w124 odometer removal - stuck speedo needle coil

[dusk]

Hi all

I've been following this thread but am stuck at this bit: "Again, remove four round brass screws and pull upward. The coil return for the needle is here". The speedo needle coil doesn't want to move, either when I lift the plastic cover, or when I try and lever the coil up off the metal shaft directly before lifting the plastic cover.

Are there any tricks to this (like using two spoons to get the speedo needle off)?

Thanks in advance - 1986 300E if that helps

For background, the reason for the removal is the odo refusing to turn past a certain point. I hear a slight whir, see the numbers taking on a bit of tension, then a click and the numbers jolt a little as they release the tension. This happens every 100m as the smallest gear on the trip odo tries to turn over but is blocked at some stage in the sequence of gears. I suspect something to do with the 100km wheel as I had it working again fine, then it stopped working again exactly 100kms later.