I used a 1/2" drive 10mm hex and a 1/2" breaker bar.

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!

Getting good help for that job this morning. Now I am waiting for a warm day off or a nice weekend to get in there and get the job done. Could someone tell me why on my W124 the outside temperature read out is mostly covered in black. It gives the correct temperature as the front digit is legible, but you can only read the second digit if the light hits it just right. It almost looks like a fungus is growing across the inside of the glass. The car had been in inside storage in Ft Wayne, IN for 10 years before I bought it.

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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

How cute--I thought it was only dummies that called TORX "Star!"

It's a better solution than allen, of course.

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Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles

Sure the display has not leaked? Its very common.

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

What liquid is in there?

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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

YES, I have one. Checked the owners manual and it showed where the switch button was located. I found it and it works very well. Now I won't have to pull the steering wheel.

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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

Torx is patented, you can't make and sell a star bit as Torx unless you pay the royalties.

Ever heard of a "cross-recess" bit (Phillips) or Hex (Allen)?

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

The LCD (LIQUID Crystal Display) has gone bad, you need a new one. I have a couple in Michigan if you're not in a big hurry.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

I have a question about Airbags. I went thru the Disarm procedure in Alldata. It'd been disarmed for a few days now. I need to hook up the batt for some troubleshooting and want the airbag to remain disarmed. Can I just leave the airbag connectors dc'd and hook the Batt up? Will that screw up anything that would need to be "reset".

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<<Les Garten>> 1988 300TE 280,000 Miles

On a W210 that gives you a SRS light that needs a handheld tester to reset.

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Prost!

It looks like my only option here is to hook up the airbag and do my electrical troubleshooting hoping I won't trigger the airbag? I need to run the tests on the cruise control amp, actuator, and switch. I doubt I will trigger the airbag. I don't want the SRS light on for sure. I've heard all kinds of horror stories about dealers wanting a lot to turn the light off.

It sounds like if I connect the batt with the airbag connector DC'd, I'll get a SRS light. Is that true?

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<<Les Garten>> 1988 300TE 280,000 Miles

I don't know on the 124, don't think so but I'm waiting to hear from the experts.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Sounds like my Options are:

1) Leave Airbag DC'd, hook up batt, get SRS light, go to dealer.

2) Hook up SRS connector, Hookup batt, take a chance I won't trigger airbag putzing around with the Cruise Control

Seems like anything much with the electrical system, you are told to disarm the airbags.

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<<Les Garten>> 1988 300TE 280,000 Miles

I left the red airbag connector dc'd and drove the car to make sure I had the sterring wheel correctly positioned. The airbag light was on while I was driving. After everything was OK I re-connected the the red connector and the airbag light went off, never to be seen again.