ok i was wonderin if i bought a new guage cluster from a junk yard will my milage show up or will the previouse cluster owner's miles show. how are the miles saved so that when the cluster is unpluged the miles come back when its plugged back in???

 

I'm pretty sure it's all stored happily in a memory module in or attached to the ECU since the cluster must get info like RPM's and what not. Granted, this is all conjecture.

 

i think in the cluster on my taurus sho had to have it replaced and tehy had a legal doc had 2 be signed by us tehm and dmv or something saying what they had 2 sset millage at (what was at when they took it out)

 

yeah i'm pretty sure if you change your gauges you'll have to reset the mileage, and get it done by a certified tech with written documentation. or you could just not do it and set it to whatever you want and commit fraud.

 

In my experience as a tech most manufacturers store the milage in the cluster and when they replace it the cluster is ordered with the vin # and current milage. the cluster is programed at the distribution center and the shipped to the dealer. no extra paperwork with the dmv or anything... Just plug and play

 

If it was stored in the speedo then it would have a separate battery or power supply which is not the case. It's stored in the ECU most likely, but definitely not in the speedometer. Swapping should cause no problems whatsoever unless you consider your "trip" odo resetting a problem.

 

ps the technitian probebly cannot change or reprogram mileage. there would be quite a few not so honest techs makeing money altering digital odometers if they could.

 

the mileage is stored on a chip when power is taken away

 

look at cars with digital odometers and after market ecms like AEMs. they still have ther mileage in the cluster. if you swap junk yard cluters you car will show the mileage of the doner car.

 

good info! but they do make an edit button.