digital dash in ED Ghia - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

MADNC_8 · 08-02-2002, 05:18

im looking for a new car and i have decided on an ED Fairmont Ghia V8. i have recently become aware that the ED Fairmont Ghia doesnt have the groovey digital dash

how hard would it be to wire it up??? the hardest part obviously would be the "car" picture that shows what doors are open etc has anyone done it before???

Xyphoid · 08-02-2002, 05:24

The Car part is a bit of a pain to get working properly.
This is because the Cluster expects to get a certain resistance value to ground, for the Door opened, and the door closed.
(The Resistance is Greater when the Door Is Opened, and less when the Door is closed)

I used one method, that basically had 2 resistors in series, and the Door Switch Shorted one out.

Unfortunately, because of the Resistance value the Dash Requires, the Door Opened and Closed Display was round the wrong way.

So now, I am using little Reed Relays, that shorts out a Resistor, when the Door is Closed. - So far this is working OK.

Apart from that, Unfortunately I dont have my EA-ED Workshop manual anymore, so I dunno if the Plugs are the same, or if there are any major changes to the wiring looms ???

botch · 08-03-2002, 02:20

the door ajar warning lamps have a separate swictch mounted inside the door to the lock assembly (little white switch) and plugs into the door looms.

the only way i could see of getting this to work, would be to swap the complete loom (including doorlooms)out of say and ea-eb ghia and wiring into the ed! It would be a lot of work and youd have to pull the dash out too. but worth doing if you love those dash clusters.

otherwise it would only be a matter off wiring the ea's dash plugs to your ed and putting in resistors (as xyphoid said) to show that the doors are all closed, regardless wheter there open or closed.

Futura97 · 08-03-2002, 09:56

Are you deadset on an ED?? Why not just get an EB V8 ghia and dress it up as an ED. It'll be easier doing cosmetic changes than the wiring..

I too found this out when i started researching the fairmonts. Apparently, only the ea and series 1 EB had the digital dash. Its a shame really cause those dashes where really cool!!

Matt