W124 Instrument Cluster Help!

[alexlepro]

Before anyone says search, I have already looked at Christ W.'s great post with the pictures. The cluster on my 94 E320 won't come out (It needs to come out because the check engine light stopped working and I failed smog check because of this). I made the special hooks and even with two adults pulling on each side very hard the cluster won't come out more than a few millimeters. I concluded that something was blocking it from coming out. I asked a Mercedes mechanic at a dealership and he told me to remove the black panel above the brake and accelerator pedals to see if something was blocking the speedometer cable or something. Well I did but there is some much stuff under there it's impossible to see all the way to the cluster. The only was I would be able to see back there would be to remove the big piece of vinyl under the steering wheel that goes from the center console to the door but it seems too hard to get out without screwing it up. My question is, does anyone else have any advise before I pay the dealership $90/hr to replace a 50 cent bulb?

where are you in san diego? give me a call in the morning tomorrow and i will fix it for you.

no charge

Carson356,
That is certainly a nice gesture in offering to help axlepro Three cheers for Carson.

I had the same problem replacing bulbs on my 190E. Speedo cable kept panel form moving more than an 1 inch or so.

[Pete Geither]

I don't think the 94 has a cable,,,, our 93 didn't. I'll bet you just have to pull harder,,,, mine was a real bear getting out after 12 years.

[schumi]

You have to pull really, really hard. Sometimes when I pull mine (hee hee) it sounds like something really bad breaks with a big noise when it finally comes free, but it has always been fine. knock on wood. I have had to remove mine 10-12 times trying to fix various things (odometer, warning lights, illumination). Sometimes it seems to come out easily, other times it requires huge force.

For starters, you have to make sure that the hooks reach way down to the back of the cluster, not just the forward edge. Secondly, you usually can't just hook it in a few places in get it out. You have to hook it on one corner or end and pull that up a little, then pull on one of the opposite corners then try a different corner on each side and just keep pulling on different spots until you get to a point where you can pull it out with both hooks.

Make sure the steering wheel is fully extended before you start.

Good luck,

well here it is a little before 1:00 no call yet, he may not read his email until later this evening.

[deanyel]

This is one of those things that works a lot better after you break it. There's little tabs in there that are totally unnecessary for keeping it in the dash.

[alexlepro]

Thanks to carson356 my check engine light now works. It ended up not even being the bulb, it was a burnt out fuse. Again, thanks a lot carson356, I really appreciated your help.

after pulling the cluster and replacing the bulb the light was still out, so the next thing i checked was the Over voltage relay, the 15 amp fuse was burned out, alexlepro had told me that he had jump started the car, that may have been what burned the fuse, after replacing the fuse, all seemed well.
was glad to help him.

carson,

That is a very decent way to do business, build a clientele and attract new customers. I hope this is an indication that you do good, honest work.

Have a great day,