I need some help putting them on. Who has done them before?

I'm having difficulty dissasembling the stuff.

 

I havent done silver ones in particular, but I have swapped faces in mine.

 

Ok. Well, how do i get the gauge cluster out!? so far, i have removed the 4 screws around the outer black bezel. I'm stuck here. I also have the bottom dash pieces removed, if that help any i dont know.

Geoff

 

Theres 2 screws under the cluster, you have to stand on your head, and remove those 2 screws and they are kinda pain in the ***...

 

The Series 3's have one of bigger PITA clusters I've dealt with.

I'll try to remember it all, but this is by no means guaranteed to be accurate

If you want to make it easier, pull the steering wheel off. I usually leave it on.

Take the hazard/headlight door switches off either side.

Take the 5 screws holding the outer trim off.

Remove the steering column cover.

Pull the bezel out.

Take the screws (4 I believe) around the cluster off.

If you have small arms like me you can wrestle the cluster around, but otherwise you have to go at it from underneath the dash.

There are two large round plugs, one is black and the other is white. Pull the tab that hangs down outward and wiggle the plug to undo it.

There are also two three prong plugs like most everything on the car uses. Thses have the usual pushbutton.

The speedo cable has an odd little tab on it that you have to pull up while you slide the plastic piece back.

Once you do all this, you have to fight with the cluster to get it out of the dash.

 

oh joy. Well here i go.

 

OK i'm stuck. I got the front clear lense off, and all the other visible screws off, the bezels out, side switches off, and the whole unit moves around back in there, but the black thing can only be pulled out a little at the bottom, like it was fastened at the top. Any clues?

 

What "black thing"?

 

the thing that has the round holes on it (for the gauges), the gauges are directly beneath it....

I have everything dissasembled, and the entire gauge assembly is moving around in there. It is impossible to get it out, as it has little extrusions on both L and R side that go behind metal at the front, so i cant pull it out that way. Behind it there is too many wires to push it through... i dont see how i'm to "wrestle the cluster out"

From there i dont know what you mean by plugs.

I dont know what to do, so i'll save the project for another day.

Geoff

 

You aren't supposed to take the clear cover or the black gauge surround off. Not in the car anyhow.

 

Have you taken out the speedo cable and the 2 big round plugs, plus the three small electrical plugs? (They are connected to the back of the cluster. I have to reach up from the where the pedals are and scrape the crap out of my arm to get those off.

If I had a digi cam I'd show you with my spare gauge set.

 

My hand now has the scars from removing the gauge cluster. Holy ****, why do they make it so hard

THanks so much for the help guys.

 

I told you it sucked!

I would up breaking the tabs off mine on purpose so that it slides in and out a lot easier.

 

Good idea. ANy idea how to :

"Tap the positive (red) wire from the new gauge, into the positive wire of the parking lights. ... Tap the ground wire to the ground wire on the parking lights or attach it to the nearest grounding point."

Where are those wires? I'm having trouble identifying them from the haynes manual...

Geoff

 

Looking at my wiring diagram, it looks like the RL wire.

WTF the L means, I don't know.

PS, does anyones Haynes manual look as bad as mine?

 

Hm. i see now RL on my diagram..... what page are you on.

 

304-305

I had to use them to rewire my temp and oil pressure gauges.

 

i still cant relate those diagrams to the real car.... I' m totally lost here.

if only they just say what colors the parking light control is and where its located (what bunch of wires its in), then there is no problem. I can follow the diagram, b ut that isnt how it looks in the car..

 

not really on topic but i just bought that model in the background in the picture last week.... lol

 

I think I bought that about two years ago. It took HLJ over 8 months to get them to me, and they kinda forgot the Mazdaspeed FD that was supposed to come with the other 5 I ordered...

PS that's the way my manual sits. It won't close anymore.