I been trying to remove the gauge cluster on my 997 and despite a few postings on the subject suggesting it's a simple process I have had no success thus far and am looking for some help. There are only two fastening screws that hold the cluster itself however accessing them has proven difficult. I have removed the steering wheel and I thought maybe I need to remove the plastic casing around the steering column together with the piece behind it (with the leather flap just below the cluster) In the attached picture (sorry for the poor quality) there are holes (circled in red) in the front of the casing which I can insert a driver vertically however I could not locate a fastener head inside. There is a single T-30 Torx machine screw in the middle of the underside of the casing (see arrow) which I removed however I don't see any other screws or attaching points to remove the housing. It was suggested that I only need to remove the flap behind the steering wheel (circled in pink). I was able to unclip one side of the flap on the side closest to the driver however to access the cluster screws I need to detach the other side which is thin plastic and wraps around the gauge cluster surround below the warning lights and fits in between the horizontal sections of the dash. I was able dislodge the piece somewhat where it wraps around however it seems there may be a couple of fasteners between the 2 sections of the dash or is it just friction fit? I don't want to break the piece so I "downed tools" Has anyone removed the cluster? There are a few posting on 996 cluster removal procedures but none that I could find that are step-by-step for the 997. Any help would be appreciated.

 

I have successfully removed the cluster, thanks to a tip provided by the dealer technician. The tip is to focus on the plastic panel that you circled in pink. You have to loosen it. This will not be easy. You should pull it off holding the area below the tachometer with both your left and right fingers since it will take a lot of force (don't pinch it too hard). Once you have it loosened a bit, you will need to run a small screwdriver under the tabs that hold it in place on the bottom. Use duct tape to protect the dash and the plastic finishes. Behind this panel are the two screws that hold the cluster, and with a long torx screwdriver, you will take them off. Don't allow the screws to fall inside the dash by laying a cloth or newspaper to catch them if your screwdriver does not have a magnetic tip. The cluster will pull out with a bit of rocking. There are two electrical connections in the back to disengage for the whole thing to be free to take out. All of these actions should be done carefully since the parts are so expensive. The reason I went to the trouble of removing the cluster was to eliminate the snap, crackle, and pop sounds of the plastic when driving over bumps. These sounds can be eliminated by brushing on a little WD40 at the joints where the plastic subassemblies meet.

 

Lloyd,

Are you changing your gauge to Kmph?

You should be driving the car, and doing this in the winter.

 

Ed, you are quite right, this should be a winter project. I purchased a new alcantara steering wheel from Suncoast so I figured since I had the steering wheel off I should paint the gauge cluster surround (one thing leads to another) which requires removal of the gauge cluster and related trim. I don't plan to convert the speedo to KPH.

 

Mods already! Problem with the GT3RS is there is not much to mod! What can you modify anyway?

 

No mods Ed, just subtle refinements to an otherwise near perfect car (IMHO) and my list is short: Cargraphics grills to protect the rads and a Sharkwerks bypass. Nothing that detracts materially from the originality of the RS and both are reverse-able. The original steering wheel has white deviated stitching which will discolor with even light use so its going into a box to be preserved.

 

Refinements! I love that term.

I have made a few refinements to my car.

 

Edgemont- thanks for posting up the removal info as you move forward. I am still trying to hunt down info on removing the gauge needles so I can put on a set of white gauge faces.

 

Thanks, I am hoping to hear from another 6Speeder who has performed the cluster removal on a 997 as I keep hearing its "easy" however so far its not playing out that way. Regarding gauge face replacement, IMHO some things are best left to the specialists. You might consider sending your cluster to Palo Alto Speedometer (http://www.paspeedo.com/), they advertise in Panorama and specialize in Porsche gauge work for all vintages. I have no affiliation. Clusters are expensive and delicate to work on and I'm not convinced the DIY approach is worth the risk of damage unless you have experience.

 

+1, Somethings are best left to the pro's.

 

True- I did contact a local speedo shop and they wanted $250 to swap the faces. Of course they would not impart any secrets, but they were interested as heck in where I actually obtained a set of factory replacement faces

I'm comfortable with doing this as long as I have the information, to me these things are kind of fun DIY's.

 

is it necessary to change the mph to kpm? I mean to drive an american import in canada?

 

not necessary, you can set km/h on digital display anyway.

 

any final tips to remove the cluster. i want swap out the black face for a white so any input would be greatly appreciated.

ps the steering wheel doesnt have to be removed correct?

 

C4SxM5: Over at RennTech there is a thread with pictures from the factory tech manual:
http://www.renntech.org/forums/index...howtopic=21715
its the 6th post down the thread. Step 4 means "pull so hard that it almost breaks, but not quite".
Good luck.
You might need to join RennTech to see the pictures. It is an excellent site. Pay $20 to become a contributing member and you can download TONS of information including some factory manuals.