PhilipM1

I want to paint the organish color of my needles to be white. Or soemthing less orange. I also might be wanting to change the color of the bulb, or possible a brighter bulb? How do I get the plastic cover off so get to the needels? Also, what would I need to get to the bulb? I STFF and didnt find any thing on how to remove the cluster except for disconnectign the speedo cable to get it all the way out. Wich I hope I dont have to do. I only really want access to the needles.

MTI

Don't put higher wattage bulbs or "hotter" bulbs into the cluster to improve the lighting. The hotter bulbs will burn and melt the plastic conduit that channels the light to the front of the console. It will look bright as day at the start, but as the plastic melts at the bulb end, it will discolor (brown/black) and actually reduce the amount of light that gets out front.

To paint the needles, you can either pull cluster out of the dash or carefully (very carefully and slowly) break the glue bonds on the plexi cover. I will warn you that you'll have to use a very sharp X-Acto knife to break the glue welds, but it can be done. Personally, I would pull the cluster and unscrew the cluster from plastic housing.

PhilipM1

I was thinking og putting a colored bulb mroe then a brighter bulb. But Im turning agaist that sicne my car is white/black. A colored bulb wouldnt really match anything. Maybe a nice LED? Not as hot. Might need a resistor? Probably wotn actually change it.

I really do want to paint the needles though. So I can either attemp to pry open the plastic and risk craking it. Or, pull the whole thing out and take it apart.

Do I have to pull the spedo cable to do this?

How do I start to get the cluster out? I searched for screws and all iI found were some in the air vents. Took those out and nothing really happend.

Thanks MTI. You know alot about your 190

MTI

There are a couple approaches to pulling the cluster. My favorite is from below. First, understand that the instrument cluster is press fit into the dash, there are no bolts or screws holding it in place, it is a friction fit. Second, you do not have to remove the steering wheel to pull out the cluster.

Here's my method. Remove the under dash panel/knee bolster by unscrewing the three screws holding the panel at the front and removing the press on retainer just behind the brake pedal.

If you look at the mess of wires, cables, vacuum lines exposed, it looks pretty cramped. You will see a fat black tube that runs from the center console to the driver's side air vent. This accordian pleated tube runs over the steering column and blocks your hands from reaching the knurled speedometer cable at the back of the cluster.

Pull the tube off of the console side (it's a snap fit, don't worry) and also pull it from the tube arm that goes to the driver's side vent (also a press fit.) Then pull the tube out from under the dash, don't worry, it's tough enough to be bent and yanked.

Once the tube is out of the way, use a flashlight to find the speedo cable that runs to the center of the console. It terminates in a brass knurled fastener that you simply unfasten by turning with your hand. Once the cable is released, you can give the backside of the cluster a push towards the steering wheel. Push until the cluster starts sticking out on the driver's vent side.

Crawl out from under the dash and grasp the exposed edges of the cluster and pull it out. There is sufficient cable slack to free it from the dash, but not much more.

All the molded plugs on the back of the cluster are coded by unique size and poloraization, so you can't plug cables back in the wrong way.

The seatbelt bulb is the only lightbulb that has to be removed and replaced later. On the same side, there is a single wire that is not part of a connector that is disconnected from a mounting post.

The Economy guage vacuum line is the only one with a rubber attachment line.

At each side there is a white connector that holds the fiber optic cables that illuminate the climate control switches on the right and the switchs on the left side of the cluster. The connector just unclips. At that point, the cluster should be free to be angled up and removed from behind the steering wheel.

There are 10 screws that hold the cluster into the mounting shell, eight are one size, while the two that hold the outside temp display are shorter and smaller. Remove the screws and the cluster can be separated from the shell.

PhilipM1

Holly god man. How do you know SO much about your car? That was the most discriptive thing ive ever read. Are you a mechnic or do you just do this for fun ?

MTI

You were in luck, this past weekend I pulled out my cracked dash, changed out all the bulbs, installed a CD player and ran new speaker wires to bypass the fader, changed the shifter and a few other mods.

PhilipM1

hahah thats awsome. I think im going to try the exacto knife thing first... that other stuff is too much for me. but thanks for the detailed info. Im sure someone will stf and use it.

MTI

Write Up, with Pic, of Cluster Removal

2.6190Emercbenz

Thank you for the detail I'm so close removing the vent tube is the last step but the reason I'm doing it is b/c the fuse in the cluster took out all my interior lights or at least I hope that's what did it. If you have delt with all the interior lights going out and have a suggestion please share I'm about to pull my hair out

crazycrowbar

This link aint working.....Can anyone help with the correct link .....Please!!!!!!.......