Instrument panel bulb failure
 

One of the bulbs in my instrument panel (the one behind the clock) has failed. It was intermitent until tonight (a sharp whack on the dash top would see it burst into light) but now it is off all the time and nothing I can do will light it up.

Is it an easy repair? Will the shop have to remove and refit the steering wheel to get at it? Will they put it back on straight? Will my dashboard rattle forever more? Is this something I'd be better off living with?

Thanks!

If your dash assembly is like my 450 slc then the replacement proceedure is dead easy. My steering wheel has a plastic emblem in the center. It pops out with the aid of a small screwdriver. Under it is a 17 mm nut. Remove the nut and the wheel comes off. Be sure that the wheel is in a level position so it goes back correctly. With the wheel off the instrument cluster will slide out. Make two coat hanger wire hooks and you can winkle the cluster out. The bulbs just pop out of the back of the cluster. I have to remove the spedo cable and the oil pressure tupe in order to remove the cluster but I think that all your instruments are electronic and won't require the removal of anything in order to get the cluster out far enough to change the bulbs. At lest that is my story and I'm sticking to it.

you don't remove the wheel to get the dash out. Do a search about pulling the instrument cluster. Less than a 5 minute job.

Just be careful when pulling the cluster out. If you slip and crack the plastic lens, it's expensive to replace (cost me $372 US when I screwed up)...

The small bulbs (1.2W or 2W) in question are integrated in the little plastic housings. Depending on the year, they are either blue or black.

To remove the bulb assembly, twist off, then out. If your fingers are too big for this, tweezers will work. The bulbs run about $2-6 US at the dealership here.

It comes out as described for the 107 chassis SL, but just adjust your steering wheel all the way down and back (towards the driver) and you won't need to pull the steering wheel then.
A few tips for NOT breaking the cluster:
Remove it on a warm day so the vinyl surrounding the cluster is a little more pliable, and I'll also mix up some soapy water in a spray bottle and squirt that around the perimeter of the lens, using the cluster hooks as I go around to help get soapy water into the gap. It lubes it a little so it won't fight so much coming out. If it's too hard to pull, that's where you can end up with the tools slipping off and damaging the lense.
Never do this on a cold day, the dash foam and vinyl is just to hard on a cold day.

Gilly

Is the steering wheel adjustable on the 81 380 sl? I dont see any kind of adjustment?

I don't think so. Mine is a 1999 car and they come with an electrically adjustable steering wheel. How unnecessary is that?

I will add to this:

If you do sucessfully remove the cluster housing DO NOT disconnect the harnesses unless you can procure a ODBII scanner tool!

One of them triggers the SRS fault code if disconnected from the cluster. Then, every time you start your car, you will have to stare at the red SRS light for about 3 or 4 minutes before it shuts off...until you can take the car somewhere to reset the code, which most dealers charge $70+ to do. :rolleyes:

How do you adjust the steering wheel down on a 560SL?
I need to replace a bulb myself....
Thanks,
Jim:D