How to remove my I/P Cluster (Speedo' head)?
1989 to 1995 are the easy years, of cluster pulls. No Air bags, no sideimpact bars, and no steering drop needed: < See it here.
15 to 30 minutes out.


1996 to 1998 below:
Step one, defeat air bags,  they can hold a charge with battery pulled for a too long time ! and are very dangerous to any technician or mechanic, etc.!!.

Starting in 1996 that got harder, due to side bracking and under dash (on pre 96 cars one may be able to wiggle small hands behind there, or past left speaker out hole.?)
THE FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL,  
First the PDF  FSM,  see page  8C6-7 

Hints:
The steering wheel must be lowered to get the cluster out.  If not the cluster hits, wheel parts and stops.
There are 4 PAINS here: (Generation 3)
  1. Dip down the steering column,
  2. Steering clamp has security anti tamper screws,  the royal pain.
  3. Speedo cable end funky bits. (a weak aluminum shell cable lock, just go easy tipping it, and all is well.
  4. Airbag dangers)
Hint 4, buy the lamps before you need them.   #18 GE is the  CEL lamp. bulb, a special low current lamp 0.040amps.
Tamper screw swap:
Buy  two new  6mm OD   x 20mm    M6-20 pitch 1.0  long allen screws first, and the hex key to match. (IIRC on size? or was it M8's) That should slow a thief well enough. (no Allen key)

Presteps:
The steering casing shaft at the floor firewall down low,, only loosen the 4 bolts 4-5 turns.(trick 1) there.
Remove all tiny screws in the steering, key switch housing, from BELOW.
Then drop the cluster, using same instructions in the FSM under new ignition key switch, (that too has tricks) (yes, a royal pain, max pain)
The Key Switch assembly/ column has 2 tamper proof bolts, you grind flats to heads , then unscrew with vise grips and trash them.
Replace these bolts with new allen head metric screws of same diameter and pitch. 

 All that , just to dip the steering.
Do not pull the steering wheel it self or mess with Airbag parts under it. (the coil spring, don't mess with that)

Nutshell,  the GEN3 housing  is incased  in a wall of stee l/ HVAC plastic behind the cluster totally, unlike any pre 96 !  
Simple steps.
  1. Battery was MINUS LUG only, pulled long ago, in air bag page.  95 and newer, can be BAGGED cars.
  2. You must tilt the steering down, 20 degrees. 6 -8 inches, to clear the cluster ( read FSM on, ignition key removal pages and tamper proof bolts. see above....)
  3. Now, the  cluster is removable.
  4. See naked speedo now, see the screws holding it in on the edge. off them. (off them, means remove them)
  5. The speedo head has 4 bezel screws, remove the , exposing the 4 head mount screws.  The whole head is now floating free.
  6. Gently pull the speedo cluster out.  as you do the speedo cable will fight you, gain slack in the cable by following it and gently tugging down under dash to get slack. 
  7. The cable end has this funky aluminum SHELL (soft metal) that is a locking device, tweek the trip locks 1 or 2 of  3 gently, there and it pops loose. 
  8.  To  trip them ,1 by 1, gently with a tiny screwdriver.  bang the cable end pops free.  The cable end is a squire drive in to the head, it falls out.
  9. Speedo is now free, replace lamps.
  10.  Bend the 3  tip lugs (tabs) back to their origional locations, so the cable will lock right.  or the Speedo goes dead later as you drive. The ECU gets real angry with dead speedo.

You can pull whole dash out. (a full days work) if you have other jobs under the dash, like a leaking heater core?

(some do this to clean the crap out of the heater core or A/C evap core,  for more HEAT/COOLing) (or removing dead mice...)

On older cars, replace all speedo lamps.  they are only rated for 750 hours total. They are mostly toast now... END OF LIFE !
For sure, replace the CEL lamp.

To see who is whom now, shine any flash light from rear lamps unscrewed and out, (twist-locked) to see all words, there will be words and icons for things you car NEVER HAD. (cruise?)

There is the wall of steel (96+) and huge plastic HVAC AIR ,ducting blocking you. from bottom access, only this way works below.
All older pre-96'  Kick,s you can get skinny hands up in behind speedo, not pulled, to get at things, a kid might. But not possibe starting in 1996.  It is steel boxed in.

You can see me dropping the steering column clearly.  1997 4dr actual car, white hose is MINE.  (the white hose is my guage conduit path added)
Look careful, see the steering clamp dropped 2 inches.  (the gauges are: fuel rail pressure, oil pressure and system voltage)


1hour to do 2nd time , 2 hours labor the first time.  (once of lamps then later for gauges)

v3   1-1-2013