Dashboard top /Instruments removal.

JAGPURR

New Member
Messages
91
DASH TOP AND INSTRUMENT REMOVAL for dash lamp replacement.
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Although the difficulty level is pretty low this is not a job for the faint hearted due to the poor access for screw removal. The hands of a 10yr old Japanese girl would be a great advantage and you will want to smash the screen out in frustration. It should take you about 1 hr to strip out and 1hr to put back, depending how many times you stop for tea. Or visit the loo (no central heating in my garage!)
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These are the tools I used, and you will require:- A 4mm Allen key, stubby cross head and similar small drivers and a flexible shafted driver would be good but could not for the life of me find mine, so I used various small socket drivers, knuckles and ratchets. You may need some sticking plasters just in case or for the real men a roll of electricians tape to stem the blood flow! Car makers don't seem to understand the concept of de-burring.
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You need to remove the two side “A†post trim covers.
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Firstly remove the cover above the door it normally pops off without too much effort depending how many times it's been off before, sometimes it helps to pull down the door seal so you can get your fingers behind it. Manoeuvre it out from the back end first.
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This will expose the securing screw at the top of the “A†post trim. Remove this and then the trim, there is one pop stud about half way down, but this usually comes out without much effort, don't worry there are no fixings at the bottom.
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This exposes the side fixings for the dash top (the black cross head screw in the centre) this is where you will wish you hadn't started but persevere. Once slackened if you push on the dash to relieve the tension (not yours, I mean on the screw) it can be taken out using your fingers. Unless they belong to a blind cobbler! Now some good news, repeat above steps on the other side.
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Next remove the centre grill, held by two screws.
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Exposing two more screws underneath. Remove these being careful not to drop them down into the air con outlets, putting some rags or whatever over the holes might be a good idea for the pessimist or the clumsy.
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Pull the dash cover forward just an inch (25mm for those who don't understand real money.) to disengage the forward clips and lift the dash top clear.
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There is a wire for the air con sensor attached to the top so you will have to uncouple this connector. There seems to be plenty of slack in this cable so don't worry about lifting the dash out of the way to get at it. Note the black square item above the clock, this is the aerial for the sat-nav, given its self away by having GPS stamped all over it!
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Next is another slow frustrating bit, you need to remove the two 4mm Allen bolts holding the instrument housing top bracket down, they are a pig! Don't think you can get away with leaving the bracket on and removing the two screws on the cluster top as you will not have the room to get it out without scratching it or worse.
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Just when you think you have won. Before the cluster can be removed there are two more screws to come out from below but to get at them you need to remove the steering column cowl. There are five 4mm allen bolts to come out from below.
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And the two sneaky screws at either side at the front you need to turn the steering wheel to get at them.
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Finally exposing the two bottom cross head screws. Now it's finally free.
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Lift the cluster out. You could just change the necessary lamp now and go no further, but I decide to remove completely. The three large plugs can be removed once you press in the side clip, don't rive as they are easily damaged, if it won't come off you haven't pressed the clip enough. The centre multiplug is similar. And there are two single push on spade connectors. You can use this picture for reference when reassembling but you will find that the harness naturally fall into place and it is difficult to get the connections wrong.
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Here is the cluster in all its glory the lamps are removed by turning anticlockwise about a quarter turn.
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These lamps are standard lamps available as a unit about £2 from a dealer or 50p anywhere else. Halfords or any motor factors. The red holders donate 2w lamps for dash illumination; the black holders donate 1.5w lamps for indication. Believe me there isn't much difference and you would be hard press to tell them apart when fitted. You can get led equivalents but these tend to be blue. Or you can go to your local car breakers with your poacher's jacket on or even ask and get 10 for a quid.
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I also cleaned all the contacts with a fibre glass brush designed for this purpose available from Maplins or RS see one here- http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=3932
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The solder joints looked horrific but these also cleaned with the brush and when tested were all sound just surface corrosion probably from the solder flux.
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I also checked the tightness of the small nuts these hold the gauges in place and also form contacts for the same, don't overdo this as they are fragile but I have heard of them coming loose and causing havoc with your speedometer or rev counter, so if you have had intermittent problems with either look here.
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Just in case you were wondering what these were, they are the volumetric sensors for the intruder alarm system.
Now it's just a matter of a cup of coffee before reassembling everything. Once the cluster is back in place it is probably a good idea to turn on the ignition and try all the lights to see if all is good before the exhilarating task of replacing those bleeding awkward screws.
You may have spotted a stray wire taped to the top of my instruments with masking tape? This comes from the foot well fuse board and I assume it was a supply cable for previous owners Tom-tom or something similar. Anyway I left it there in case I get fed up with the antique navigation system fitted and decide to put it to some use.
Jagpurr
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,593
Excellent, I was going to do this at the weekend, so you have saved me a job, thanks!
 

cowsurgeon

Junior Member
Messages
354
Used this how-to at the weekend, just up to the removal of the dash top - didn't need to get to the instrument cluster - very good indeed.

One note - for the 3200, there are no securing screws at the top of the A posts - the cover just clips on and off instead...
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,593
Used this how-to at the weekend, just up to the removal of the dash top - didn't need to get to the instrument cluster - very good indeed.

One note - for the 3200, there are no securing screws at the top of the A posts - the cover just clips on and off instead...

Weird, my old 3200 had them, that was the later type 2001MY. The only difference I found from the 32 and the 42 was that the aircon sensor on the top of the dash did not have a multi plug, you have to remove the sensor from the dash by unclipping the black plastic cover then rotating it and pushing it through.
 

cowsurgeon

Junior Member
Messages
354
weirder still - my 32 had a multiclip for the aircon sensor. All sounds a bit Italian this doesn't it!
 

Biturbista

New Member
Messages
20
At least on the 3200GT(A) one should be careful NOT to turn the ignition on with the instruments disconnected. This might be tempting for various reasons (eg. to drive the car into the garage when the evening falls), but it will lead to the airbag warning light being switched on. When the ignition is turned on, it checks the resistance of the wiring to the airbag warning light and the light itself. If found not to be within the allowed range it will throw a permanent error ('wiring damaged / no connection') and therefore light up the airbag warning light. As it is a permanent error, it will not disappear by itself once the instruments have been connected again. This error will need to be erased by a main dealer using a SD2 Tester.

It seems likely that the above behaviour is the same on the M138 Coupe/Spyder...
 

BL330

Member
Messages
1,121
I'm bumping this very useful guide, as I'll be attacking this task in the next couple days.
 

allandwf

Member
Messages
10,958
Good luck. Hope it goes well. Mine had a new dash top fitted recently as the old one had shrunk and wrinkled.
 

SachaP

Junior Member
Messages
54
Holy ancient thread revival!! I will be dealing with a wrinkled 3200 dash shortly, and am wondering if there is any previous advice on the forum on the best way to smooth out the wrinkles once the dash has been removed. Same issue with the A pillar cover. Heat gun? Water/steam? My 3200 spends far too long in a lock up each year so these problems are inevitable. Will be taxing it for 6 months from the start of August so will hopefully put on some enjoyable miles.