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Steering Wheel Removal and Odometer Repair: Tutorial

157K views 205 replies 64 participants last post by  ic-racer 
#1 ·
Many of our MBs will suffer from a sudden non-working odometer.
The gears inside the speedometer were lubed at the factory to insure smooth operation, but over time this same lube reacts with the plastic odometer gears turning them into a waxy consistency. At this point the gear teeth start to crumble stopping the odometer function completely.
Replacing the gears is a fairly simple job but like most MB repairs..one thing leads to another.

To remove the gauge cluster that houses the speedometer, the steering wheel needs to be removed.


Instructions for removing the steering wheel can be found:

MB Chassis manual job# 46-610
Haynes manual 63025 job# 11-20
Chiltons manual 48300 job# 8-27
Steering Wheel Removal Video


Instructions for removing the gauge cluster can be found:

MB chassis manual job#54-250
Haynes manual 63025 job#10-18
Chiltons manual 48300 job#6-17


Instructions for removing and replacing the odometer gears can be found:

Odometer Gears - WELCOME




Steering Wheel Removal


Fairly simple task. You need to determine if you have a tapered allen head bolt or a hex nut holding the steering wheel on.
Some of these have been known to be VERY TIGHT due to the torque used and/or thread locker.
If it seems too tight a little heat can be applied to the head of the bolt to loosen up the thread lock.
When I loosened mine, steering turned all the way to the left with the steering UNLOCKED.
Make sure you mark or scribe the position of the steering on the shaft before removing.





















Replacement Hex Screw P/N 1269900312




I had replaced my steering wheel so my current steering wheel removal was a little easier.










Moderator Edit for airbag equipped 107s:
2) Any tips or instructions on how to pull the air bag, I need to access the odometer gears.

KCM said:
First disconnect the battery cable. Then remove the right side front carpet. There is a large plastic panel against the firewall. Remove the four fasteners and remove the panel. There will be a connector with a red top for the air bag. Unplug.

To remove the air bag, you will need the appropriately sized torx bit to remove the two screws on the back side of the steering wheel. Don't remember off-hand what size torx you need, but it is readily available at any parts store. Once the screws are loosened, lift off the bag and disconnect the push-on connector.
 
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#33 ·
Great post!:bowdown:

I will definitely reference this post for when I do mine. Albeit, my odometer works fine in my '74 450SL but my speedometer is off by 7mph (the car moves 7mph faster than it reads) and my tachometer is very jumpy and seems to have a mind of it's own when it comes to working.

Thanks again!
 
#35 ·
Hi Rowdie,

Thanks for the response! Correct, 14" original rims with matching tires. The car has been serviced for years at a MBZ dealership and they recently replaced the tires so the tread is like new.

I suspect it may be loose or faulty cables? I'm not sure though. The darn nut on the steering column is hard to get off! lol. I read earlier in the thread that heat might be able to loosen it a bit so I will give that a shot. Also, I need to find some silcon spray or a replacement rubber seal (which seems hard to find) that is suppose to hold the cluster in place. Mine is loose and comes out when I accelerate. :eclipsee_steering:
 
#40 ·
TACH adjustment

When I swapped out my Tach a few months ago the replacement was not reading properly so I adjusted it by turning the reostat as pictured until it matched a tach/dwell meter. At the time I didn-t have a camera that could show that detail, but a friend just took these pics of the old unit so you could see what the reostat looked like.

View attachment 291852

View attachment 291853
 

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#43 ·
Hi Rowdie and John -
I didn't try the full range, but there is over 180 degrees of movement on the reostat and I used about 45 for 200rpm. Of course it depends on where it is set to begin, mine was about halfway. One more thing, the reostats were in different locations but looked the same.
 
#45 ·
not at all, glad to add.

John, when you go to take the clock off the backing plate, there is a pin soldered on to the backing plate. Don't try to pull the clock off, you will damage the clock circuit board. I can't find the picture I posted showing it. Also a regular 9v smoke alarm battery is sufficient to bench test the clock.
 
#46 ·
Excellent. How much adjustment is available at this pot. I need to go from 1500 to 2000 RPM. Plus I need to fix my clock.
Good luck on the clock. I guess i have 5-6 hundred dollars in my clock in my 450. Now I get a 560 and guess what................... clock is broke. Clock works good on the 450 now. That just go to show that if you throw enough money at something, you can fix it.
 
#47 ·
Great tutorial, Herr Nobby. I just checked my odometer gears expecting to find nothing awry as it's never missed a beat tallying the miles on Benzedrine--but wouldn't ya know, I'm missing a single tooth on gear E1.

I ordered the set to fix this issue, too, before my instruments go back in.

I might add that in looking at my gears, the number of teeth is marked on each one. If you clean away the grime, you may as I did find the markings "z16" and "z48" on gear E3, and "z12" and "z48" on gear E2. ("Z" stands for zahn, deutsch for tooth.)

This might help ensure others order the correctly-toothed E3 from Odometer Gear, as this particular gear's inner cog is available in 12, 13, 15, 16, and 18 teeth. (And especially if an indeterminate number of teeth have broken off!)

Again, you're a hero, bud. Great piece!

Good road,
 

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#48 ·
Good catch on the gear numbers. But you are a lucky guy as mine were not marked with anything. And despite what they advertise on their website, Odometergears.com actually have other gear teeth combos as well. I needed a 17 tooth which is NOT advertised but they actually have.
 
#50 ·
Today I finally installed my gauge cluster and took the car for a quick spin to see if everything worked.
And everything does.
With one little hiccup.
The trip meter works fine. the odometer works fine.
However........they are not quite in sinc. The odo only flips over when the trip hits .1.
I only drove 2 miles (as I have to go to bed) and both miles it did the same thing.
I can live with it but anyone have any ideas?


BTW, the car started like I ran it yesterday. Except yesterday was last November.
 
#51 ·
I believe that's by design. The two counters operate independently.

Zero your trip odometer exactly when the main odometer mile changes and I believe they'll be in sync. (Unless I misunderstand.)

Good road,
 
#56 ·
You're welcome, bud.

One other bit of news I should pass along on the topic of odometer gears is the response I got from Odometer Gears when I inquired about the apparent noisiness of their hard plastic, dry-installed gears vs the soft, factory-greased OEM gears:

"Rarely, we do hear this complaint in the Mercedes 107 chassis. The cure is to apply a thin layer of wheel bearing/axle grease in the teeth of the E2 and E3 outer part of the gear (the 48 tooth count section). This will deaden the noise and cure the concern. The grease will not degrade our new gears like it does on the OE gears. The OE gears fail because the grease reacts with the urethane and causes them to break down and become waxy and fail.

Kind regards,
Darren Shackelford

Odometer Gears Ltd.
72 Croatan Road
Newport News, VA 23606
757-593-3478
757-771-6694


So there ya go!

Good road,
 
#57 ·
Thanks! I put this off for over a year mainly because of trouble trying to remove the steering wheel. I found that your tutorial, and others on the wheel removal, made this an easy project. Use a heat gun for a minute or two to heat the hex bolt and the wheel removal is an easy job.

I do have a guestion in regard to the cluster housing. After disasembly and cleaning it now has a gap between the lens and housing that I don't remember. I have taken it apart twice and it looks correct but...........?
 
#58 ·
My trip miles counter stopped last fall.
But it started on it's own this spring so.
So I'm glad I didn't have it fixed.
 
#59 ·
It is just a matter of time on the odometer repair. The three gears turn to mush and fall apart.....but it is an easy fix so don't worry.

Also I see the light....through the gap in the housing...and that is a good thing. I just did not remember it being there when I disassembled every thing.
 
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