Speedo Cluster Swap

[95 LeSabre]

Has any one changed out the speedometer cluster on there Lesabre? I'm getting ready to buy a used one but, my local mechanic is wanting to charge $120 to do the install. Is it hard to do? Any info or advice is appreciated! By the way my Buick is a 1995 Thanks!

[Smith1000]

I have done this twice, both times on 97 Lesabres. It isn't too difficult. Just have to remove all of the screws and pop off the dash cover pieces. Some of the screws are inside the vents, so I just removed the vent pieces. Pop them out or ease them out very carefully from the bottom. The most difficult part of the whole thing is getting the gear shift marker string thing removed and clipped back to the lever, showing the correct gear. The cluster has about 4 screws. It slides right out and goes back in just as easy. The first time I did this it took about an hour and 15 minutes. The second time I did it, it was about 30 minutes to complete. Good luck.

[93buicklesabrelmtd]

Its not that difficult of a job. Just be carefull not to cut the gear shift cable that is connected to the bottom of the steering column. You could unclip it with a flat head screwdriver. I have had my dash off on several occasions. The instrument cluster is just a plug in cluster.

[95 LeSabre]

I have all the trim removed and the cluster seems easy enough to remove but how do you disconnect the gear shift marker string thing? Do you have to remove more trim pieces from around the column? Or do you have to stick something down in along side the column to pop it loose? TIA!

[Smith1000]

Use a little screw driver to scratch a mark next to the clip. That way, you know where to put it back. Use a flat head screw driver to ease/push it off. It will come off easy enough. Putting it back on is the tricky part. You don't need to remove any of the parts/plastic below, but you may need to rotate the shift lever all of the way to the lowest gear to access the clip from the left side of the steering column. I used surgical forceps to reattach the clip when putting it back together, but one could probably use long needle nose pliers. Just need something you can get ahold of it with to get it in position. Putting it back on is the hardest part of the whole procedure. The cable/string thing needs to wrap around the curve of the steering column for the indicator to show the correct gear. May take a couple of times to get it in the exact right position.

[95 LeSabre]

You have been a great help. I should be getting my new speedometer on Wed., I will let you know if I have any trouble, thanks!

[urbancaveman]

fyi...there's about 1 million screws holding the dash in place. if you have a bad neck or back stay away from working under the dash you'll be sore for weeks.

[taser1984]

Probably too late to help the original poster, but maybe of help to someone else:

Put a towel over the steering column so the metal on the cluster doesn't scrape the paint off of it. I made that mistake once.

Also important: even though the clusters that have the tach and other gauges and the clusters that only have speed and gas are very similar and will physically swap places, they are not simply interchangeable. If you try without rewiring, you will cause a fuse to blow.