Dash Removal How-To
10-06-03, 05:07 PM
#1
...94% correct.
Thread Starter
Dash Removal How-To
First thing to remember...there's always one more bolt.
Okay, I hear a lot of people moan about needing to pull their dash for one reason or another, yet it's not that hard. Takes about 20 minutes to pull the dash it's self if you know where your tools are.
You will need:
1/4 ratchet
1/4" socket
or a 1/4" open end wrench
3/8 ratchet
10mm socket
12mm socket
10mm open end wrench
Long flathead and short flat head
Long phillips and short phillips
First, there are things that will need to come out. Headunit, radio surround, shifter surround, glove box, steering wheel, instruments, center console components, warning light cluster, logicon (broke mine
) and shifter (just makes it easier). Removing all the defrost and door panel vents is a good idea if you're the kinna person who tries to grab things blindly and pull. Once all these items are out you'll need to reach in through the instument cluster opening and disconnect the round flex vent tubing from either the dash vent or the plenum, then do the same through the glove box opening. You'll need to disconnect two green (I think, maybe blue) connectors on the driver's side...they're just behind and to the left of where the guage cluster sits, can't miss em. Then there's another connector on the pass side you can reach through the glove box opening. Now, for the dash it's self.
On the pass and driver's sides there are flat plastic clip-on panels just behind the door vent. These need to come off. Carefully pry them off with a flat screw-driver. Behind these panels you will find two 10mm bolts that need to be removed on each side. Now on either side of the center console, where the carpet meats the plastic, there's two more covers. Again, remove these (they have screws if I remember correctly) to find two more 10mm bolts on either side. With the removal of these you should have 8 bolts set aside (I always lose bolts).
Under the dash, on the driver's side you'll have to pull the hood release lever off and then get up towards the steering column. Holding the steering column up are two 12mm bolts...these need to be removed.
Now, on the top of the dash, between the long windshield defrost vents, there's a single 1/4" bolt waiting to be removed...it's a bastard to get to without an open end wrench. After that bolt is removed the piece that bolt holds down can be removed. It's held down with a series of clips the all across the dash, so be patient. Once this piece is removed there will be three 10mm bolts holding the top of the dash down....one in the center, and one towards each side. After these are removed the dash is free.
From here it's just a matter of pulling the dash off the frame and out of the car. In the end you should have:
Dash
eleven 10mm bolts
two 12mm bolts
one 1/4" bolt
I think that's it.
Okay, I hear a lot of people moan about needing to pull their dash for one reason or another, yet it's not that hard. Takes about 20 minutes to pull the dash it's self if you know where your tools are.
You will need:
1/4 ratchet
1/4" socket
or a 1/4" open end wrench
3/8 ratchet
10mm socket
12mm socket
10mm open end wrench
Long flathead and short flat head
Long phillips and short phillips
First, there are things that will need to come out. Headunit, radio surround, shifter surround, glove box, steering wheel, instruments, center console components, warning light cluster, logicon (broke mine
) and shifter (just makes it easier). Removing all the defrost and door panel vents is a good idea if you're the kinna person who tries to grab things blindly and pull. Once all these items are out you'll need to reach in through the instument cluster opening and disconnect the round flex vent tubing from either the dash vent or the plenum, then do the same through the glove box opening. You'll need to disconnect two green (I think, maybe blue) connectors on the driver's side...they're just behind and to the left of where the guage cluster sits, can't miss em. Then there's another connector on the pass side you can reach through the glove box opening. Now, for the dash it's self.On the pass and driver's sides there are flat plastic clip-on panels just behind the door vent. These need to come off. Carefully pry them off with a flat screw-driver. Behind these panels you will find two 10mm bolts that need to be removed on each side. Now on either side of the center console, where the carpet meats the plastic, there's two more covers. Again, remove these (they have screws if I remember correctly) to find two more 10mm bolts on either side. With the removal of these you should have 8 bolts set aside (I always lose bolts).
Under the dash, on the driver's side you'll have to pull the hood release lever off and then get up towards the steering column. Holding the steering column up are two 12mm bolts...these need to be removed.
