[aklalani]

Hey everyone! Just purchased this 1995 c280 and am new to Benzworld. Has 233 000kms but has been maintained very well. Few minor problems:

1. Engine Temp Gauge on the instrument panel was working when i purchased the car, but has stopped working.

2. Left Indicator in the instrument panel is burnt out.

3. Antenna is working but the mast was snapped off

4. All the door locks work, however the passenger door lock pin is broken.

Any tips? Thanks!

 

[wichipong]

Hey everyone! Just purchased this 1995 c280 and am new to Benzworld. Has 233 000kms but has been maintained very well. Few minor problems:

1. Engine Temp Gauge on the instrument panel was working when i purchased the car, but has stopped working.

2. Left Indicator in the instrument panel is burnt out.

3. Antenna is working but the mast was snapped off

4. All the door locks work, however the passenger door lock pin is broken.

Any tips? Thanks!

nice car!!!

1. you mean the needles?!? it might be suffering from sticky needle syndrome...

2. maybe just a bulb is out?!?

3. antenna mast is easy to replace... just get the replacement and DIY

4. door lock pins can be found at junkyards and salvage yards or ordered thru ebay....

good luck!

 

[aklalani]

nice car!!!

1. you mean the needles?!? it might be suffering from sticky needle syndrome...

2. maybe just a bulb is out?!?

3. antenna mast is easy to replace... just get the replacement and DIY

4. door lock pins can be found at junkyards and salvage yards or ordered thru ebay....

good luck!

1. Is there a fix for the sticky needle syndrome?

2. Pretty sure its the bulb. Is there a thread that explains/shows how to replace it? Also and websites that I can order stuff like this from other than ebay?

3. About to order the mast of ebay for about $20.

4. I'll head to some of the junkyards this week to look for one.

Thanks!!

 

[xserve]

2. You gotta take off the steering wheel to get into the instrument panel I believe. Annoying task but I think theres some instructions in this forum somewhere

 

[georgebuhr]

Its not bad, but you will need a metric allen socket, not just a l shaped wrench, because the wheel bolt is torqued pretty tight, and you'll never get it without a socket and long ratchet. You will want to torque it back and I recommend buying a replacement bolt instead of using the original. Other than that, you will need a torx bit to remove the airbag(after disconnecting the battery first), the bit will need to be about 2 inches in length to reach inside the hole. Then remove the knee bolster below the steering wheel. You can reach up inside there and just push out on the instrument panel. service manual says use hooks to pull it out, but this can damage the dash on the sides, which is why I recommend doing it from the backside. After that, you should be able to replace the bulb, then clean the paint off ALL of the pins with some alcohol, also clean the needles as some goo will be on there as well.

 

[sulaco]

Bulbs can be found locally, once you get the old one out.

On the back of the steering wheel there should be 2 holes. One on each side. inside there are torx screws. T15? i think? maybe t20. Loosen them completely. Airbag comes loose. Pull out airbag, unplug red connector. *do this with key in OFF position, might push an SRS fault lamp which has to be reset at stealership ($$$). Set airbag aside.

Unplug the two wires that connect to horn thingamajig.

Use hex-key (big one, like 10mm I think) to remove center bolt holding steering wheel on.

**DO NOT RELY ON THE STRENGTH OF THE STEERIN WHEEL LOCK TO HOLD WHEEL WHILE YOU BREAK THE BOLT LOOSE*** Seriously. Get someone else to hold the wheel steady while you break it loose. It's REALLY tight--like 77nm.

Remove wheel.

The only thing holding the intstrument cluster in place is friction. It just pops forward and out. Alot of people will fashion a tool to hook the sides of it adn pull it out. Personally, I lower the knee panel on the bottom and just reach up and push the cluster out. Might take a really good tug/push, but it will pop out--I promise. Unplug the 2 plug clusters: done.

