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2005 Mustang V6 basic upgraded to MyColor gauge cluster writeup with pics

155K views 208 replies 72 participants last post by  Jakeee_mct 
#1 ·
Part 1( of 2)
if your thinking about this upgrade, its very simple to do, about 20 minutes, and it is very cool :)
basic info:
first off, pry off the blank switch cover above the stereo on the left side and see if you have the wire harness plugged into the back of it( see first pic) if you do, you can go to this website,
https://www.trademotion.com/memberservices/index.cfm?action=login&siteid=214072
register and send a message to ed, give him your year, model, vin number and tell him you need the cluster and the switches. he will respond pretty fast and give you the proper part numbers and ask the milage and how many miles per day you drive. he will program the cluster and add 5 days of daily miles to it when he ships it out. the cluster, switches and shipping was 329.08 + there is a 300.00 core charge for your old cluster and must be returned to fords, in the box they send you and they provide the fed x shipping label for the return within 30 days. the new cluster w/ message center is re manufactured by ford, as brand new.

a couple catches on the install:
1) i have a basic 05 built in 04, but i had the wire harness. because i dont have abs, i had to take the car into fords today and have them program the cluster with my "as built data" to get rid of the abs light and the check brake message. to save money, i had to plug in the old cluster, so they could get the info as the ford website was down, then plug in the new one to program. ( took me less than 5 minutes in the stall) if the ford website was up, you would not have to re install the old one. they use the obdII port and it does not effect the tune or the computer. they had me return the tune to stock, but turned out i didnt need to. if your car is loaded, you wouldnt even have to go to fords to have anything done, unless:

there is a chance on the 06 and newer if you install the cluster it might not start because of the key chip and the ignition de activation feature on the cluster. i did not have that problem, started right up and worked great except for the abs light and message. if it doesnt start, you`ll have to put the old one back in and take it to fords for the re program. the cost at the dealer for the reprogram was 45.00( took about 5 minutes)

the install:
lower your steering colum with the lever under the steering wheel. pry off the cluster trim panel. you can see all the mounting clip locations in the pics, it comes off real easy. remove the 2 small top bolts and the 2 small lower bolts. lay a rag on top of the steering colum because the cluster will scratch the cover( see pic) and tilt the cluster forward so you can see the wire plug on the backside.
 

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#2 ·
MyColor install Part 2(of2)

you`ll see the wire clip with the gray lever. press the black button on the top center and the clip will swing back pulling the wire clip out of the cluster. plug in the new cluster, lock the gray swing lever in place and re install the 4 small bolts. pull off the protective film, and it will leave glue marks on the clear lense. i wet the micro fibre coth and put a little dish soap on it, and it took it off real nice. install the switches and re install the cluster trim and your ready to check it out!!!!
 

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#209 ·
MyColor install Part 2(of2)

you`ll see the wire clip with the gray lever. press the black button on the top center and the clip will swing back pulling the wire clip out of the cluster. plug in the new cluster, lock the gray swing lever in place and re install the 4 small bolts. pull off the protective film, and it will leave glue marks on the clear lense. i wet the micro fibre coth and put a little dish soap on it, and it took it off real nice. install the switches and re install the cluster trim and your ready to check it out!!!!
I tried using the link provided but it didn’t work. Is there a email or website where I can get the gauge cluster and buttons from? I have a 08 and would like to upgrade the cluster to the 6 gauge with my color. If anyone can help please let me know
 
#5 ·
the wire harness plug is already set up for the other 2 gauges, just not used on the basic cluster. the 2 other gauges are nice, and the information center is really cool, with a bunch of info, average speed, mph, mpg to empty, trip and odometers, system checks and warnings,a few things i havent really checked out yet, 6 main colors and 120 something custom colors. the guage lights, including the green or white driving colors are brighter than the stock lights too. and you can turn the message center window off like i did in the blue picture which is nice. :)
 
#6 ·
ya, one might think so, but it is really easy to do this install. i wondered if it wold work on my early 05 but no problems. on the trip odometer, you can also set a clock/timer and it will also tell you how many gal.`s of fuel you use. there are alot of cool features on the message center. would have been nice if this was standard equip on al the stangs, but alas....:) (its also a good time to really clean the cluster trim, all the little places you cant get to when its on the car)
 
#8 ·
Are you saying this resets the odometer? Isn't that illegal? Doesn't it void the warranty?
the odometer is programed before you get it.( as stated in the part 1) it does not get set to zero. if you were to lie about the milage, yes, you may get in trouble for fraud, not to mention your 300.00 deposit. i would suggest telling the truth when he asks you the milage, and daily milage. :) as far as resetting the odometer, i was taking about the trip odometer, that you can zero out any time, like when you get a fill up, take a trip ect.
 
