Question on 996 Cluster Install

[swmic]

Greetings,

I have an 02 track car that I am installing a 996 cluster. Does anyone happen to know the location on the eeprom for enabling the oil gauge and voltmeter? And if so, what are the hex values? This would be for the newer style cluster, 02 - 04, using the 93c86 chip. There are a few posts showing the location and hex values for the older cluster with the 93c56, but can't find any documentation for the newer cluster.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Sanky]

Have you added the Volt and Oil gage from your 996 cluster to your 986 cluster, hence why you are trying to enable it?

[swmic]

If possible, I'd like to use my boxster cluster with the 996 gauges, and just enable the oil and voltage. I sourced and soldered a couple of ribbon cable connectors on my 986 cluster for the oil pressure and voltmeter gauges. I'm waiting for an eprom reader to see if I can play around and find the locations and enable them.

The 996 cluster has the OBC and I don't want to install the switches to control it.

[Qmulus]

If you have the 996 cluster, you do not need to enable the voltage and oil pressure gauges, as they already are. While the circuit boards themselves are the same between 986 and 996, there are different components and different processor code. You would need a complete 996 cluster for the parts, sooo why "convert" a 986 cluster? Even if I had a damaged 996 cluster, I would just use the the 986 cluster for parts to fix it.

For what it is worth. You can do some interesting things, like enabling the MAP (manifold absolute pressure) display as used on the 996TT, on the 986 "dot matrix" clusters. I haven't found any use for that, and can't confirm yet that the parts are on the board to actually read the voltage from the MAP sensor, but it is probably possible. It is cool to cycle through the OBC menus and see it though.

Bottom line, if you want 996 gauges, just get a 996 cluster.

[swmic]

I do have a 996 cluster. Was just going to see if I could get voltage and pressure working on the 986. Don't know if that is possible. If I use the 996 cluster, I need to install the steering column levers or switches to scroll through the OBC. It's a track car, so I don't have much use for the OBC.

[Qmulus]

Originally Posted by swmic

I do have a 996 cluster. Was just going to see if I could get voltage and pressure working on the 986. Don't know if that is possible. If I use the 996 cluster, I need to install the steering column levers or switches to scroll through the OBC. It's a track car, so I don't have much use for the OBC.

You would have to sacrifice a 996 cluster to get the "gauges" and bezel to even try to get the gauges working on a 986. I put gauges in quotes as they are not like a discrete gauge you would buy, but just a unique stepper motor, face, board, etc. The only thing that would work with it is it is the 996 cluster parts, unless you spent more money duplicating it.

For what it is worth, the oil pressure gauge in the 996 cluster is pretty heavily damped anyway, and not much more useful than an idiot light, maybe even less so as you are not likely to spend much time looking at it when it matters on the track. Chances are you are not going to see it when oil pressure drops in the long right handers where these engines have problems. Porsche didn't make these clusters for track use, but rather the street. It is OK for steady state readings, but not dynamic. Better than nothing, but not worth putting a lot of effort into if you want real information.

The best solution is a real motorsport sender, gauge (or ideally dash) and a telemetry box, but that is going to tell you things that you don't want to know...

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by Qmulus

The best solution is a real motorsport sender, gauge (or ideally dash) and a telemetry box, but that is going to tell you things that you don't want to know...

It reminds me the phrase "You can't handle the truth" ...Ha

[Qmulus]

Originally Posted by Gilles

It reminds me the phrase "You can't handle the truth" ...Ha

LOL! Pretty much true.