While you have it out, remove the bulb (twist 90 degrees and pull). Also, seperate the glass from the panel and use some alcohol and cotton to clean the little black needles. They should be sticky (making your gauges seem like they don't work--because they are stuck to the needle). MB Used to sell tiny black sleeves to slide over the needles to fix this, but they are impossible to find nowadays. Some people use black touch up paint and just paint the needles again. I have no idea why they get sticky. I've had to pull mine out and clean them every 2 or 3 years since 1999.

Reverse of disassembly, done.

 

[MB-W202]

Before you take the steering wheel off to do all that work, gently slap the top of the dash above the cluster to see if the needles in question vibrate off the needle stop. if it does you don't have a sticky needle syndrome. in my experience it is usually been a faulty sending unit.

 

[neilbw]

If you do remove the driver air bag, disconnect the battery first and you will not get a dash fault ABS light....just remember you will need the radio code when you reconnect the battery

 

[ashranch]

Strreing wheel doe snot need to come off

2. You gotta take off the steering wheel to get into the instrument panel I believe. Annoying task but I think theres some instructions in this forum somewhere

Hey guys - used to work on c class back in late 90's. Do need to take out steering to get out cluster. If you don't have MB tools - you could remove the drivers under dash -6 or so screws and push the instrument cluster out from behind - gently does it and there is enuf clearance to unplug cables - and remove it from vehicle.

Just seems easier that taking stuff off steering.

My 2c worth.

 

[Early80s]

Hey guys - used to work on c class back in late 90's. Do need to take out steering to get out cluster. If you don't have MB tools - you could remove the drivers under dash -6 or so screws and push the instrument cluster out from behind - gently does it and there is enuf clearance to unplug cables - and remove it from vehicle.

Just seems easier that taking stuff off steering.

You mean "do not need" to take the steering out? You said "do need" but later it seems like your saying you don't.

Can you pull the entire cluster out without removing the wheel, just positioning the cluster inside the wheel and then turning to the side?

Let's face it, most people are not willing to remove the wheel (I know I'm not) themselves because of the airbag (too risky). My 95 cluster has some lights out and the speedometer needle sticks (gets stuck on 0 mph sometimes).

 

[Early80s]

Hey everyone! Just purchased this 1995 c280 and am new to Benzworld. Has 233 000kms but has been maintained very well. Few minor problems:

1. Engine Temp Gauge on the instrument panel was working when i purchased the car, but has stopped working.

Loose connection on cluster or sending wire from engine bay?

2. Left Indicator in the instrument panel is burnt out.

I have the same issues on my 95, need to replace the bulbs after pulling the panel

3. Antenna is working but the mast was snapped off

Order a new mast from autohausAZ.com. I did recently, only $16 and easy to replace.

4. All the door locks work, however the passenger door lock pin is broken.

The pins screw in I believe, just unscrew the broken one and screw in a new one.

Nice headlights on your 95! I want those for my car. The stock lights are not very strong.

 

[johnt671]

Easy fix for sticky needles

I found this fix for sticky needles reading through some old postings.. I can't take credit for it as it wasn't my idea, but it did work for me. Since I didn't have any burnt out bulbs in my cluster so didn't need to pull it, I got a few pipe cleaners and a bottle of alcohol ,wet the pipe cleaner with alcohol, and stuck the pipe cleaner through the holes around the reset buttons on the clear cover and worked them around between the needle that was stuck and the peg. Took a few tries to get it in the right spot, but it worked so easy.

Wish I bookmarked the thread to give proper credit to whoever posted it, because it saved me a lot of time, and when I finished I didn't even need to drink the rest of the alcohol to unwind.

 

[aklalani]

update

Hey guys,

1. The temp gauge randomly started working now so i suspect it was the sticky needle problem.

2. Still have to replace the left indicator light but ill do when i change the cluster lighting to bright white!
(Any Recommendations for site's to order led lighting for the cluster from?)

3. Just ordered the mast.

Thanks for all your input. Appreciate it!

 

[geraldc476]

To get the cluster off pop off the left tweeter speaker cover, then you well see two Phillips screws - remove them. Pull out the ac vent that the screws held in. Reach in and feel for the connectors and make sure they are tightly connected. There are two the larger to the left and the smaller just past it to the right.