With nothing better to do one rainy day I decided to jump in and clean the inside of my instrument
cluster. The need for this task arose because of a couple of very dusty off track excursions during August of 2000.
Apparently there is enough air space to allow the dust to get inside the instrument cluster.
Removal of the entire instrument cluster is easy enough. One screw is hidden under
the microphone grill while the other is hidden behind the emergency flasher. Both screws are T-20 Torx. A flashlight
can help in locating and reinstalling the screw located behind the microphone grill. I used my fingers to remove both
the microphone grill as well as the emergency flasher button. At this point I also removed
the knobs for the clock and the trip odometer.
After removing the screws the pod lifts up - albeit with a little effort and rocking it back and
forth. Simply grab hold at both ends and carefully begin working it free. Be sure to use caution when it comes free as
the edges are rather sharp and may damage the dash covering if not careful.
There are 3 connectors on the back of
the cluster that need to be removed. These are a little tricky in that a locking tab needs to be depressed before the
latch can be raised. Naturally these are difficult to see. It may be helpful to look through the windshield to see
exactly how they operate. Repeat this step for all 3 connectors.
Once all 3 connectors (blue, white, black) are free the entire pod can be swung around and placed on a towel or
other protective item. I didn't bother disconnecting the emergency flasher connector, though you may do so by
squeezing the front sides and releasing a retaining clip on the underside. The gauges are removed from the pod by
removal of a screw on each end.
To remove the faceplate a total of 5 clips need to be removed/pried open. The first are the metal clips located
where the screws were just removed. These pry off easily with a small blade screwdriver.
The outer plastic clips on the bottom need to be opened as well. These are readily identified as they are a light
gray and partially transparent. The large black catch on the back edge may be left alone.
After pivoting the bottom part open a little bit use a small blade screwdriver to unlatch a
similar connector in the top of the cluster. This one is located
inside and is at the edge. A flashlight may be of some help in locating this mechanism.
At this point the two pieces are free and may be separated by lifting off the covering. The cleaning process was
rather straightforward - albeit time consuming. The time consuming part is due to the fact that the "glass" is really
plastic. As such it readily builds up a static charge which tends to hold onto dirt particles.
After cleaning carefully reassemble the two pieces. Prior to snapping everything together inspect the cluster
under a bright light for any dust or lint that may be visible once installed in the car.
Once you are satisfied that things are OK reassembly is just the reverse of the earlier steps. Namely, snap the two
halves together and replace the metal clips. Then just screw the pod back into the instrument cluster housing.
Finally, hook up the electrical connectors making sure that they are fully seated and color matched.
After the electrical connections are all made it is possible to verify that everything is working properly. It's
easier to do this now just in case something turns out to be wrong.
Well, that's all there is to it. While it may seem like a daunting task it really is pretty straightforward. The real
key is to take your time and have patience. The whole process took a little under two hours. Most of this time was
spent documenting the process and figuring out how things came apart.
This page has been visited times since July 16th, 2002