Now, on the top of the dash, between the long windshield defrost vents, there's a single 1/4" bolt waiting to be removed...it's a bastard to get to without an open end wrench. After that bolt is removed the piece that bolt holds down can be removed. It's held down with a series of clips the all across the dash, so be patient. Once this piece is removed there will be three 10mm bolts holding the top of the dash down....one in the center, and one towards each side. After these are removed the dash is free.
From here it's just a matter of pulling the dash off the frame and out of the car. In the end you should have:
Dash
eleven 10mm bolts
two 12mm bolts
one 1/4" bolt
I think that's it.
The following users liked this post:
BettsySlevin (08-05-17)
10-06-03, 05:11 PM
#2
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great timing man... I'm right in the middle of this. Thanks!!
BTW, I've found thus far the hardest part is those freaking phillips screws that are in the back of the dash pointing toward you. Can't get a real screwdriver back there.
work in progress.
btw, I'll be in need of a good condition S5 black dash after this if anyone wants to sell!
BTW, I've found thus far the hardest part is those freaking phillips screws that are in the back of the dash pointing toward you. Can't get a real screwdriver back there.
work in progress.
btw, I'll be in need of a good condition S5 black dash after this if anyone wants to sell!
10-06-03, 05:38 PM
#6
...94% correct.
Thread Starter
damn...trav...didn't pay attention to what you wrote...don't take out all those screws...do it exactly like I have posted. Take the reinforments out once you have it all pulled then install them on the new dash while they're out of the car. Much easier...
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10-07-03, 08:53 AM
#13
RX-7 Bad Ass
iTrader: (55)
Good info here - I was thinking about doing a similar writeup .
I just replaced the heater core in my wife's '90 'vert this weekend, and have done numerous dash pulls/installs in the past, so here's some of my wisdom.
1. Remove seats.
2. Remove armrest/storage box, shift ****, shifter surround, and shift lever.
3. Remove ashtray/center AC vents/radio console/radio.
4. Remove steering wheel (one 21mm nuts holds it to the shaft). Remove instrument cluster surround and instrument cluster.
5. Remove plastic trim panels that are held on with one screw on either side of the center of the dash. Remove flat plastic panels on the ends of the dash that are normally hidden by the door when closed - those just pry off.
6. Remove 2 10mm bolts per side on the far ends of the dash. Pull the carpet flaps back at the center console and remove 2 12mm (they were 12mm on my wife's car - might be different in the earlier cars) bolts per side on the center console.
7. Pop off the center cap between the defrost vents. Remove the 8mm bolt there (not 1/4", this is METRIC). Get a screwdriver and pop that whole defrost panel off. Wear gloves - it's sheet metal, and RAZOR sharp at the edge - I have SLICED my fingers open on it before.
8. With the top panel removed, there are 3 10mm bolts along the top of the dash to be removed that hold the dash on.
9. Drop the steering column - remove the crotch vent below the steering column, and remove the 2 12mm bolts that hold the column to the dash.
10. You should be able to start pulling the dash out. Pull it out a little ways, then unplug the harnesses. There are two big connectors on the driver's side, and one big one on the passenger side. There's also the connector from the logicon to the heater at the center near the windshield. There are also 2 flexy AC ducts to be disconnected.
Things I learned -
- You do NOT have to remove the logicon first. Leave it in the dash, and just unplug the heater connector once you start removing the dash.
- You do NOT have to remove the glove box - leave it be.
- It can help to unbolt the parking brake to give some more maneuvering room - 3 12mm bolts hold it in place.
- You will VERY likely break the center cap between the defrost vents when you pop it off. They're only a few bucks brand-new, though.
As far as the heater core is concerned, it's like 3 10mm fasteners and the two hoses in the engine bay, and it comes out. You do have to maneuver the outlet pipe on the passenger side to clear the AC evaporator, but it's not too bad.
The AC components were designed to be installed in this order - blower motor, evaporator, and heater core. You can easily remove the blower motor assembly with the evaporator in place, and reinstalling the heater core is MUCH easier if you unbolt the evaporator and pull it out a bit so you have some clearance to work with. You don't have to crack open the AC system or anything.
