Awesome post!

 

Great post!

A theory why the fuel gauge didn't work. The S60 comes with 60L tanks while the XC90 comes with 71L ones. It's possible that a calibration is needed.

 

I was thinking along those lines as well, or if the donor was a PHEV car...

 

Terrific photos, I would have suffered a nervous breakdown very early in that journey.

 

What happened with your odometer? Did it update from the main computer or shows the S60 odometer km?

 

Great question! the S60 kilometers showed for a few seconds when I tested the replacement cluster (i.e. before the surgery described above). I turned the car off, started it again and the right km value showed up. The cluster mileage likely resets itself based on the main computer value at a certain frequency.

The surgery involved putting back the XC90 board into the replacement cluster, so that avoided any issue with mileage.

 

Cool thread! Nothing is better than when cars can be stitched together like Legos, in my book. You get lots of bonus points for continuous use of photography through the process

 

I gotta start remembering to photograph stuff when I fix/change things.

 

First contribution to this XC90 forum, hope it can help someone!

A few weeks ago the cluster on my '16 XC90 (Canadian version so kilometers below) started acting up and eventually went completely dark:

View attachment 209937

Unfortunately I couldn't find much online on how to replace it, and the dealer was asking for a disproportionate price for a replacement. After a quick look at eBay I found a similar cluster locally that got pulled from a 2020 S60 Momentum. It looked identical to the one on my XC90 so for $150 I figured it was worth a try.

Removing the cluster on the XC90 comes down to 3 screws (for the plastic panels under and above the steering wheel), two screws for the cover on top of the cluster, and then 4 screws for the cluster itself. I recommend buying a set of plastic tools to pry and pull the other items in the way of the cluster otherwise the plastic will get damaged. Accessing and removing the cluster took me about 45 minutes and a lot of guessing. Can probably be done in 10 minutes if you know what you're doing.

Once I removed the original cluster I simply disconnected the two cables behind it and plugged the one from the S60. It just worked (minus one nuance - the fuel gauge was always showing an empty tank)

View attachment 209939

Some anomalies about "City safety" we're also showing up. This could maybe have been reprogrammed at the dealership but I avoid them like the plague. I then took a look inside the original cluster to see if I could find anything interesting:

View attachment 209940

My theory at this point was that the original screen was likely broken but the cluster board was fine. Swapping the board (which is really a standalone ARM computer) could do the trick. At this point I had both clusters open:

View attachment 209941

Swapping the boards, I ended up with a reconstructed cluster with the original board from the XC90 and the screen from the S60. A quick test validated the theory:

View attachment 209942

Fuel gauge is working again! At this point I simply put everything back together and screwed the cluster back into place.

Conclusion: cluster screens from different Volvo models from '16 to '20 (at least) are definitely compatible. The cluster itself is kinda compatible with some anomalies such as the fuel gauge.

A number of cluster issues reported on this forum could have probably been solved with this low-risk, $150, two-hour surgery.

Well done. For others who experience cluster failure, I would suggest that they gain access to the electrical connectors for the cluster and unplug them, and plug them in again, two or three times just to ensure you weren’t dealing with a simple corrosion resistance issue at the connectors. When the cluster failed on my 2006 Saab 9–5, I bought a used cluster from eBay for about $50. Removing the existing cluster sounds simpler on the Volvo than the fiddly job on the Saab. Once I got the new cluster installed I trailered the car to a mechanic who had a Tech 2 to marry the new cluster to the Saab’s computer. I lost about 75,000 miles from my odometer reading but that’s fine. I’m driving this car all the way to the bitter end.

 

Got a used cluster today, plugged it in it turned on. took the board off the back from the original cluster, plugged it back in and said the lower milaged, started the car and now it shows 120k which was the milage on the used dash.

anyone have any idea? figured the mileage was on the CEM not the dash...

 

This is how it should work. You can’t lower the mileage by simply swapping the cluster. The Volvo writes the mileage in CEM, transmission, key, headlights etc. If one of them gets replaced the rest of the system just overwrites it.

 

80k original.

 

Very cool. I have a 2017 T5 with the smaller base model screen. A while ago I got an S90 rental car while on business and it had the larger display, which made me want to attempt an upgrade.

Seeing this inspired me to attempt the next level of surgery, and I have ordered a cheap 12.3" cluster off eBay to see if the guts of the two clusters are the same. I suspect that they may not be, but I will see how far I get!

