I got the cluster out easily to replace the oil pressure line and a burned out bulb or two. The problem is that it does not seem to want to go back in. The bottom pushes in nicely, but the top gets about 1/4" away from going in entirely and stops. I put my hand behind there a couple times to feel if it was hanging up against anything back there - but there seems to be plenty of space. It does not appear that any wires have become jammed between the metal frame in there and the rubber surrounding the cluster.

Is there some trick to this?

__________________
1984 300TD

I just did the same thing to mine. the only resistance I had to putting it back in was the speedo cable. I unhooked the cable from the block to give room for easy attachment, then when I reinstalled the cluster I LIGHTLY pulled the cable to pull through the slack. Then I zip tied it to the hook on the block. I dont know how in the world anyone can get the speedo cable connected from underneath but the zip tie doesnt bother me and I can just cut it to remove the cluster easier later. Hope this helps.

I had no problem with my cluster either, the speedo cable wasnt too bad to get to, just laid down in the floorboard and got it off/on. I have in the past dealt with some vehicles that have old cracked up dashes exposed to long hours of hot sunlight, they shrink and warp over time, if yours is tired, it may have been under some tension stress from shrinkage and removing the cluster let it relax a little, just so that it makes it hard to reinstall now. Or perhaps an alignment pin/retaining pin on the cluster got bent over a little?

Hmmm - didn't see any of those. I'll take another look at it in the morning light...

__________________
1984 300TD

You might also have to bend the oil line some to make it pop into place, but be very careful with it. But of course you can probably do it faster the second time.

Len