I do recommend when you're in there to remove the blower motor assembly and clean/reseal it. There are 3 8mm bolts/screws that hold the actual blower to the bottom - remove and drop it out. You'll probably find a forest of leaves inside. I also went to Pep Boys and bought some AC duct sealing foam - they're adhesive foam rubber strips. I resealed the blower motor to the fresh air duct, the heater core to the dash, etc. This makes a BIG difference - if you have any duct leaks under the dash, that will lower the airspeed of the air coming from the vents. The foam I got was with the weatherstripping, and I got two different sizes - one for the clamps that attach the duct from the heater to the evaporator and the clamp from the evaporator to the blower, and one for the heater core to dash and blower to fresh air.
It's really not that hard at ALL to pull the dash. And, yes, you DO have to pull the dash to remove the heater core. To remove the evaporator or blower motor, you just have to pull the glovebox and the panel under the glove box - both are easy to install with the dash in.
Dale
.I just replaced the heater core in my wife's '90 'vert this weekend, and have done numerous dash pulls/installs in the past, so here's some of my wisdom.
1. Remove seats.
2. Remove armrest/storage box, shift ****, shifter surround, and shift lever.
3. Remove ashtray/center AC vents/radio console/radio.
4. Remove steering wheel (one 21mm nuts holds it to the shaft). Remove instrument cluster surround and instrument cluster.
5. Remove plastic trim panels that are held on with one screw on either side of the center of the dash. Remove flat plastic panels on the ends of the dash that are normally hidden by the door when closed - those just pry off.
6. Remove 2 10mm bolts per side on the far ends of the dash. Pull the carpet flaps back at the center console and remove 2 12mm (they were 12mm on my wife's car - might be different in the earlier cars) bolts per side on the center console.
7. Pop off the center cap between the defrost vents. Remove the 8mm bolt there (not 1/4", this is METRIC
). Get a screwdriver and pop that whole defrost panel off. Wear gloves - it's sheet metal, and RAZOR sharp at the edge - I have SLICED my fingers open on it before.8. With the top panel removed, there are 3 10mm bolts along the top of the dash to be removed that hold the dash on.
9. Drop the steering column - remove the crotch vent below the steering column, and remove the 2 12mm bolts that hold the column to the dash.
10. You should be able to start pulling the dash out. Pull it out a little ways, then unplug the harnesses. There are two big connectors on the driver's side, and one big one on the passenger side. There's also the connector from the logicon to the heater at the center near the windshield. There are also 2 flexy AC ducts to be disconnected.
Things I learned -
- You do NOT have to remove the logicon first. Leave it in the dash, and just unplug the heater connector once you start removing the dash.
- You do NOT have to remove the glove box - leave it be.
- It can help to unbolt the parking brake to give some more maneuvering room - 3 12mm bolts hold it in place.
- You will VERY likely break the center cap between the defrost vents when you pop it off. They're only a few bucks brand-new, though.
As far as the heater core is concerned, it's like 3 10mm fasteners and the two hoses in the engine bay, and it comes out. You do have to maneuver the outlet pipe on the passenger side to clear the AC evaporator, but it's not too bad.
The AC components were designed to be installed in this order - blower motor, evaporator, and heater core. You can easily remove the blower motor assembly with the evaporator in place, and reinstalling the heater core is MUCH easier if you unbolt the evaporator and pull it out a bit so you have some clearance to work with. You don't have to crack open the AC system or anything.
I do recommend when you're in there to remove the blower motor assembly and clean/reseal it. There are 3 8mm bolts/screws that hold the actual blower to the bottom - remove and drop it out. You'll probably find a forest of leaves inside
. I also went to Pep Boys and bought some AC duct sealing foam - they're adhesive foam rubber strips. I resealed the blower motor to the fresh air duct, the heater core to the dash, etc. This makes a BIG difference - if you have any duct leaks under the dash, that will lower the airspeed of the air coming from the vents. The foam I got was with the weatherstripping, and I got two different sizes - one for the clamps that attach the duct from the heater to the evaporator and the clamp from the evaporator to the blower, and one for the heater core to dash and blower to fresh air.It's really not that hard at ALL to pull the dash. And, yes, you DO have to pull the dash to remove the heater core. To remove the evaporator or blower motor, you just have to pull the glovebox and the panel under the glove box - both are easy to install with the dash in.
Dale
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BettsySlevin (08-05-17)
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