sleepy speedo and fuel guage

[jayse]

Hi All
Got a stange problem on my 94 C250D, intermittiently from start up, the speedo and fuel needles just don't work (Very annoying with the amount of speed camera's round my area...).

Sometimes they will wake up mid journey and at other times they work perfectly... Doesn't seem related to cold starting or anything. Even stopping for something like shopping can cause the problem to appear.

Has anyone else come across it, is it easy to fix?

Thanks

Jayse

 

[anyweb]

i have a similar problem, on mine its the temp gauge and the RPM gauge,

workaround, tap the front plastic infront of the dial that isnt moving, it will resume normal operation,

what i 'think' is the cause of this is dirt/grime/sticky stuff has built up on the needle/pin that it attaches to and that it takes a while before a vibration or shock before the needle is freed from its prison

you could take the whole assembly apart and clean both the needles and pins and the problem should hopefully go away, that job however would definetly take a few hours as you have to remove the entire instrument panel assembly with the car OFF (otherwise the ABS sensor will trigger and require a visit to the dealer)

either way good luck and let us know if my diagnosis was correct or if it was something else (I've been wrong more than once )

cheers
anyweb

 

[Hibbo]

The number of speed camera's what? Lines?

 

[C220GJS]

This is a common problem with W202 cars and becomes obvious in warmer weather ,it is caused by the instrument needles sticking to the stops as the paint used becomes tacky with heat/humidity.
This link will show the solution; http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?h...ttp://www.motor-talk.de/f73/s/&hl=en&lr=&sa=G . Don't worry if you don't do German, just follow the diagrams and be careful when pulling out the instrument panel.
Make sure to disconnect the car battery when doing this job as there is a danger of triggering the SRS light which is costly to have reset.

 

[television]

A C220GJS a sticky stop pin.

 

[jayse]

For me this happens on all three (Temp. Fuel & Speedo). Because of this I doubt it is a sticky stop pin . Is there any thing else i can check

 

[C220GJS]

If the needles pop up when you slap the top of the instrument panel they are sticking to the stop pins, and yes it can happen to all the instruments.