I have finally finished installing a custom-made accessory gauge panel out of the burlwood hinged-door cubbyhole in my '99 E300 Turbodiesel and am really pleased with the results...I figured I'd post some pictures and helpful hints, as well as a list of parts and tools for anybody who has nothing better to do and might have had an idea to do this or something similar to their own car! All in all it was relatively easy once I did a little research and tracked down the parts and other info I needed to use.

Parts Used: (all VDO Visions Series gauges, VDO accessories and DIN 3 gauge panel insert-which I used as a template to mark for cutting the burlwood door panel-were purchased from Egauges.com)

-1 VDO p/n 150-121D/ 0-25 PSI turbo boost gauge
-1 VDO p/n 350-104D/ 80 psi oil pressure gauge
-1 VDO p/n 332-103D/ 12 volt electrical gauge
-1 VDO p/n 360-002/ 80 PSI oil pressure sending unit: Size M12 X 1.5K
-3 VDO p/n 240-023D/ Wiring kits
-2 VDO p/n 600-402D/ Stud mounting kits 52mm (for oil press and volts gauges)
-1 p/n PAN-001/ DIN panel insert(used as template to mark burlwood door for cutting)
-1 MBZ copper crush washer for oil pressure sending unit mounting
-1 3M Brand 22-16 gauge (red) electrical splice quick-connect
-2 3M Brand 18-14 gauge (blue) electrical splice quick connects

Tools Used:

-1 17mm slim profile open-ended wrench (to tighten oil pressure sending unit to base of oil filter housing in a factory pre-tapped and capped bung)...I used a Craftsman Brand #429929 wrench that I ground down the open-ended head to a thickness of 5mm to gain enough clearance.
-1 Torx T-40 insert to remove the metal screw-in plug at the base of filter housing where oil pressure sending unit is to be mounted.
-1 HIGH QUALITY 2" hole saw- for cutting holes for gauges in burlwood hinged door panel.
-2 Becker radio removal keys (need to remove radio to release cubby-box from console)

Additional items needed...(if you chip the clearcoat over the burlwood cutting the gauge holes, and need to fill the chips and refinish the panel like I did!):

-1 Spray can of Minwax Brand "Indoor/Outdoor Helmsman Spar Urethane"
-Several sheets of Wet/Dry 600, 1000 and 1500 grit sandpaper to wet sand the previously mentioned refinished cubby door
-1 bottle of Mother's brand Plastic Polish to finish buff panel to flawless glass-like shine

Things I learned through the process:

-To release hinged-door cubby box assembly from console, first remove radio to gain access, and below radio opening is one small plastic tab on top of the cubby box that you carefully push down while simultaneously gently pushing cubby box out of console from behind.

-The cubby box/door/ frame assembly is two pieces- you need to remove the back enclosed portion of the box from the frame/door assembly to give clearance for the sides and backs of the gauges. To remove this back of the box, I used six wood shims that pressed out the pressure clips holding it in place. Once all six clips are pressed in, gently work the back half of the box out.

-The "VDO Visions" style volts and oil pressure gauges have a "spin-lock mount" This mount is too wide to fit in the panel/box and you must use the above mentioned "conventional" VDO 2-stud mounting accessory kits. The boost gauge does not use the spin lock method and already has the proper mounting posts attached.

-CAREFULLY pre-mark the burlwood panel with the DIN Insert as a template so that the gauges will fit within the door/frame assembly- (it is a VERY close tolerance), then EVER-SO-CAREFULLY and SLOWLY cut the three holes out. The wood is backed by a thick aluminum backing panel for strength, so it will take some time to cut through it. Did I already mention how carefully this must be cut?? I was impatient and ended up chipping the clearcoat in several places. Have no fear- I had to fill the chips and totally refinish the panel with about 6 coats of the Minwax spray urethane-proper drying times observed- then progressively wet sanded, and finally thoroughly buffed with Mother's Plastic Polish for a mirror-like finish. The refinishing is TOTALLY indistinguishable from the original factory finish! I recommend it highly!

-To route oil pressure sending unit lead wire and boost pressure vacuum hose, you must drop the driver's side under-dash panel to gain access to a pre-cut and black plastic-capped firewall hole- it is just below and outboard of the master cylinder under the hood. Route boost pressure vacuum hose through and tap into the line going to the boost pressure regulator on the driver's side of the engine compartment right next to the intake manifold via a 3-way "T" fitting.

-Oil Pressure sending unit install is unbelievably easy except for the REALLY cramped quarters...at the base of the oil filter housing is a small 3/4" diameter screw-in cap requiring a Torx T-40 insert to remove. Researching this "bung" at the parts counter at my dealer, I discovered that it WAS for the installation of an oil pressure sending unit at one time...apparently it is no longer used and the hole is just capped. The above mentioned VDO sending unit is a direct screw-in for this hole and seals with a copper crush washer similar to (but smaller than) your oil drain crush washer. Route the wire from the sending unit through the same path as the boost line.

