My civic doesn't have a tachometer. Instead of going for the aftermarket tachometer, which i think would look a little to ricey. I would rather go for a cluster swap. My question is which clusters are compatible and are there some guides to swapping them?

 

You can use one from a 88 to 91. The swap is simply to bolt in, plug and play. All the cars were wired for tachometer even if the stock cluster didn't have one.

 

I have an 89 dx actually as well.
If you get one from an 88-89 Si, or 88-89 CRX, it simply is plug-and-play.
If you decide to upgrade to the 90-91 styling, like I have done, be prepared to do some wiring. You'll need a few more things for it to work properly as well. (90-91 cluster hood+switches and pigtails, dimmer control box also)
http://ef-honda.com/ben/sicluster.php this is for the direct swap, just adding the Si cluster. (it's for a sedan, but it's the same idea)

I can provide more info for the 90-91, as I have done it a few times now. It's a nice upgrade, looks nicer IMO.

 

How much effort is it to use the 90-91 cluster instead? Do I have to rewire out to the engine or just a few things behind the cluster? My only concern is the wiring in my car is a little... diy. Except they didnt have much experience so they did things like block fuse boxes with wire harnesses.

 

Well, the only wiring you'd have to do is the clips that plug into the cluster.
However, you will absolutely need the 90-91 cluster hood AND 90-91 cluster mounting brackets.
With my install, since I don't have the 90-91 dimmer, hazard, defog switches, I just put the 88-89 switches in the empty rectangular spots to the left and right of the steering wheel (The place where the sunroof switch would go on an Si). However, if you need help with installing the 90-91 switches, I can be of assistance.

Some people say you need the 90-91 clips for the conversion to work. That's false, the 88-89 clips work just as well. You just need to de-pin some wires, and extend 4 wires (looking at the pinouts will help you figure that part out).

If the wiring in your car is hacked up, think about replacing the harness. Are you sure those boxes are fuse boxes, and not relays? It's common that people leave them in place when removing an alarm or command start. You should be able to remove them if that is the case.

Wiring diagrams you'll need can be found here: http://hondaswap.com/civic-crx-ew/cl...pinout-112968/ it's the second post

I do have a couple 88-89 clusters with tachs. But I'd prefer to sell to someone at least in the same country as me. Shipping is expensive to the states.

 

Here's a question: I have an 88 STD Hatch. Will the cluster from an 88-89 Wagovan 4WD fit and function? Anyone know?

 

Sir above me, fix your sig.
The only thing with Vtech is the phone.
Honda has Vtec.


Just go simple, and put in the si cluster from your model (88-89). Will cost you about $45 and will plug and play. Will take less than 30 minutes and you will have your tach.

 

http://www.hybrids.jp/forum/showthread.php?t=6362
second post here confirms wagovan clusters working in hatchbacks

 

Thanks for the link. Yeah, sounds like the only problem might be NS vs. ND.