I recently purchased a new gauge cluster for my car, and the trip meter reset button is stuck, so I was going to take the cluster apart to diagnose the problem. Once I got the face of the cluster off, I could see the metal parts to the trip meter were corroded, so I'm not sure if the corrosion just won't let me push the button, or if it's something else.

So now I'm stuck with not knowing how to get the trip meter out without breaking something. I have (what I believe) all the screws out of the front that hold the speedometer to the cluster, but the thing won't budge.

Do you have to remove the thin face of the speedometer from the plastic that it is stuck to, or does the whole piece come out as one piece?

Also another question is, do I need to be extremely careful when removing the needle? If it doesn't go back on exactly how it came off, will it read the speed of the car wrong?

Any diagrams would help. I got this far:










This blue thing kind of looks like a release button of some sort. I pushed it and nothing happened?

 

Also how do the needles come off if they need to be removed? I don't want to tug on something I don't need to and risk breaking it...

 

There really isn't any trick to it. Looks like you've already removed the screws that retain the speedometer to the housing, it should come loose at that point. Just work at it slowly and it'll probably come off.

It's been a few years since I had a 90-92 Camaro cluster laying around, and I can't remember how far in I went. Anyway, the Firebird clusters the needles just press on and slide off. The hardest part is getting them back on straight. Sometimes you can use a fork to pop the needles off. Slide the fork under the needle hub and carefully rock it to pop the needle loose. I'd avoid removing the needle unless you absolutely have to.

 

There's just a lot of tension on the gauge and the plastic that it's stuck to. I got the screws out like in the picture but it doesn't want to come off...

 

Anybody?

 

Still looking for some input on this.

 

I recently ran into a similar problem where I wanted to replace the cluster lamps on my '86 dash, not replace the speedo assembly. I tried taking off the speedo needle but gave up. Replacing the lamps would have been easier if I could have gotten the needle off, then the speedo face plate unscrews with just two screws allowing access to behind the speedo. Your speedo face plate doesn't have screws.

Any way, I looked every where for an answer and the best one I found, but never did, was that the needle comes off by pinching the shaft with a thin set of needle nose pliers and then twisting the needle CCW off very carefully. I couldn't do it because I couldn't get the needle nose pliers to grip the shaft, not enough room between the back of the needle and the front of the speedo. The needle actually has long hole, maybe an 1/8" long that the shaft inserts into. Don't mistake grabbing the needle shaft thinking it is the speedo shaft. You'll be grabbing the needle with the pliers while trying to wrestle it off the shaft at the same time. I would not recommend pulling on the needle without supporting the shaft it is attached to. Bad things may happen. I stopped because I have a tendency to go a little too far and I feared that if I broke the needle I'd never find a replacement.

 

To remove/replace the bulbs on your 86, you'll need to remove the entire cluster. The bulbs twist in and out from the backside. There's a pic in post #7 of the following link:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/faq-...-fix-pics.html

JamesC

 

Yes thank you. I've already replaced the lamps in the gauge cluster. The bulbs pull out of the socket rather easily with either a bulb puller or what I did; I fashioned a piece of vinyl 3/8" hose to grab the bulb. Worked like a champ. There are 11, count 'em, 11 bulbs just for the gauges not including the turn signals, high beams and check engine type lights. There are 3 #194 bulbs, 2 #168 bulbs, and 6 #161 bulbs. The 194's and 168's you can get in Sylvania Silver Star color but not the 161's. LEDs only come in the 194's. I opted for the Silver Stars. Having all of this apart also provides a great opportunity to clean up the gauge faces, the clear plastic face, and other areas around the cluster. I seen on another thread one member painted the metal frame from factory black to a silver color to get the gauges to pop. I did that and it looks very cool. I wish I could take credit for that idea but won't.

Now back to the original posters q, I talked to a friend of mine last night after my first post and he cautioned against ever just pulling on the speedo needle. Unless you have a back up plan, i.e. a new needle or even a new gauge, then be very careful how you attack removing the needle from the speedo.

I understand the OPs q and what I did are two different things but basically we are all in the same boat when it comes to these things. Our local Chevy dealership is uselss when it comes to this stuff especially for those of us who have older cars, mine is 26 years old now. So we have to rely on what some other guy did and found in his garage because he needed to do the same thing we are trying to do today. Like my buddy said on the phone, some where some one has already done what you need to do, the problem is finding him.

 

to get the speedo needle off, just pry it off. I know it sound scary but just do it, that is how it comes off. as for removing the trip odometer, the screws that hold the assembly together are under the applique that has the numbers on it. so careful so you can reuse it. you can apply some heat with a hair dryer to loosen the glue.

 

i would pick a speedo repair shop online, you can ship them yours and the r&r is pretty quick.they will also calibrate yours if needed.its worth a try

 

I put my stock one back in for the time being. I have looked into having a speedo repair shop doing this and it will be very pricey. I can probably find a good condition cluster for less, but if I can't find one with close to the same mileage as my car (~107k) then i'll fork out the money later down the road to have this one fixed.

 

really,at this point id seek professional help,i reccomend "autoinstruments.com"

 

I just removed my speedo the other day. After removing the screws from the front it pulls off, I was scared at first cause it takes a little force to get it off but it'll come off.