Hello, i recently installed a dakota digital dash(5 gauge). After i remover the stock cluster i ran into a few problems. The truck will fully start up and drive, the problem is with the lighting. The parking lights seem to stay on untill i desconnect the battery. Turn signals stop working and so do brake lights. parking/driving lights stay on. and also cab dome light does not respond to switch. Ive heard that the ecu and gauge cluster are in sync with eachother. But there has got to be some way i can bypass the stock cluster and throw in a couple relays to fix my lighting problems.

Any help would be great. thanks

james mills

 

extra relays aren't going to solve any problems. The cluster uses multiplex connectors which is very complicated. Due to your issue's, I would say there is either a few wires that are out of place and are not providing sufficient communication through the com port wires.
Has this even been succesfully done before with a straight up swap? I dont see how it would be if the clusters are different and are from different vehicles. Just one misplaced wire can cause all kinds of headaches. Have you comapred schematics back-back?

 

The new cluster is the universal model from dakota. All the senders are stock oem. All I am doing is unplugging the old cluster. That is the problem. What i am looking for is a way i can bypass the old cluster. Maybe i can just disassemble the old cluster and remove the computer components from it. It might fit behind the new dash panel. Anyone ever taken apart one???