Dashboard Removal

[tmansteve]

Hi All and Happy New Year

I have started the new year giving my 1988 E34 525i a little attention. I am going to remove the dashboard and replace some bulbs etc. I can remove the steering wheel if necessary, but is ther enough cable behind the dashboard to allow its removal. I don't want to find all the connections have come adrift.

Any help would be appreciated.

Steve

[dternst]

I'm a little confused... Are you going to remove the dash to replace bulbs in the instrument cluster or remove the instrument cluster to replace the bulbs?

If you going to change the bulbs in the cluster, you need to remove the steering wheel. You have just enough room to get your hand behind the cluster to disconnect the cables with removing the steering wheel.

The Bentley Manual is a good source for instructing instrument cluster removal.

[Bill R.]

Link to changing bulbs on the early car like yourshttp://www.bimmernut.com/~billr/images/airBagAndBulbs_files/airBagAndBulbs.html

[Javier]

in my 1992 535i, I can remove the cluster without taking the whell apart (I have no airbag thoug), and I have the sliding in - sliding out drive colum.

Javier

[Bill R.]

didn't slide in or out.. So its much easier to pull the wheel and safer to disconnect the airbag and get it out of the way since the dash cluster has a connection to the airbag circuit also. You can get the dash cluster out on the later models without pulling the wheel but its so easy to pull and since you have to disable the airbag anyway, you may as well spend the extra five minutes. That way you don't take a chance on scratching up the face of the dash cluster trying to get it out of the dash and in between the steering wheel... I've done it both ways and on the us airbag cars its much easier and safer this way.














in my 1992 535i, I can remove the cluster without taking the whell apart (I have no airbag thoug), and I have the sliding in - sliding out drive colum.

Javier

[tmansteve]

Many thanks for that Bill. Feel a little more confident. So many bulbs!!!!!!

Steve