Can anyone give me some guidance on how you get access to the instrument cluster? Does it pop off some way, are there hidden clips, screws under the dash?? Thanks. harcar

I think yours will pull out the front. You will need two hooks to pull it or you can reach up under the dash and push it out. If I am wrong someone will correct me I'm sure

You need to take out the steering wheel first...

The dash cluster is clamped by the dash on exactly the same way is in the other MB models.
Take out the steering wheel and pull the cluster with two hooks (one at each side/top) or push it from behind (after removing the lower dash panel).
Watch out for possible damages of the soft dash when you are using hooks.

greetingz,

Thanks, guys. It's beginning to look like major surgery. Maybe I shou;d have stated my reason for needing the info in the first place. Here goes. In a previous post I had inquired about the very dim turn signal indicators in the dash. The consensus is that's normal and my dealer says there's no fix. However, in discussing the problem with the manager of the shop that put in an alarm system for me, he said they could do the electrical work by adding an LED to the system which would give ample light, but he was reluctant to get into the instrument cluster area without some guidance. I told him I'd check this valuable web site for directions. Of course they are very knowledgable about the electrics, accessing panels, working under the dash etc, but as far as pulling the steering wheel--I don't know. That sounds like a job for a trained MB tech, right?
Anyone got an idea of how to add an LED to the system?
Thanks harcar

I have pulled the steering wheels of other cars and it wasn't that hard. I don't have experience with pulling MB steering wheels so I won't even start with advice for that. However I have pulled out the instrument cluster on both my car and father's W123. I'll admit it would of been easier with the wheel out of the way, but it's not absolutely necessary. For my car I just grabbed the top edge of the cluster and pulled it out. For my father's car I removed the lower dash panel and pushed from behind. The cluster will only come out so far due to the oil pressure line and speedometer. These are easy to remove. I would recommend using a back up wrench for the oil pressure line, this is one fitting you don't want to strip and cause a messy leak. The beauty of the instrument cluster is that all the connectors on the back are all different so you can't put it back together wrong.

There is detailed instructions as to how to remove the instrument panel on a great site. Go to: http://hsb.baylor.edu/html/easley/autofaqs/main.htm
Then scroll down to electrical and click on the article about fixing clocks. I'v had the panel out of my 240 and my 300 SD without removing the wheel.
Please let us know the details on the success or failure of your LED experiment. It should work!

Boy, I'm running hot and cold on this topic. The last two posts from rickj and Ron are very encouraging. And the instructions in the web site mentioned by you, Ron, were so detailed I almost decided to tackle the job myself. Fortunately reality set in. Perhaps I will fabricate the hand made dash removal tool. That appears to be within the scope of my mechanical ability. Seriously, I am greatly impressed with the wealth of knowledge available in this forum and the willingness to share with someone who has little experience and less knowledge to offer back. I will certainly share my experiences, good or bad, as I adjust to this piece of work. If any of you would like to review my previous posts/questions and offer comments (some already have) please search on harcar on this site. I appreciate all the info/education I can get on this vehicle

The space between the dash and steering wheel of a 107 SL is NOT to be compared with any other MB model. I have removed instrument clusters of many different models (including the W107) and to get the 107 cluster out, the steering wheel needs to be removed.
It is not difficult to remove the steering wheel and if you have a model without airbag, you do not even have to take care not messing up the SRS system.

greetingz,

As I said before, I go hot and cold on this one, and I guess I'm cold again. But it's important to get all the details lined up, especially as regards this particular model, so thanks MBenz for your clarification. I agree, there is not much distance from the front of the dash to the rear of the steering wheel, and it does not tilt or telescope. Also the 1988 560SL has an air bag in the steering wheel hub, so I'm sure that complicates things. Guess I'll file this initiative under "not feasible". Thanks for all the responses and information. harcar