Couldn't get instrument cluster out
 

I tried today to get the instrument cluster out to replace a bulb, but finally gave up. After reading the WONDERFULLY described instructions and photos on the DIY forum, I disconnected the cable from the holder by the brake, then used homemade tools (coat hangar) in the proper spots. I was able to get it out from the left and right, but the top just would not come off. I used a putty knife in select spots to help it. I was afraid if I pulled harder (and I was pulling so hard my tools slipped off a few times) that I would ruin or chip the cluster. So I gave up. No can do.

Any advice?

1991 300d, 90k

I went through the same thing to replace a bad outside temp gauge. Finally gave up on the putty knives and coat hangers. No damage done, but I could see making a mess of things, given some perseverance....

I went and bought the proper tools from the dealer. Worked like a charm. Something like twelve (or was it twenty?) bucks for the pair MB-logo t-handle hooks, verses a possible $xxx in damages...
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are the same hooks required for the c class?

Proper tools
 

Yep, I was afraid of that. The coat hanger I used maybe did not have enough lip on it. Either way, the top of the cluster was REALLY tight. Even with the proper tools, I would think a cluster could be ruined, real quick.

Thats what I thought too and I nearly gave up when I pulled the cluster on my 94 e320. But - the cluster plastic is VERY strong and you have to pull VERY hard (in fact I had to use gloves because my home-made tools were tearing my hands up)

Try it again - be brave! :)

I just did mine on my 1999 S320. On the 140 chassis you are able to remove the drivers side vent and "push" the cluster out partially and then get your tools in. If your able to get it out a little you can do a lot with your fingers to pull the cluster out. While I had a set of "tools" nearby I did not need them at all. Just a push from one side to get it out and using my fingers to pull it out the rest of the way.

It takes a bit of patience but you will get it out. A bit of a suggestion though. Bulbs are cheap. Toss out the old ones and put a whole new set in. It does wonders for the brightness of your cluster. Old bulbs dim over time.

Is just unhooking cable by the brake enough?
 

I unhooked the cable by the brake as one of the DIY articles said to do. There wasn't much slack on that at all; it was hard even to get it out of the little clamp. I started thinking maybe that's why it didn't come out, maybe there was supposed to be more slack?

Jeff

What does the cable by the brake have to do with the instrument cluster? I don't think there's any relationship. Paint can openers will work to get the cluster out, not as well as the factory tool, but at less than 10 percent of the cost. You basically need to break it so it will come out easier next time. It has little tabs that are totally unnecessary - the thing is not going anywhere.

get these! if you haven't already. Like infoage1 said, they're cheap at the dealer.

jbach36: the cluster is held very tightly if it's never been fiddled with in the past.
Clips pics below.

Answer
 

Body Electrical:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diy-links-parts-category/142413-body-electrical.html






Have a great day.

Jeff,

First, my car doesn't have a speedo cable, so no help there (it's electronic). That said, from everything I've read, they are otherwise identical. I say give up on the home-made jobbies. I tried and tried. Not worth screwing it up. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it takes a hell of a pull, and you'll have more confidence to do it with the right tools. Plus, they're cheap. When I was buying my MB hooks, the parts guy winced when I told him I had been trying it with DIY tools. Said he's sold a number of clusters to people who had broken the corners off theirs...

Same procedure as the DIY instrutions. Kinda upper leff/right corners, there is a row of catch points toward the back of the cluster that I don't think the coat hanger really engages very well because of the relative thickness of the wire. With the MB tools, because the wire on those is so thin, you can probe around with them, and feel the catch points. Once you have the cluster coming your way, you can grab it with your fingers.

Pretty amazing the bright minds at MB simply jammed the thing in there...WTF?

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