Surprising Finds!

[Curdster]

While undertaking the winter niggles I have found the following.
1. Upon removing the lower section of the steering column to fix a wobbly console
I found not only that it was only held on with 1 bolt!!! but I also found the 3 pin
ECU lead which for 4 years was thought not to exist and I had to take off the ECU cover to connect
to the serial port.
2. Removing the centre console reveals that the reason the rear windscreen
doesn't clear is due to the pipe missing from the port behind the handbrake to the rear vent!

Going for the dashboard tonight. What will I find?

[blueg33]

Curdster said:

Going for the dashboard tonight. What will I find?

Obscene images in marker pen

[Paulgooner]

lets us know how you get on with the dash removal, I had a quick look and feel for the bolt on the drivers side and I could even get my hand any where near it to feel for it, so lord knows how I will get the dash off

[mrcyeo]

With a twist of your shoulders and using the hairs on the tips of your fingers you'll manage to undo the bolts. I've got thick arms and wrists but managed, I small socket set helped. I know some people on here have employed small children to do the job!

[nelly1]

Just after I got mine (nearly 7 years ago ) I pulled up onto the driveway and could hear a strange metallic rubbing noise under the bonnet than rose and fell with engine revs.

I immediately thought the worst (having just bought a stupid, unreliable, breakdown-prone TVR!), and removed the bonnet with no small amount of trepidation to find...

...a Quavers packet that had been blown into the engine bay from underneath and which was rubbing on the alternator belt.

bd!

[Curdster]

Well dash top off and quite easily too. No further surprises other than finding that the radio ariel goes down the drivers wing and not the near side. Going to mount some thin rubber gasket around the flappy air vents to stop them clanging and re-seat the 4 air vents so that I can point them in the right direction permenantly.

[Cockey]

Are your two air vents below the steering wheel useless too? Does anyone have any which don't flap around? Can see that they have small brushes around them but obviously not enough to keep them still.

[MrChips]

How many bolts/nuts are there holding the dash on and does anyone have a diagram of their location/orientation? I have recurring nightmares after spending a while upside-down in my old Chim trying to locate them but i need to tackle a few jobs soon which means the dash will be off!

[Macey]

Dave,

Try this link?

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...

Steve

[Curdster]

Once you see the pic of the two bolt locations they are easy to remove with a socket on an extension. The tricky bit will be the reverse of removal and trying to locate the holes again. Yes my steering air vents are also a pain and I will try and use the same re seating as on the 4 top of dash ones. I am also thinking of routing the pipes under steering column so that they sit inside the under column cover, unless of course that's just a niggle on my car and everyone else's is like that already!!

[blueg33]

Curdster said:

Once you see the pic of the two bolt locations they are easy to remove with a socket on an extension. The tricky bit will be the reverse of removal and trying to locate the holes again. Yes my steering air vents are also a pain and I will try and use the same re seating as on the 4 top of dash ones. I am also thinking of routing the pipes under steering column so that they sit inside the under column cover, unless of course that's just a niggle on my car and everyone else's is like that already!!

Pipes are under the cover on mine

[Curdster]

OK if you want to stop your air vents moving around or just tighten them up get some fibre washers from a plumbers merchant or B&Q, remove the offending vent, remove the circlip, place the fibre washer on the top of rubber rim below and then replace the circlip. Job done.

[dvs_dave]

Much simpler fix for the steering wheel vents.

Just reach under the binnacle and push each of the pipes up more into the back of the vent fitting. This pushes the pipe up against the back of the vent ball and stops them being loose and rattling around.

Job done.

[Cockey]

Excellent, thanks. I will try that.