| These instructions are specific for the 1997 MN12 and Taurus/Sable models. 1. Start the car and let it get up to operating temperature. 2. Remove the trim panel around the gauge cluster itself. This will be fastened with a number of bolts. 3. This will expose the actual instrument cluster. Remove the clear cover with a 5.5 mm socket or a T-15 Torx. Note the location of all of the needles, and mark the needle locations with a black marker on some masking tape. Remove the two small black pegs that are used as a rest for the speedometer and tachometer when the ignition is turned off. Don't loose these. 4. Turn off the engine and note where the speedometer and tachometer needles come to rest. These will drop below the "0" marks on both gauges. Mark their positions with black marker and masking tape on the bezel. 5. Now, you can remove the entire cluster. This is held in the dashboard with 4 bolts. Use a 7mm socket to remove these bolts. 6. Pull the cluster out of the dashboard and disconnect the two electrical plugs on the back of the cluster. 7. Now, you will be able to pull the cluster out of the car and work on it in the comfort of your home. I suggest someplace comfy and well lit, like a kitchen table 8. You will have to remove the factory gauge faces. In order to do that the needles will have to be removed. Please note that these gauges are Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) sensitive, much like computer hardware. Please take precautions to eliminate the chance of ESD damage. A precaution can be (but not limited to) using a grounding strap. In order to pull off the needles, I use a regular fork (another benefit of working of in the kitchen). Just slip the tines on each side of the metal rod that sticks out of the gauge. Give the fork a slight rocking, and the needle should pull off. You might have to pull harder than you would have thought, but it will come off. 9. Once the needles have been removed. Peel the stock faces off. They are bonded to the clear plastic gauge structure around the holes where the needles are attached. You can use that same fork to help pull off the factory faces. 10. This is the time to install the new gauge faces. I suggest that you use a thin layer of a spray adhesive (something like 3M Super 77) to keep the gauge faces in place. 11. Once the new gauge faces are installed, it is time to install the needles. This is where the masking tape comes in handy. Either that, or you can install the cluster into the dash and start up the car. Then you can install the needles where they should be (i.e. speedometer at 0 and tack needle at idle RPM). Don't forget to install the two little black pegs on the Tachometer and Speedometer. 12. Install the clear cover. 13. If possible, take the car for a drive and make sure that the needles seem to be in the correct location. Fill up the tank and make sure the fuel gauge goes to the full mark. 14. Install the rest of the dash pieces and you are done. 15. Kick back and enjoy the glory of doing it yourself. |
| Custom Gauge Faces for Forgotten Vehicles |
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