Pictorial - instrument cluster removal '99 Disco II

[tyl604]

It's an 02 Disco; could not figure out how to change the header.

Guys - the Rave CD instructions are lousy. I needed to replace a lamp in the instrument cluster and found the Rave CD extra bad. Here is how to do it with pictures. Should take less than one hour if you follow this:

Picture #1 - using regular screwdriver open up the fascia access panel below the steering wheel. This is after I removed the nacelle but it gets the point across.

Pictures #2, 3, & 4 - use a Phillips to remove three screws from the nacelle; one is at the back and is hard to see. Then stand on your head in the driver's footwell to see the clips. There are a total of 4. Use a regular screwdriver to push each tab back and undo the clips. The nacelle will come apart and reveal two screws in the instrument panel. Rave CD does not give you this info; merely says remove the clips but does not say how or where. And it gets worse with the lack of clip info.

Picture #5 - sounds easy to remove the two Phillips head screws from the bottom of the instrument cluster cowl but without a flex screwdriver it would be quite hard. Peer through the steering wheel at the screwdriver and one screw.

Picture #6 - So now the nacelle is out and the cowl should just pull off; right? Wrong. Rave CD merely says remove the clips. What clips?

Picture #7, 8, and 9 - The cowl will lift up some. After about an hour and a franctic request for help from the forum, I guessed that the clips might be inside, way in the back. Sure enough - pry the cowl up one one side until it feels like it is going to break and you will see the clip way in the back. There are two clips. Lift only one side of the cowl at a time; there is not enough give to expose both clips at the same time. Take a long screwdriver and push the metal sticking through the clip; push it forward and the clip comes undone. Then do the same to the other. Voila - clips are undone and the cowl comes right off. You can see both clips undone in Picture #9.

Pictures #10 and 11 - remove the multiplugs carefully from the cowl but take a picture first to see where they go when replacing. Passenger side is black, green, then white. Driver side is green and then blue; make sure you put them in the top and second fitting or things will not work again. All pictures after #10 are in the next post.

Picture #12 and 13 - Use Phillips and remove four screws holding the cluster. Remove the medium and the large multiplug. I was not able to remove the other very small two wire plug so I just left it in and was careful with it.

Picture #14, 15, and 16. Unhook the last set of clips on the instrument cluster; they are fairly clear plastic. This will provide access to the circuit board and the lamps. I had to slice through two paper labels with warned of the dangerous static potential. My replacement lamp was for the mileage counter. It unscrewed counterclockwise and came out. Just match the metal tabs on the new lamp with the two slots, put it in all the way and turn clockwise. Fold the fairly clear plastic cover back down and you will need to snap the tabs down, one by one, until they all lock.

Picture #17 just shows the area after the instrument cluster is removed.

As the Rave CD says, reinstallation is just the reverse of the procedure above.

Hope this helps. Took me about six hours to do this simple one hour job.

Next post has pictures 11 through 17.