Stripping the dash on a W210

[jberks]

I have just completed getting the binnacle out and stripping it down. Didn't do me any good but I thought I'd share the experience in case it does anyone else some.
1) Disconnect the battery. Remove the rear seat swab. I just dropped the earth terminal off - 10mm nut.
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=274&stc=1
Just make sure it can't reconnect until you want it to!

2) Drop the under dash panel. 2 screws at either side, one in the middle and a white plastic disc/screw by the brake pedal. I also removed the heater outlet cover hy turning the screw 180 degrees and lifting it away. The panel then unclips (note the rectangular holes in the dash and console - these house the clips.

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=273&stc=1

3) There are tools for this but I don't have them and didn't need them anyway. So, push the binnacle out from behind. Do it gently alternating either side and easing from the front where you can. It came out after a few mins of fiddling.
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=272&stc=1

4) pull the binnacle forward and disconnect the terminals. There are some rather clever light grey clips held in by a small ridged catch. ease the catch down with your finger nail and slide the grey clip over the top (away from the cables). As it moves to 90 degrees, the plug comes out.
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=276&stc=1

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=277&stc=1


Now just ease the binnacle out of the car. It does come out, even if, like me, you don't have a tilting wheel. Just make sure the wheel is straight first.

 

[jberks]

Ok so now its out, the really interesting stuff
By easing the clips round the ouside, the top half of the binnacle comes off. Note the 2 triangular bulb display covers that 'fall' off as you are doing this. Put then to one side for later (obviously!)
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=278&stc=1

Then by working from the top, you can ease the bottom plate off in the same way to reveal the PCB.
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=279&stc=1
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=280&stc=1

 

[jberks]

Reassembly

Ok - reassembly is basically a reversal, BUT, note the following
1) When I got it all back together, the fuel gauge just clicked and wouldn't move. If its not back together just right, a small amount of twist is put on the board and the dials will not move. Test all the dials, they should have a similar amount of resistance. If one is very stiff, check all the catches are home. the 2 triangular cards removed eariler had me scratching my head for a while. They don't fit!
The answer is that they are not installed until the casing is back together.
So don't try it this way, it doesn't work.
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=281&stc=1

Instead, assemble the housing first and then 'post' the cards.
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=282&stc=1
just ensuring the pin at the top and bottom line up.

Then just re-install and put it all together again.

 

[rallen]

What happens when you disconnect the battery? On my in-laws CLK320, something went faulty when battery died, and the "reset" was to put the car in park and turn the steering wheel from end to end to clear the error on the dashboard. Cannot remember what the error was.

Secondly why disconnect the "earth" terminal of the battery? I understand why connecting the + first when you use jump leads. But when you are working with one car I would have thought the safest would be to pull out the +. The reasoning is that the battery may well have shorts (dirt etc) that have gone unnoticed and disconnecting the - does not achieve much. If the same battery had a + short it would have drained and you'd know it.

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Here's my take on why it's best to connect the + leads first when jump starting a car:
If you connect the - first, then when the time comes to connect the final + lead, you will be in the engine compartment with + lead in hand , and if you accidentally touch it *anywhere* it will spark! If the last connection was the - one then if you touched accidentally anywhere it would not spark (except the positive pole). This assumes that everything in the engine compartment and surrounding is at - level.
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[tom7035]

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Here's my take on why it's best to connect the + leads first when jump starting a car:
If you connect the - first, then when the time comes to connect the final + lead, you will be in the engine compartment with + lead in hand , and if you accidentally touch it *anywhere* it will spark! If the last connection was the - one then if you touched accidentally anywhere it would not spark (except the positive pole). This assumes that everything in the engine compartment and surrounding is at - level.
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Correct procedure when jump starting is;

Make sure all electrics are switched off. Connect the positive terminals of the batteries. Connect one end of negative to donor battery/power source and the other end to a suitable earth on the car, NOT the battery - if your battery is in the boot, one of the boot/tailgate lock mounting bolts is ideal. Start the engine and run at idle speed, then switch ON all your electrics, lights, r/w demister, heater blower, before disconnecting the batteries in the reverse order of connection. Finally turn off electrics.

 

[jberks]

What happens when you disconnect the battery? On my in-laws CLK320, something went faulty when battery died, and the "reset" was to put the car in park and turn the steering wheel from end to end to clear the error on the dashboard. Cannot remember what the error was.

What you are thinking of is the ESP and yes it will error when you put it all back together again. Just lock to lock and all will be happy again. Scary the first time you see it!

Secondly why disconnect the "earth" terminal of the battery? I understand why connecting the + first when you use jump leads. But when you are working with one car I would have thought the safest would be to pull out the +. The reasoning is that the battery may well have shorts (dirt etc) that have gone unnoticed and disconnecting the - does not achieve much. If the same battery had a + short it would have drained and you'd know it.

There are various views and as with most things, the difference between what everyone does and the exact technically correct answer will be miniscule and often irrelevant. I've done jump starts pretty every which way and never had a problem, though I accept that the alternator may get fried, its just never happened to me.

