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  #1  
Old 10-21-2003, 01:34 AM
84W123DT
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84 300DT - Pulling out the Instrument Panel

Using a dash removal tool I made, thanks to this forum, I was able to pull out the instrument panel but only partially, about 4 inches out. I’m aware that there are all sorts of connections behind it including the speedometer cable and so on and I’m afraid that I may break something if I force-pull it. I took off the knee-dash to look under the steering column but to no avail. I need some slack and what’s holding it back?

Your help is appreciated.


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  #2  
Old 10-21-2003, 03:24 AM
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Pull up your carpet and unclip the speedometer cable. You should now be able to pull out the instrument cluster far enough to unscrew the cable at the speedometer.
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Old 10-22-2003, 02:32 AM
84W123DT
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Quote:
Originally posted by speedy300Dturbo
Pull up your carpet and unclip the speedometer cable.
No speedo cable under the carpet but is the wrapped cable under the left foot rest (hard plastic) the speedo cable on W123?
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  #4  
Old 10-22-2003, 02:55 AM
Charlie Mitchel
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Instrument Cluster Removal:

Beside the speedometer cable yoy have a oil line screwed into the gauge. It must be taken loose.
Charlie
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  #5  
Old 10-22-2003, 05:15 AM
redbaronph123's Avatar
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what usually gets stuck behind my cluster hindering me to gain access at the back is the oil line. reach into the gap with a size 10 or 12 wrench (if i'm not mistaken) and loosen the line. remove it and the cluster can be easily pulled. Pull the cluster closer to you and remove the speedo cable (can easily be removed by hand) and the 15-pin wire cluster. Remove the wire for the tach (if you have a tach) and the one for the clock. And you are all set.
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1975 200 - Sold (no pix);
1978 200 - Sold - http://www.pbase.com/hboy/redbaron
1979 300TD - Sold
http://www.pbase.com/hboy/greenwagon
http://www.geocities.com/hboy726/300TD.html
1985 230E - now my daily driver...
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  #6  
Old 10-22-2003, 11:37 AM
Stevo's Avatar
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84W123DT

On my 240Ds there is a clamp holding the spedo cable in the eng compartment. let that go and you should have enough room to get your hand behind the cluster. (follow the cable down from where it comes through the fire wall)
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  #7  
Old 10-22-2003, 06:29 PM
84W123DT
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Is it that involved to replace the instrument panel bulbs including the reserve fuel indicator?
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  #8  
Old 10-22-2003, 06:47 PM
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Is it that involved to replace the instrument panel bulbs ?

Well, that depends on whether the instrument cluster was ever removed before, most likely it has been in a high mileage car, and if the previous mechanic did not lash down the speedo cable then you may be able to simply yank on the cluster and reach the upper left corner where the lamp for the low-fuel indicator is located.
My suggestion is be prepared to have to push against the back of the cluster as they tend to get pretty stuck if they haven't been removed recently, therefore you need to remove the cover underneath, and then you can always get to the oil line with a 10 mm short open-end wrench. One has to work blind in this kind of job, a little experience will show you that, simply reach around from underneath and loosen the oil line, and don't forget to reattach it or you will have a mess on the floor/carpet.
Oh yes, while you have the cluster loose you can bypass the flaky dimmer rheostat that tends to go out and leave the dash in darkness. I always solder a small wire around the resistor element to solve this common problem. Running full brite is hardly brite enough for my eyes.

Dieseldiehard
1971 220 (gas) 4-spd manual 104041
1979 300TD w/ ’85 turbo engine 289560
1983 300D 237490
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  #9  
Old 10-22-2003, 06:54 PM
84W123DT
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Alright, while I'm in there is there anything else I should be looking for? This forum suggest replacing the speedo cable to correct the surging-problem while cruise control is in use. What's say you?

BTW Dieseldiehard, should I expect lots of oil to spill out when I disconnect the oil pressure line?
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  #10  
Old 10-22-2003, 09:51 PM
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if the car is not running when you unscrew the oil line.. you shouldnt get much more than maybe a drip.... while your cluster is out in the open.. might as well get some rug and clean the bulbs (if you havent cleaned them yet).. as they get dirty through time. Remove the speedo cluster, the oil/fuel/temp cluster and the clock/tach-clock and clean the clusters... if you want you could paint the needles if they have lost their luminiscense (spell check here..)

