Quote:
Originally Posted by junqueyardjim
I have to pull the instrument panel on my W124 to repair or replace the odometer and replace some light bulbs. While pulling the panel out of a junker at the P & P, I thought that the working room was a bit less then on the W123, but I can manage that job on the W123. I was thinking that it might be worthwhile to pull the steering wheel on the W124 to replace or otherwise work on the instrument panel. Am I looking at that right?
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The best thing you can do if you decide to remove the steering wheel to access the cluster; is to, using a propane or smaller butane pencil torch heat the large Allen head bolt which secures the steering wheel to the steering shaft. This bolt has an angled tapered underside which interfaces with the wheel and it has a liberal coating of blue thread locker on its large threaded area. Those factors can make it a bear to break free especially the first time it's ever being done! If you heat it first you accomplish two things you expand the bolt ever so slightly which might not help much but it doesn't hurt at all, and once the blue thread lock gets heated to about 125 F it softens and that definitely helps! You only need to heat it enough so that you can’t keep your finger on it because it’s too hot for that, you don’t need to get it red or smoking or anything like that!
I use a 2-3 foot piece of oak flooring wrapped with a rag, laid on the flat between the spokes on the steering wheel and braced on or between my legs as a counter hold, then a good 1/2" 10 mm Allen socket driven by a breaker bar. Things come apart without much difficulty that way but you want a good tool in that Allen bolt so that it doesn't get the chance to round out and strip, it is a royal pain to get that bolt out of there if it does!