I disconnected the -ve above, primarily because it has less wires attached so is easier and less risky to muck about with. I wouldn't argue if someone chose to do the +ve instead. At the end of the day, either breaks the circuit so in my mind it makes little difference. Once there is nothing on the pole, no current can flow, no matter how many short circuits you have.
The reason for disconnecting at all, given that everything is insulated anywauy, is that the SRS can complain if the dash is removed and that is a dealer reset job.

 

[tamrsoft]

Excellent description and pictures of the procedure, well done. However, do you mind my asking why you took it out in the first place. Also, were the display units for the clock and temperature acessible on the pinted circuit board, I plan to inspect mine at some stage to see whether poor contacts or solder joint accounts for display segments working intermittently.

 

[jberks]

I stripped it intending to fix the pixel problem. However, if you look at the picture of the triangular panel (showing the fuel, temp gauge and outside temp display), you'll see that these are fastened directly onto the circuit board. There is a very small gap (10mm ish) between the display components and the board itself and whilst you can see the connector from the display to the board, you can't actually get a finger in there to touch it.
The next step would have been to separate the 2 parts but as all the displays, including the central computer readout are closely connected and there was no obvious way I could see to separate the plastic components, this would at the very least, have required me to unplug the central matrix display and other componets. If the connector had been accessible I would have had a go, but I felt that to go any further I was going to have to get a bit brutal with components that were working ok and risk possible damage to the speedo, computer matrix etc. As the dash worked fine aside from the 2 displays, I decided not to risk it.

 

[rallen]

In other words taking it out is futile. There is no way we can access the connectors/ribbons that attach the LCD displays to the motherboard, unless we dismantle bits that are working.

 

[jberks]

That was my view, but others may feel differently. The posts on the other thread inferred that some people have had success wedging pieces of rubber in somehow, but I couldn't tie their explanations to what I remember seeing. In any case, by the time I read that, I'd bought the 211.

 

[television]

Big problem with LCD segnets is that that the fault is hardly ever dry sodering on the ribbons, its the contact between display and back pad.
Every one at some time seen a calculator or moble phone where the display has gone, this means the display needs replacing.

One day some one will send me one, and I can do a write up.


malcolm

 

[davidsl500]

The Reason for disconnecting the earth first is pretty simple. If you try to disconnect the postitive first then it is quite easy to earth the spanner against any metal bodywork thus causing a bit of impromtu welding...

Disconnecting the earth first - no problem touching any bodywork with the spanner and then it doesnt matter if you bounce the spanner accidentally on the bodywork when disconnecting the +ve..

 

[television]

The Reason for disconnecting the earth first is pretty simple. If you try to disconnect the postitive first then it is quite easy to earth the spanner against any metal bodywork thus causing a bit of impromtu welding...

Disconnecting the earth first - no problem touching any bodywork with the spanner and then it doesnt matter if you bounce the spanner accidentally on the bodywork when disconnecting the +ve..

With any of my postings, they are always on the side of safety first, and caution. I tried getting this message across twice, and it ended up with people saying that you just get a little spark and it was not necessary to do so. A friend of mine dropped a spanner on his 70 seater coach battery and it just blew up.the danger is also with the gas that builds up when charging.

Malcolm

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Nice guide.

Whenever I'm pulling bits apart, the instant I see those frail orange ribbon connectors, I freeze in horror. They are very simple to tear, and once torn you can guarantee that the part won't be sold separately.

They usually are inserted/removed from their sockets with the aid of a pair of long-nose pliers to grip the entire width, and slowly and carefully ease them in/out.

Is the colour of the backlighting determined by an orange card behind the displays, or is it the colour of the bulbs?

 

[winston]

hi, i was just reading your thread. Once the instrument cluster is out how do you go about trying to repair the lcd display for the clock and outside temperature.

 

[jberks]

I haven't done this myself but ....
Under the 2 displays is a thin ribbon cable. As I understand it, what you are supposed to do is to get a thin piece of rubber or other shim and pack it under the cable to put a greater upwards pressure on the contacts.

 

[azmbe240t]

hi, i was just reading your thread. Once the instrument cluster is out how do you go about trying to repair the lcd display for the clock and outside temperature. help please with pictures

 

[jberks]

I've not done it so can't help. But as I understand it ....
If you look from the back of the board, you will see the 2 ribbon cables, one going to each display.
Get some non conductive material (a couple of erasers are ideal) and cut them to form wedges. Then slide them under so they exert pressure on the connection going into the displays.

 

[television]

Jberks is perfectly correct, thats the way you fix them

 

[Myros]

I must really stop doing electronics

Thanks to J berks and the others for this lovely step by step. I have just had a go at fixing the pixels on the mem's 210, and found it invaluable. Sadly, I must have packed something really incorrectly, as what were half displays are now non-displays. Ho-hum. Cure it or kill it, that's me. I took the packing out and replaced, and still nothing, so pixel repairers here I come.