Hope the title is easy enough to search for this now~

Thanks Raffi and Loren for your help.

Click here for the DIY

I wish you could turn on html code here so I wouldn't have to keep hosting these... who knows when I switch over servers... If I become a "real" member here can you use Html code?

 

excellent job parkman, now you gotta get the aluminum trim rings to match the aluminum gauges...

 

anyone know where this went? I need to replace the plastic piece above the gauges. Anyone know what to do once you pull off the hazard and mic pieces and remove the two screws? I can pry up the whole piece, then what? how do the gauges separate from the upper leather piece? much appreciated!... Eric

 

is it me or the web link DIY is dead ("page cannot be found")?

 

Parkman,

Where did it go?

 

I only found '404'

 

sorry, I took down that part of my site. if you need the pictures email me at auclutch@hotmail.com. here's the text from the diy.

996 Instrument Gauge Cluster Installation DIY

Date : 1/29/04

Tools Needed:

2 Hands
1 Torx Screwdriver
1 Torx T20 size for screwdriver
1 Extremely small Flat head screwdriver or thin pick
1 New Gauge Cluster
1 Cigarette

Time:

5-15 minutes depending on ability and care

Preparation - write down mileage of your odometer and have either the Porsche dealership reprogram your gauge cluster or get a local digital odometer guy to reprogram mileage. Go to Porsche dealer (if you got it done elsewhere) and record mileage with them notifying them of change. I just had them do it for 32 bucks including tax and the guy was pretty cool about it. Since I actually did this twice in two days (I bought a silver one and then later bought another one that had GT3 gauge faces on it), the guy did it the second time for 20 bucks. He laughed at me..

Notice: Sorry for the blurry pictures, I did this at 1am at my girlfriends basement parking lot.

Step 1

Smoke cigarette and look over instructions.

Step 2

Press hazard switch to the on button so the lights are blinking. Remove Hazard switch either by prying it out with a flat head or just pulling on it. it comes out really easily and I don't think you have to worry about breaking anything.





The switch basically pops out and then you will have two pieces, the button and the trim. Place on chair.



here's a picture of the back of the switch.

Step two point five:

Remove cell phone microphone cover by placing small flat head on the edge - be careful not to scratch anything. It pops right out and there isn't really anything to break on it. Just be slow and gentle.



Place on seat and take picture



sorry it's so blurry - either way you can see there's not really much to break here. Just pry it out slowly.

Step Three

Take torx screwdriver bit T20 and place in screwdriver. Then remove first bolt that was behind the hazard switch.



Step Four

Remove Torx screw that was behind cell phone microphone cover on left side



Place both screws in a safe place so you don't lose them.

Step Five

Gently pull from the rear of the entire cluster and pull up and towards you. There are about four plastic inserts in the back that you have to slowly pry out. They didn't break on mine so i'm pretty sure they're pretty strong. Then after the rear is pulled up pull up the front. The entire cluster including the hood (the top plastic/leather part) should come up. Don't yank it off because there are wires that are still connecting everything in the back.





Step Six

Go outside of teh car and look through the windshield to see where the wires are. There are four harnesses but only three need to be removed. The harness that plugs into the hazard switch does not need to be removed. You are removing the blue, the white and the black from left to right in the below picture. To remove the harnesses you have to move that white lever to the up position. in the picture below the white lever shaped like an "n" is already moved into the open position. If you look carefully on the white and the black switches the lever is still in the close postition on the bottom. Basically you are pulling the lever up. Note: In order to pull the lever up you have to press a small button right above the lever for the lever to move. You will understand when you see it. The button basically holds the lever in place.



Once the lever is up you can pull each of the harnesses out. You can do them one at a time or all at once. Remember you still have the hazard harness in place so don't yank on the hood or cluster.

Step Seven:

Picture came out so blurry it wasn't worth posting but basically all you do is turn the cluster around so you can see the back of it. Some people on rennlist suggested that you place a towel or something on the dash so not to scratch it. If you're careful you don't have to worry about that part, but some of you Porsche fanatics might want to do it just in case.

Step Eight

Once you can see the back of the gauge cluster (having turned it 180 degrees, use your torx screwdriver (same bit) and remove the two bolts on both the right and left sides. It's pretty self explanatory once you see it. You can't really see it in my pictures and I'm too lazy to photoshop them with arrows.





Step Nine:

There are two little buttons that you have to press in to pull the gauge cluster out. These are located at the bottom of the hood/plastic piece that holds the cluster in. I don't have any pictures but you'll know when you see them. They're very small and very easy to get off.

Step Ten

Remove cluster pulling straight out. After you have the cluster out try plugging in the plugs into the new cluster to make sure it works properly. Then take the wires back out and proceed to reinstall the gauge cluster.

Step Eleven

Replace cluster with new cluster and bolt in the two screws. Then reverse the steps above and place the whole thing back in. At this point you should be at around 5 minutes marker. Sticking the hood back into the dash is the hardest part. It took me about 5 minutes to get it in there securely (lining up the little plastic things to get it to fit snuggly. Don't forget to screw back in the two screws behind the hazard switch and cell phone mic. Then put it together and turn the car on. You're done!

PARKMAN~~~