#10 ·
so this swap cost you over $600?
 
#12 ·
maybe i missed something, but does your oil gauge and battery gauge not work?

p.s. you need fuel
 
#14 ·
is it possible to get the GT cluster and get a 140 mph speedo?
 
#15 ·
i dont know brian. thats not much benifit though, and the red line wont be right on the tach. i think ive read where some guys have done that though, using junk yard stuff. i have to message that guy tonight to let him know the fed x tracking number for my old cluster i`m dropping off on the way home from work today so i`ll ask him about that and see what he says. i`ll let you know tomorrow.
 
#17 ·
What tools are needed to pry of the switch cover and trim?
 
#18 ·
once you lower you steering colum, you can grab that cluster trim at the very bottom in the center and pull a little with one hand, but dont try pulling it of completely from the center as you could break the trim without using something like a plastic pry tool ( or a screwdriver) on the right and left sides of the cluster with your other hand. i used a tiny screw driver for the switch cover. it all comes off pretty easy. just be carefull and try not to scratch anything.

pictures 3 and 4 show where i pried, and 6 and 7 show the clips and where they are located.
 
#20 ·
yes. they will charge your card 629.00. they expect when you receive the cluster for you to install it right away, to keep the milage close to what it should be. they send the return fed ex shipping label to put on the box it comes in and you just drop it off at any fed ex ship location. you can track it going back and you will have the core charge credited to your card within a week. so make sure whatever card you use has at least the 629.00 available credit on it. if you dont, i`m sure they will just not ship you the part. best thing to do if you have billing questions is to go to the site, register yourself, send a message to the parts guy ED, and he gets back to you real fast. he really stays on top of it and makes the deal go real smooth. ive been using it a couple weeks now, it is awesome. i`m diggin the blue lights, but the red is intense too. its pretty cool checking out all the purples and other colors too. the information center is a real nice feature, and i`m finding the mpg info to be pretty accurate. the information center does have the green light on it, but you can turn it off with the push of the button.
 
#22 ·
well gf, you might not be sunk yet. i`m not sure what it intails as i didnt research into it, but i`m sure if you were to do some digging, you could find the wire harness you need that is missing. fist place to start is register at the site in the first post and send ed the parts guy a message and see what he says. ive heard guys say they found the harness on ebay too. maybe a junk yard would be a good place. you`ll have to do your homework :)
 
#24 ·
welcome to the forums
go ahead and install it and see what happens. if it starts and you dont have any warnings or lights on your good to go and dont need to take it in. in my case i didnt have abs so i got the check brake warning and the abs light, and e brake light. so i had to get it flashed just to have that turned off with my build data.
 
#29 ·
Thanks for the write up...plan on doing this to my 05 just worried about mileage originality since i only have 31,000 miles lol

But i do want that cluster...does it also have the mpg readout and is this guy on here or should I call him through the part's site?

Thanks for all the help :)
 
#30 ·
you`ll have the same legal milage on the new cluster. if you wanted to be exact, you could park the car for a week and when the new cluster comes put it in before you drive it.

the milage readout is in the information center. you can scroll through different info. it stays lit in green, or you can turn it off. heres a few examples of the information center...

the guy is not on the forums. you need to send him a message
 

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#32 ·
there it is on the last post, page 2, pic 2 :shiny: theres a bunch more info windows than what i posted. just wanted to show a few. theres system checks, warnings( like door ajar ect). its a great upgrade. i like the xtra 2 gauges too. there are things on it i havent messed with yet.
 
