560SL insturment bulbs
 

Got tired of the dusty and dim insturment panel. I pulled the panel, cleaned her up, and installed new bulbs. Also thought that I would try and resolder any questionable joints on the climate control (CC) board.

Getting the CC board out is straightforward. Pull the ashtray, two screws behind the ashtray come out, unplug the cigar lighter lead, and the whole CC face will release from the dash. When out, the connections are pretty self explanitory, and only really go back one way so you can't mix them up. The resolder didn't solve the occasional "no fan" condition.

cluster
 

Getting the cluster out was easy. 1) Disconnect the battery! You don't want the air bag going off! Let her cool down for 10 minutes. There are 2 #30 or 35 (?) Torx bits behind the Wheel that hold the air bag in place. Take them out and pull the bag unit.

The next step is a doozie. All that is holding the steering wheel to the column is a big hex socket screw. Get your 10mm hex head socket, a 6 inch extention, and a 1/2 inch drive 18 inch long breaker bar.

Picture of the hex head socket and the screw below - sorry about the focus.

I put a 4 foot axe handle through the wheel, my wife held and added commentary, and i pulled like a mule. It broke free with a snap. I think it had green? threadlocker on it.

With it out, all there was left to do was index the wheel to the column with a little liquid paper, and pull the wheel. Under that is a little trim ring held on by 3 #1 phillips screws.

The insturement cluster pops right out.

the hole
 

Wow - crummy focus on the one above.

This is the hole with all the wires dangling. Luckily the connections are pretty straight forward and keyed so you can't mix things up. Even the warning lights (not visible) are numbered for reassembly.

on the bench
 

With the cluster on the bench, it is was easy to take out the 12 or so screws that hold it together. I broke it down, polished the plastic window and grungy gauge faces. The only bulbs that really need replacing are the 2 night gauge cluster lights (replace with Sylvania 2721) in the 2 cigarette sized holders that stick into the cluster from the back. There are 2 other push in bulbs (Sylvania 3W 2821) in the brake warning socket, and the reserve fuel tank indicator. The rest of the lamps in the 107 are those blasted 2721 lamps - but they are soldered into those tiny black plastic snap-in holders. I replaced two with new, but the micro- soldering drove me nuts. I gave up at two.

Cleaning the plastic window and the gauges is very important to a good finished product. Wash you hands to get rid of oils. Use lint free towels and window cleaner to clean the window and the gauge faces. There are vent holes in the cluster that allow the decomposing foam in the dash pad to fall in and dirty things up. I was afraid to seal them (fogging?), but did place masking tape loosely over them to help keep things clean.

cleaned up
 

forgot to take a before - but cleaned up it sure looks better.

and visible
 

much better illumination at night.