Add a DIC instrument cluster to a 2010 Aveo5 LS

[wylee]

I went a little bit of a different route. None of the local yards have an Aveo newer than 06. There is one about 70 miles away and they want 50 bucks. I really didn't want to rip the cluster I bought as a replacement apart in case I screwed something up.

So...

I took the cluster out, popped the back of the case off, slid the main part of the cluster out of the case, took the needles off, and took the gauge face off.



I then unsoldered the LCD pins from the back of the PCB. My plunger solder sucker didn't work worth a hoot, but my Radio Shack unsolder tool worked pretty well.

Front after the LCD has been unsoldered and removed along with the white plastic:


I had salvaged a tactile button from a cable box that I was about to take to the dump, but the ground leg was 90 degrees off from what the original was. After some testing with my ohmeter, I determined only the top 2 outside legs out of the 5 legs on the tactile button were needed and decided to run wires from where the tactile button would have attached to a remote switch.

Solder wire to the PCB


I had to do a little grinding on the white plastic to make sure the wire didn't get pinched between the white plastic and the PCB. After I got this grinding done I snapped the white plastic and the PCB together only to realize I left the trip plunger out...glad I noticed it before I soldered the LCD back in place.
Before grinding:


After grinding:

I also had to do some grinding inside the back cover to make sure the wires didn't get pinched between the back cover and the PCB



Routed the wire around inside between the back cover and the PCB so there would be enough slack to take it apart without pulling on the wires in the future.



I zip tied the wires to the back of the cluster and put a couple female spade connectors on.


At some point in the future I will run wire to a SPST momentary switch somewhere on the dash or steering column. For now, it'll stay on outside temperature.

[wylee]

I moved an LED from my donor cluster and solder it into the cruise spot also. It still doesn't light up. I don't know if I just didn't make a good solder joint, if I got the LED to hot, or if there is something else keeping it from coming on. But I do know that I'm not going to take the cluster back apart just for the cruise light. Good luck with it and let us know how it turns out.

I didn't bother trying the cruise LED. Those LED's are TINY and my hands are not steady enough to do such intricate work.

[wylee]

Finally put a select button in the power mirror spot today. The average MPG shows 36.6...a bit optimistic if that is since it was new; I kept track of every fill up since new and my average so far it 33.4mpg. I guess I'll reset it now and see how it compares going forward.

[petrified.rabbit]

if you did the cruise self install, according to the schematics, the cruise light is just a switch controlled by the parts on the switch you did not hook up.

[NB99Z]

I did self install the cruise. But I replaced the clock spring and put the switch in the wheel. I did use a cruise switch out of an 2007 (Clock spring was out of 2009). The 2009 and up switch has the on/off on the front and the 07-08 has it on the side. So my light not coming on might have somthing to do with that.

My average MPG's on the cluster before resetting was 31.7. I had figured I was getting around 32 mpg's so it was pretty close to being right on for me. I have found since reseting the MPG's that driving speed greatly effects MPG's. Driving to work (65% highway 35% city)at 72 on the highway got me 33.6. Driving at 65 was 36.5. Now I'm trying 62 (Its is killing me to drive this slow) and I'm at 38.5.

[wylee]

38.5mpg @ 62mph is not too bad. Do you have a sedan or hatch? If the hatch could be driven backwards, I'm pretty sure the 70mph fuel economy would increase significantly. ~

[NB99Z]

I have the sedan.

[wylee]

I thought that was probably the case. I think I've got to get down closer to 55mph to see 38-39mpg with my hatch.

[wylee]

The DIC seems to be reasonably close.

Over the last two tanks:

19.0 gallons of gas
661 miles

DIC indicated 35.6mpg

[kaviya]

Thanks for your nice information.