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  #1  
Old 02-26-2014, 09:01 PM
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Servising the instrument cluster.... upgrades?

so i have seen some pictures where people have added a red light to monitor oil pressure or repaint the needles on their instrument clusters. I want to try to do everything at once if i can so here is what i need/want to do

1. replace speedo cable, just started intermittently hopping at low speeds.
2. repair clock with new caps
3. fix odometer
4. add the red light for the low oil pressure
5. paint the needles
6. replace the lights with LED if possible(good tip there)
7. rheostat
8. make sure cluster is well grounded

Am i missing anything? anything else i should check or do after i have pulled the cluster? are there more caps in there that i should plan on ordering to have on hand?

going to keep updating with other ideas or things if it will let me

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Last edited by yvairguy; 02-26-2014 at 09:14 PM.
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  #2  
Old 02-26-2014, 09:06 PM
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* LED panel lights, if possible
* Fix or bypass the panel light rheostat if it's flaky
* Run a ground wire with spade connectors from two points on the left and right sides of the metal backplane to chassis ground.
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  #3  
Old 02-26-2014, 09:12 PM
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shoot yep forgot about the rheostat, it does have issues.... going to keep editing the post if it will let me
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Old 02-26-2014, 11:41 PM
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There is a guy on a Toyota forum I'm on who installed a small, flashing red LED in his cluster that runs when the key is in the lock position (I think) to simulate a burglar alarm system . He lives in Chicago and has had his cars broken into before, but never after this retrofit.
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Old 02-26-2014, 11:55 PM
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As I recall the price of that rheostat is quite high for as small as it is. Unless it is falling apart try cleaning the contact area with some tuner cleaner from Radio Shack. I have used this and it will make them work again.

Otherwise you might try Ebay for used or Pelican if you want to buy one new.
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Old 02-27-2014, 12:18 AM
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Could one replace the rheostat with a garden-variety potentiometer and use it to control an LM317-based dimmer circuit for the two dash bulbs? If you're using LEDs for the bulbs, the LM317 might not even need a heatsink.
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Old 02-27-2014, 06:48 AM
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Are anyone's instrument cluster lights ever too bright?
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Old 02-27-2014, 06:54 AM
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The speedo face on my W126 is awful. The black paint is loose all around the edges, and the numerals are faded and dull.
How can i pull the speedo needle? The W126 seems to have a positive stop internally as there is no stop pin on the face. Is indexing the needle when re-installing as straight-forward as it seems?

What I'd like to do, is to photograph the face, edit it to improve the colors, and then....what? How do i print a new face? Or do i print only the two bands and their numerals and then transfer that to a repainted face?

Is there a specific voltage I can input somewhere and know what the speedo should indicate?
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Old 02-27-2014, 12:01 PM
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Ive debated scanning a speedo face, photoshopping as needed then reprinting onto an 8.5x11 sheet of 'sticker paper' - then sticking that over the entire face and seeing how the lights shine through.
sticker paper is available at any officemax/staples, but its longevity, glare and print quality may not be a step up from where you are now.
This also would not represent black well (ie - you'd do better to have black numbers on a white background
you could add icons, symbols, fix funny characters or otherwise personalize the faces.
you would need to cut some very nice circles in key places.... not sure how good this would look if it was done at home.

but if you had a spare/broken cluster..it might be worth trying.

most clusters Ive seen have a speedo needle held on by friction - you use care and multiple small levers to pull it off. put some vinyl electrical tape on the existing face to have a 'durable' surface to pry against.

voltage vs speed - could you pull the cluster, drive the car at a known speed and measure voltage generated by the speedo sensor ? usually that's a pulse so just measuring it with a Voltmeter might not work well.
or better get - get a spare speed pickup, wire it up with +12 to the cluster. Put the sensor next to your drill and try to simulate a set speed (ex: full drill speed = 85mph) then when you re-assemble, you can check it this way.
none of these are easy...how does the factory check the calibration on a speedometer ?

-John
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  #10  
Old 02-27-2014, 12:10 PM
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Might be useful:

MBCluster.com Mercedes W140 Instrument Cluster Repair Homepage

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w201-190-class/1638740-moman-indiglo-plasma-gauges-installation.html
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  #11  
Old 02-27-2014, 12:35 PM
is thinning the herd
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Angel View Post
Ive debated scanning a speedo face, photoshopping as needed then reprinting onto an 8.5x11 sheet of 'sticker paper' - then sticking that over the entire face and seeing how the lights shine through.


-John
W123 clusters are front lit, not back lit, so amount of light passing through would not be an issue.
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  #12  
Old 02-27-2014, 12:57 PM
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I once peered into the cockpit of an ME-262. The first thing I noticed was all the instruments used the same type face and layout of every Mercedes speedo up through the 123. Either that or someone had used the faces of 123 instruments during the restoration of the aircraft.

So I guess if you find something that works you should just stick with it!
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  #13  
Old 02-27-2014, 03:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MS Fowler View Post
Are anyone's instrument cluster lights ever too bright?
Sure, when it is dark out. I always run them as low as useful so they don't distract vision out the windshield.

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