warnings. But all other functions will work, including speedometer, tach, and the smaller gauges.
-> to activate/deactivate the systems that are appropriate for your car, referred to as "as-built data". This includes things like ABS, TCS, and Tire Pressure Monitor (depending on the cluster).
-> to get the mileage accurate.
If you get ahold of a gauge that has the proper things activated and the mileage is very close to your actual mileage, there is no need to get it programmed at the dealer. The odometer will be off to begin with by the difference in the odometers in the two clusters, but everything will work.
If you V6 has ABS and TCS and you put in a GT cluster, the cluster should work as-is.
If your v6 does not have ABS or TCS, when you plug in the GT cluster, the ABS, Brake, and TCS lights will come on and/or flash and give warnings. But all other functions will work, including speedometer, tach, and the smaller gauges.
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 459
From: Anchorage, Alaska
I put a GT cluster into my v6 and everything works perfectly. The speedo is dead on, and tach is also. the gauges all function correctly. My one difference was I didn't have ABs/traction loc. I blocked those off under the cluster face. You wouldn't know that they were on. The MyColor is what sold me on this cluster and getting the GT version was a plus. The head I got was within 632 miles of my original, so I ate the extra miles rather than trying to find a dealer (which I couldn't find) that would reprogram the cluster.
3rd Gear Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 923
From: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
I switched the cluster on my GT and now it beeps when I put it in reverse and also when the car hits 75 MPH. Kind of annoying but I'd rather put up with it than have to take it to the dealer. My car has never been back to the dealer since I bought it 6 years ago and I'm not about to break that streak. 
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 3
From: alabama
just put a premium cluster (and OK switch) in a base 2014 GT..had to use vin from a 2014 manual premium model for cluster as-built data,PMI on pcm with IDS(which updated PCM to latest calibration,) parameter reset and program keys................traction light,brake light and ABS light on after install...installed ABS as-built data from the premium model ,cleared DTC;s everything works and all warning lights off.........
side note...had a BAMA SCT tune which I put back to stock before starting...tried to reload tune,SCT would not load said ECU unsupported tried to update firmware on SCT tuner and tuner died....****
test drive retest for DTCs... none...but noticed VIN on IDS was from premium model...reset pcm to correct vin....ABS, traction and brake lights come back on. had to reinstall as-built data for ABS module from premium model again...all good......except for the friggin SCT tuner I hope SCT can repair...
side note...had a BAMA SCT tune which I put back to stock before starting...tried to reload tune,SCT would not load said ECU unsupported tried to update firmware on SCT tuner and tuner died....****
test drive retest for DTCs... none...but noticed VIN on IDS was from premium model...reset pcm to correct vin....ABS, traction and brake lights come back on. had to reinstall as-built data for ABS module from premium model again...all good......except for the friggin SCT tuner I hope SCT can repair...