#34 ·
my color cluster

I put mine in today but still have to add the wires for the switch. Maybe by Sunday I will have it all together. I got a copy of the wiring and am making wiring harness that will add the four wires I need. It still works but you cant change the colors or reset the miles you have driven or check the milage you are getting. I did not have the harness behind the fake switch.
 
#35 ·
I put mine in today but still have to add the wires for the switch. Maybe by Sunday I will have it all together. I got a copy of the wiring and am making wiring harness that will add the four wires I need. It still works but you cant change the colors or reset the miles you have driven or check the milage you are getting. I did not have the harness behind the fake switch.
cool, post back on how you made it and how it works. it didnt sound too hard to do.
 
#36 ·
2005 my color

I went to a junk yard and found the switch and cut the wiring back as far as i could, so I would have the connector to the switch and then I cut the plug from the speedometer. With these I was able to pull out the two wires from the connector that goes to the speedometer and add them to the connector of my cars connector along with extra wire to the connector of the switch that controls the message center. You can find a copy of the wiring by searching for my color.
 
#37 ·
I went to a junk yard and found the switch and cut the wiring back as far as i could, so I would have the connector to the switch and then I cut the plug from the speedometer. With these I was able to pull out the two wires from the connector that goes to the speedometer and add them to the connector of my cars connector along with extra wire to the connector of the switch that controls the message center. You can find a copy of the wiring by searching for my color.
that was probly the best way to go to get the plug for the switch. not sure if the plug can be bought from the dealer. the colors for the wires to the switch are in post #27 in the collective link. you can hit on the + button to magify the schematic. ijust sent ed the parts guy a message to see if the harness was available through him. i`ll post back first of next week when i find out.
 
#38 ·
got a reply from ed the parts guy but its not a good one. as far as he can tell, the only way to get the plug for the switch is with the entire wire harness for huge money through fords. he didnt give a price, but he said it was alot. anyone that has made up a harness, please post how you did it for the other people...heres a better mpg message center pic. tillman 91 race tune, after a 25 mile run on these country roads :yelpleased:
 

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#39 ·
First you need a plug that came from the cluster, find one in a junk car. then you need to pick two of the wire ends out to add to your plug. plus you will need the connector that goes to the switch, there should be one in the car you get the plug from. It goes to the radio,it is red and black.If you do a search you can find a wiring digram of the switch and the color cluster on the net. try My color cluster or Drock, If any one is looking for the color cluster speedometer I have one and I can send the need wiring too.
 
#42 ·
OMG!!! i can't believe this! i want this so BAD! I'm checking the funds and contacting Ed ASAP. So i only need to mess w/ ford if i get all the warning messages? cause idk if i have ABS or not....
 
#43 ·
ya, there is over 100 colors you can choose from. the clusters come with lights and warnings for every available car option. in my case, i didnt have abs so right away it displayed a check brake warning on the information center, and the e-brake light stayed on. everything else worked fine. once the dealer relashed the cluster with my build data( 45.00) everything was perfect. i havent had any problems with the cluster and i`m still likin it :yup: to see if you have abs, open your hood. there will be a unit with some tubes coming out the top mounted on the core support right behind the headlight on the drivers side( between the air filter and the headlight) if theres nothing there, you dont have abs.
 
#45 ·
so you are saying you had to go to ford to reflash anyway huh?

so why wouldnt i be able to buy the GT cluster and have a 140 MPH speed, then just take it to the dealer and have them flash it so it thinks its a "GT with no ABS" would this work?
 
#46 ·
so you are saying you had to go to ford to reflash anyway huh?


so why wouldnt i be able to buy the GT cluster and have a 140 MPH speed, then just take it to the dealer and have them flash it so it thinks its a "GT with no ABS" would this work?
yep, i had to pay the 45.00 to get the abs lights turned off.

yes you can buy the gt cluster. however, it can only be re-flashed with your build data for your car, not a gt. so everything would work right as far as options your car has. the only thing is i think even if you go over 120 mph, thats the highest it will read.( i could be wrong, but i think i read where someone else with the v6 installed the gt) you can order the gt cluster through ed the parts guy, tell him what you are doing. he can register your vin number and set the odometer. :)
 
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