 

Switch the board first, so it doesn’t change your milage. Mine added 40k to the car and I can’t switch it back.

 

Well, I got my 13” cluster today, finished the disassembly process in prep for comparing the ARM board with the 9” cluster when I get a chance to pull that hopefully later in the week.

I’ll take some notes on reassembly (with my fingers crossed that this works as intended) so if anyone else wants to attempt this as an upgrade rather than a like-for-like repair they can follow along.

 

OK Updates:

1. I removed the PCB from both the larger 12" display and the 7" display clusters for comparison.
2. Unfortunately the two do have some differences which make swapping the PCB's between them to maintain mileage/settings impossible, however
3. For the sake of science, I worked up the courage to just swap the larger display in place of my base model screen
4. After swapping, the donor cluster synchronized with the other modules and displayed my original mileage
5. No noticeable issues with fuel calculation, city safety or anything so far everything works as intended!

I was in a bit of a hurry so I didn't have time to thoroughly prep images detailing the process, but I can assure anyone who is thinking of doing this, it's a very easy swap if you are comfortable with minor interior disassembly and general electronics.

Important notes:

1. I purchased a cluster from the same model and year of Volvo, to avoid possible issues with firmware (per the note above about different fuel tank sizes between models)
2. The donor cluster had lower mileage than my vehicle, thinking that if I was unable to swap boards, this was the most likely option that would allow for the swap to not overwrite my proper mileage (per the notes above about higher mileage donor clusters syncing to the lower mileage ECUs and overwriting)

 

Does anybody have suggestions on how to find the proper cluster? I have a 2020 Volvo XC90 with less than 30,000 miles and am struggling to find them on eBay. I am US based. Thanks

 

Your Volvo should still be under the factory warranty (what month did you bought it in 2020? Hopefully November or December). Take it to the dealer, and they’ll have to fix it at no cost to you.

 

Becareful when swapping used clusters. If the mileage is higher on the new cluster the car will set all of the modules to the higher mileage is my understanding.

 

Hello, Community! I have a 2019 XC90 with approximately 55K miles, and my cluster display is showing only lines. After reading through your comments, I decided to remove the cluster and try a plug-and-play solution, but unfortunately, it didn’t work. I’m now exploring options on eBay and have found identical clusters available. However, my current cluster has three ports (black, white, and a large grayish one at the bottom), while some identical ones only have two ports (black and the large grayish one). My question is: would it work if I purchased the one with two ports and left the cable that connects to the white port unplugged? I’m unsure about the functional differences between the two versions. I did find one with three ports, but it’s located in the UK, (I’m in USA) and the shipping costs and return policies make it a bit challenging to buy. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!

 

Picked up a cluster from a 2019 XC60, to use to repair my flickering 2020 XC90 instrument cluster.
Do you have any tips, other than using plastic trim tools, for getting the cluster out? Does a lot of the dash need to be removed?

Thanks for your write up!

 

No it’s pretty straightforward. From recollection just the steering wheel column trim and the bezel around the cluster, and one of the dash vents to the left of the cluster. It’s pretty intuitive once you get started. If the cluster is otherwise identical, you could try just swapping the panel but depending how comfortable you are with electrical/circuit boards it might seem daunting.

 

I think I’ll just transfer the display. I’m pretty comfy in electronics. It’s my vocation, so I have the right tools to do it safely. Thanks again!

 

Do not just swap the whole cluster. It contain odometer info and that info can be adooted to your car. If it is higher than current odometer you will not be happy. Just swap the screen.

 

If the millage was lower would it have the same effect

 

I figured I’d post my repair as well. Worked like a charm!

 

 

Hey awesome post, I’ll be doing the same for mine which has the same issue.. question for you is did you disconnect battery before replacing?

 

I did not. I just waited for the display to turn completely off before unplugging any connectors. No issues for me, doing it that way.

 

What if the millage is lower does it revert to a lower millage

 

My ubderstanding is that all modules will be updated to the highest mileage module.

 

Can confirm, if swapping a cluster, find a lower mileage and it will sync with your ecu.

 

Alternatively, if you just need a display, swap the LCD panels, it’s a straightforward swap, keep your board and mileage is not a concern then.

in my case I wanted to upgrade from the base to the 13” panel, and I confirmed that the boards are not interchangeable.