Instrument Cover

[Chesty Bonds]

Hey guys,

I'm having a little trouble trying to remove the instrument cluster's plastic cover from the dash of my car. I have a dead insect right underneath my service light interval cluster and it's starting to shit me. I've removed the two philips-head screws from the top underside of the plastic cover but it still seems reluctant to come off. I don't want to force it just in case I break something.

Do any of you guys have some tips/knowledge about the best way to remove it?

Cheers.

 

[jrt67ss350]

You have to take the fiberboard cover off the underneath of the driver's side dash - release the three plastic screws at the top and one more underneath and it'll pull out. Reach up underneath the dash and remove two knurled aluminum nuts that hold the plastic panel between the gauge cluster and the underdash fiberboard cover. Pull that plastic panel out. Then you'll see the remainder of the screws that you need to remove to get the gauge cluster out (there are four of them that are concealed behind the plastic panel between the gauge cluster and the fiberboard underdash cover). You'll then be able to remove the plastic piece that surrounds the gauge cluster since you already removed the two accessible screws at the top of it. When you get that plastic surround out, there'll be two more screws underneath that attach the top tabs on the cluster to the dash. Remove those, and you'll be able to wiggle the gauge cluster out - bend the top tabs down (carefully!! they can be broken fairly easily) and rotate the top of the cluster towards you. Reach in and disconnect the three large main wiring plugs, cruise control lead (if your car has cruise), and any other miscellaneous warning light wiring (anti-lock warning, service engine warning, or other lights that you may or may not have - not sure what other lights non-US cars might have). Pull the cluster out and remove about 10 phillips screws from the back to take it apart.

Contrary to popular belief and what the Bentley says, you do NOT need to remove the steering wheel to get the cluster out if you have a stock steering wheel - at least, I don't in my car.

However, if you have an insect between the front clear plastic instrument cover and the SI indicators, you will have trouble getting it out. The gray plastic piece that surrounds the gauges and the SI LEDs inside the cluster doesn't come out when you take apart the cluster. The clear plastic cover is heat welded to that part of the cluster. If that doesn't make sense, you'll see what I mean when you take it apart.

Hope that helps.

 

[Chesty Bonds]

Wow thanks Justin. Seems like a fair amount of fiddling around. Luckily, I've taken the fiberboard cover off many times (mostly for speaker installation) so I'm not a complete greenhorn on that area of the car.

Thanks again for the help. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[jrt67ss350]

Hey Pete, did you ever get this figured out?

 

[Chesty Bonds]

Hey mate, Merry Christmas! Honestly, I haven't had time to have a gander since I've been working like a Trojan over December. I'm going to give my car the 'Glym treatment some time next week though and I will be able to have a squiz then.

Thanks for your concern Justin! I will let you know ASAP.

 

[epj3]

Hey mate, Merry Christmas! Honestly, I haven't had time to have a gander since I've been working like a Trojan over December. I'm going to give my car the 'Glym treatment some time next week though and I will be able to have a squiz then.

Thanks for your concern Justin! I will let you know ASAP.

Working like a trojan hahahahahaha I'm sorry dude I had to think of that in the 'dirty way' and it made me laugh.

Now if you are working like a trojan, I hope you dont have holes in you.