Introduction
It is necessary to remove the instrument pack to replace the instrument panel lighting or warning bulbs, or, for RHD vehicles, remove the air conditioning ducting to replace the heater O-rings and/or the blend flap servo motors, etc. Ron Beckett of Australia has supplied the following details on how to remove/replace the instrument pack.
Before you start, have you got a supply of globes ready for use. If
you are unsure of what you need refer to the bottom of this page.
First release the steering column adjustment and pull the steering wheel out as far as it will go. This gives access to the two screws (see LH pix below) which tie the lower fascia finishing panel to the binnacle finishing panel. You'll need to use a stubby No.2 PoziDrive tip. Possible alternatives are a ratchet screwdriver or a right angle screwdriver (see pix at bottom of page. Ron uses the extremely useful US-made Chapman ratchet screwdriver/allen key set).
Pulling the steering wheel out will also allow enough clearance for removal of the instrument pack.
Now remove the lower finishing panel under the steering column area - pop out the four covers over the screws which hold the panel in place. Remove screws and drop the panel down and out, disconnecting the flexible plastic pipe from the panel. Note the panel is fairly heavy. Also be careful not to damage the flexible plastic pipe - it is somewhat delicate and easily damaged so that it kinks and shuts off airflow when the lower panel is replaced.
This will have exposed another two screws that hold the binnacle finishing panel - one each side of the panel. See right hand pix below (disregard the silver clip - that's Ron's CB radio microphone bracket).
Finally, remove the two screws under to the top edge of the binnacle finishing panel and lift the panel out. Unplug the fuel filler cap electric release switch. Note that most plugs, including this one, have to be pressed on the side to release them.
You will now have access to the four instrument pack retaining screws.
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| Above: Remove two screws, one each side of the steering
column. You'll need a very short screwdriver. Below: Remove two screws from the upper underside of the finishing panel. |
Above: One of the two lower finishing panel retaining screws
- again, one each side of the steering column. Below: Broken bracket mount under the binnacle hood. A possible weak point (see below). |
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At this point we have a dilemma. In Ron's view it is desirable to disconnect the battery before going any further. Into the instrument panel (at least on Ron's 1995 model P38A RR - it may be different from mid-1996 models onward) is a yellow loom from the SRS wiring which, along with another cable, has to be unplugged from the instrument pack. In order to avoid any chance of the SRS being activated, Ron recommends disconnecting the battery. Some people are of the view that this causes other problems with the car electrics, e.g., the SRS light being illuminated, but Ron has experienced none of that. For further comment see below. The workshop manual advises disconnecting the battery for almost every job so there shouldn't be a problem apart from having to reprogram your radio and reset the windows and sunroof.
OK, so having disconnected the car battery, unplug the cables from the front of the instrument pack.
Note: If you reconnect the battery for any reason, do NOT turn the ignition on with the SRS cable unplugged. This will cause the SRS lamp to be illuminated and will bring up the Airbag Fault message in the Message Centre necessitating a trip to your nearest Land Rover dealer so that he can reset it with TestBook.
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| Above: The naked instrument pack. Note the two cables which
have to be unplugged. The yellow one is the SRS loom (on the pre-mid
1996 model). The white thing at the top of the instrument panel is
actually part of the padded dash and is the retainer for the binnacle
finishing panel. (Note the top right hand binnacle clip is missing because the mount is broken). |
Using a long No.1 sized PoziDrive screwdriver, unscrew the four screws which retain the instrument pack. It is not necessary to completely remove the screws - leave them captured in the pack. Lift out the pack, being careful not to scratch the plastic lens. Place it aside and away from danger.
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| Above: From the rear - look at all those bulbs to replace. Early P38As don't use all the bulb positions in the bottom LH corner. |
This is sufficient dismantling to perform replacement of the bulbs (see below). If you plan any of the other operations listed above (replacing air conditioning ducting on RHD models, or replace heater core O-rings, bend-flap servo motor etc), further disassembly is advisable to gain better access -- se "Further Disassembly" below.
At this point it might be worth considering replacement of the globes in the pack. All but three are 1.2W 12V wedge base globes (also known as capless globes) and are the same style (but not the same wattage) as used in the HEVAC display. However, in the case of the HEVAC display, the globes are welded to the holder. In the instrument pack, the bulbs are replaceable. The three larger bulbs indicated above are 3 watt - do not fit 5 watt bulbs which look identical and are used elsewhere in the car, e.g., side lights, rear number plate lights, etc. These 3 watt globes have removable green silicone rubber sleeves - see pix below.
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| Above: Capless or wedgebase bulbs and holders. The smaller one is 1.2 watt and the larger is the 3 watt lamp. The green item is the silicone sleeve that slides over the larger bulb. |
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| Above: Instrument pack mounting bracket which may need removal for some jobs. |
Refitting is the reverse of the above.
Note that the top screws go into brackets clipped to a moulding under the dashboard. When Ron removed his binnacle finishing panel, he found that it had been previously removed and the moulding broken. He suspects the previous mechanics must have been a bit heavy handed in tightening up the screws. He has since seen another P38A where the mouldings have also been broken. Perhaps a weak point in the construction. See pix towards top of page.
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| Above: Special tools: A small ratchet screw driver to access the screws under the steering (see top LH pix) |