i think what dieseldiehard is implying is dont forget to screw back the oil line firmly.. otherwise when you start your car.. you'd get squirts of oil coming from the back of the dash.... and its a messy job cleaning it.
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----------------------------------
1975 200 - Sold (no pix);
1978 200 - Sold - http://www.pbase.com/hboy/redbaron
1979 300TD - Sold
http://www.pbase.com/hboy/greenwagon
http://www.geocities.com/hboy726/300TD.html
1985 230E - now my daily driver...
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  #11  
Old 10-23-2003, 01:03 AM
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I didn't say it but I meant the oil line fitting has to go back AND BE TIGHTENED, O/W oil will drip on the floor.
I haven't ever seen any oil drip out when removing the fitting, but you could have ready a small plastic bag to place over the end when it comes off to protect from this possibility.
I have never had to repair a surging cruise control. If your speedo indication is not smooth then yes, the cable could be part of the problem, that is because the speedo actually has a small armature that turns and drives the cruise control amplifier. I have usually had to replace the amplifier module.
Oh yes, I always replace any bulbs that are blackened on the inside of the glass, that is a sure sign they are near end of the life.
I have also cleaned the instruments, the black face on them that is.
I also recall something you might need. I had a Speedo Shop replace the odometer portion of the speedometer because the digits were so dark I couldn't read them. It ran $35 as I recall, and they cleaned the speedo digits also, and oiled the speedometer bearings as part of the job (this applies to my '79 300TD with 290K on it).
Dieseldiehard
1971 220 (gas) 4-spd manual 104646
1979 300TD w/ ’85 turbo engine 290820
1983 300D 238890
1985 300TD 207980
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  #12  
Old 10-23-2003, 02:00 AM
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Brick right foot..
 
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dieseldiehard mentioned about oiling the speedometer bearings... would doing this fix my problem of a speedometer getting stuck from a standstill?.. i mean i have to tap lightly on the cluster just to make it jump up and show the actual speed I am going at.

hope I described my problem with my speedo cluster well.. ehhee i've brought down the cluster many times.. and oiled the back of the speedo cluster. It works well at the start.. but after a week or so.. it does it again. then i start tapping again on the cluster just to make it work...hjehehe

kinda frustrating to keep on bringing down the cluster and doing the oiling... by the way.. what kind of oil should be used anyway??
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----------------------------------
1975 200 - Sold (no pix);
1978 200 - Sold - http://www.pbase.com/hboy/redbaron
1979 300TD - Sold
http://www.pbase.com/hboy/greenwagon
http://www.geocities.com/hboy726/300TD.html
1985 230E - now my daily driver...
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  #13  
Old 10-23-2003, 06:15 PM
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Dieseldiehard
 
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Location: Bay Area No Calif.
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Tapping on the speedo will get to be a pain, and sooner or later you may crack the faceplate. I used to have a temp gauge that stuck in a W115 car and I got into the habit of slapping the top of the dash near the instruments. Then oneday I noticed that the dash started cracking where I had been slapping it, which was a pity because it was a real nice, uncracked dash (a rarity in these older cars!) and I bit the bullet and found a replacement instrument.

I have no idea where the speedo bearings located or if they are easily accessible for oiling, but if you open the instrument I am sure you will see the right place.
A light machine oil should be used (it generally comes in small metal cans here) - try sewing machine oil if you have a source of it.
As an alternative, go to a wrecking yard and buy the speedometer section from a similar model car for your cluster. The reason I say similar model is because the speedo from a different model is probably not going to show the same accuracy because it may have a different calibration. There are numbers stamped on a small paper sticker on the back of the speedometer which indicate the calibration or compensation factor. I see them when I remove a cluster and do not recall the eact format but you will see it somewhere on all Mercedes speedometers. FWIW, speedo calibration on 300D vary from one year to the next. There are at least three different speedo calibrations depending on the differential ratio used with the car and whether the car had turbo or not.
Dieseldiehard
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  #14  
Old 10-24-2003, 01:53 AM
84W123DT
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With the tips and tricks from this forum I was able to pull out the instrument cluster fine. I used a 13mm open wrench to hold the oil pressure body steady and a 10mm open wrench to disconnect the line. The speedo cable connector can be turned by hand. I replaced all the bulbs, a drop of oil in the speedo cable, wiped clean all connections and labels (pulls out from the side) fine. The rheostat has been bypassed. Unfortunately I have to go back in there again once I get the part to install a bulb holder for the reserve fuel indicator, which is missing. The last man who fiddled around with it lost it and did not tell!

The reinstall is the reversed but had some trouble with speedo cable not having enough slack. A light thug on the cable gave me about 1 inch of slack enough to reconnect it. Will see if I performed the job correctly when I drive it tomorrow.
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  #15  
Old 10-24-2003, 10:04 AM
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Quote:
Originally posted by 84W123DT
I used a 13mm open wrench to hold the oil pressure body steady and a 10mm open wrench to disconnect the line.
Please invest in a set of flare nut wrenches. They're not expensive, and those brass fittings are easily damaged with open end wrenches. Rounding off that fitting on the sending line will put you in a world of hurt.

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