Removal and Service of VDO Instrument Cluster
Taking the cluster apart
Take the cluster inside where you can work comfortably; lay it face down on a flat surface like a countertop, or work table. Again, you may want to lay it on a towel so you don't scratch the face. The towel also makes it easier to put your screws down in a place where you won't lose them.
Use a phillips head screwdriver to remove the screws holding the back of the cluster body to the front housing as shown by the orange circles below.
Set the housing aside and turn the cluster back over -- the odometer/speedometer unit comes out by pushing on the back of it, as does the tach/mpg display. Be careful as you're handling these with no cover on them; the needles are really delicate and you don't want to bend or break them (note that in the photo below, the tach needle is bent :) You might want to remove all the needles as a precaution -- just pull very gently on the round platic part at the bottom and don't force anything. Be very careful.
With the speedometer assembly and the tach assembly removed, you should be able to seperate the front circuit panel from the back of it -- there is a second circuit board attached to the back of the cluster housing. This is connected to the front circuit board by two ribbon connectors and one smaller ground wire. Disconnect these by pulling gently on the plastic housing at the connection point; DON'T pull directly on the ribbon, you can tear it. The ground wire mates to a pin on the front board and should come off relatively easily. As always, DON'T FORCE ANYTHING. Nothing here requires a great deal of force, but some of it requires finesse so be patient.
