My odometer stopped working about 3 weeks ago. Everything else works but the odometer itself. From what I have read it appears it might be the teeth in the gear and I can order for about $40 and replace myself.
I am a little short on time so I check arounded to see how much if I didn't want to do myself and several different places have said it would be around $500 because you have to remove the airbag and entire dash to get to the cluster..
Has anyone done this before and is that true. I am shadetree mechanic and have tackled some decent projects but this sounds a bit much...Any help would be nice.

Syd Grant
Dallas, TX

...as if you were replacing the AC evaporator. You have to address the airbags in that case, yes? I too have some credible shadetree experience (installed an entire AC dealer kit in my Mazda, for example), and while I initially cringed at the thought of messing with airbags, c'mon, I see Fisher Price warning stickers all over the car, they're trusting dealer techs to work on 'em, it can't possibly be rocket science. Right? Any tricks to handling the airbags, or can I find a straightforward explanation in my new Haynes manual?

my god some of these people really suprise me with their ignorance. Removing the instrument cluster is not a very hard issue to tackle. When you start your job you should disconnect the battery that will discharge the airbags do not reconnect when battery is connected. I never had a problem with airbags blowing up in my face. I have done at least 8 of those damn od in the last week i know how to do them and i could walk you through. E-mail me if you have any questions.

Easy fix, cheap part, don't spend the dough at the stealer!
http://www.odometergears.com/ for the gear. $30 shipped at your door in 2-3 working days. Be careful above the vents when removing the torx cause thy will crack occasionally and dash will be "puffy". If you have a service light you have to reset that through the directions in Haynes 12-5.
-Stu.

EASY fix....just be careful with the cluster when handling...you should replace the lights (4) behind the gauges as well...I fixed my own odometer in 2-3 hours. 2 days later a gauge light went out so I replaced all 4 lights. For some reason it seems old light bulbs are very delicate to shock and break easily, which is why you should replace them all when you have the cluster out.

ROFLMAO!!! Those stealers...they'll say anything to lighten your wallet. The instrument cluster removal is pretty straight forward as described in Bay 13; just be careful when you replace the dash and because the plastic next to the windshield is pretty brittle and can crack easily.

I removed mine to replace the lights behind the cluster. A few months later the odometer went bad. I didn't have the gear to fix the odometer so I took the cluster to an odometer repair shop and they did it for $60. Not a bad deal since I probably wouldn't have had the guts to do anyways.

They're blowing you smoke. Air bag removal is not required. Just follow the Bay13 instructions for removing the cluster. (It's not that difficult if you have any mechanical inclination). Once the cluster is out, you have to take the back off. Many people on the forum have done this and report that it's not too difficult. Also, the replacement gear can be bought for about $25 from specialty sources (do a search).

Gerald C

Instrument Cluster Removal Instructions from Bay 13

I have never done this myself and so have not followed these instructions. No guarantees. BE CAREFUL, disconnect the battery, and if you blow yourself up your heirs should know I'm just a penniless groundhog in Pennsylvania!

Also, try a search of the Brickboard archives for additional helpful jhints. See pull-down menu above.

Also, the 850 instrument clister is (usually) standard VDO issue, and ther should be VDO service shops listed in your phonebook.

-Punxsutawney Phil

Not a hard job to do. I deviate from Bay 13 only in that it's a lot easier to remove the turbo hose from the back of the cluster rather than from the connection down by the hood latch. And yes, replace those bulbs.