-Finally the electrical tie-ins for the gauges are simple as well. I used the 3M Brand electrical quick-connects to splice into the wires going to the cigarette lighter. One is for ignition controlled power on, one is for night illumination, and the last one is a ground.

All told it took me about a month of on and off sweat labor, and about $260.00 in parts!
It all works great, and looks like it came from the factory this way...definitely worth the effort!

J.G.

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A few additional photos of my third child...

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Wow, that looks great! Quick question: what color do those VDO gauges light up in?

That looks great! I wish MB had kept oil pressure and boost gauges as standard in the 210 like they had them in the older models. I have a spare compartment cover...now you have me thinking of doing this myself!

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

I have the VDO vision series pyrometer, which came with two little rubber "condoms" for the lightbulb in red and green, so you could alter the hue to suit your desire. I opted for the condom-less standard white hue. The needle and dial face numbers light up with the vision series--very nice!

This really is a disease I have!! Thanks...I'm really pleased with the final product. The gauges light up just as the factory ones do...white backlighting of the numbers in the gauge face, and "fiber optic effect" red/orange glowing needles. Included with the gauges are a choice of green or red covers that you can put on the light bulb to give you the desired illumination color. The "white" of the bare (clear) bulb makes the numerals a little whiter than the "yellow-cream" color of the main dash display. Being as I'm a damn perfectionist, I may see if there is either a more yellow bulb cover or a frosted white bulb to soften the lighting so it will perfectly match the main cluster.

Like I said, it's really a pretty simple project overall...I usually run into many more pitfalls and roadblocks when I get an idea for an "improvement" such as this!

J.G.

That it SWEEET!

I have been thinking about adding an EGT gauge and an oil gauge for the longest time.

AWESOME that someone has found a way to do it and to come up with a nice description of how to do it.

For those of you with the NA E300, I am thinking of putting the EGT sensor in the location of the opening in the first exhaust manifold that no longer connected to the EGR.... What ya'll think. Would it be worth it?

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#dieselFLEET
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'97 E300
'99 E300

That would be a great place to put it, a rather creative way to plug that hole. Now only to find a way to disable the egr on a turbo model....which i will be tinkering with this coming weekend.

__________________
2002 G500 74K
1998 E300 200K and rising
1995 S600 73k


"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering
if they've made a difference. The Marines don't
have that problem."-Ronald Reagan

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them
what to do and they will surprise you with their
ingenuity."-General George S. Patton

.

I don't see why ti can't be done and not performed the same way as on the NAOM606. The EGR is only open at idle, as soon as the RPM's rise the valve closes and no boost is lost... Just goptta think about how it works logically. The EGR could not be open while the turbo is creating boost as boost pressure would be lost and back-feeding into the exhaust, being counter- productive...

Did I miss anything?

__________________
#dieselFLEET
---------------
'97 E300
'99 E300

I hate to say this now, but VDO does make a Diesel Boost Gauge without a Vac side.

Nice install othewise!

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2002 VW Golf TDI-169,000 miles B20

Have no fear...I actually bought BOTH gauges to see which I liked better!! I had the 0-30 PSI unit in for a week and it developed an internal rattle. I sent it back under warranty and installed this one while waiting for replacement!

I also thought ahead when engineering this thing and installed the panel with electrical quick connects so I can snap the whole panel out-wiring and all- if I need to change or replace anything quickly and easily.

Additionally, I also couldn't easily decide on WHICH three gauges I wanted to install...the boost was a definite, as was oil pressure. The volts isn't REALLY necessary, and I would have preferred to install a pyrometer or oil temp gauge- both of which are more useful in a turbo car. Unfortunately they both will require considerably more effort to install either of their respective probe/sending units. In the mean time, I have the volts until I can figure a way to neatly and easily install the sending unit or probe for the pyro or oil temp. I thought this project was COMPLETED??!!

J.G.

You should swap the volt guage out for an egt guage. Get some base readings then crank up the fuel and boost!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I thought about the EGT for mine and it really make no sense.

For a turbo it would. Make some baseline runs before and after getting it chipped by SpeedTuningUSA!!!!

__________________
#dieselFLEET
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'97 E300
'99 E300

For my NA OM606, instead of the boost guage could I install a working vacuum gauge? As rev's increase the vacuum in the intake manifold would increase. Right? This might be something cool to ass as I want to add some gauges that move.

Definately going to add the oil pressure gauge, the volt meter and the vacuum gauge, if I can tee into it where I think Jay Gibbs tied into his....

__________________
#dieselFLEET
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'97 E300
'99 E300

An egt guage really won't do you much good without a turbo. Unless you just want to have one for fun.

michakaveli are you coming to the gtg? You could caravan up with me and my friend.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200