More bloody dashboard woes.
Discussion
Tale of misery this one. I need to remove the dash top to access my alarm control unit. The alarm operates on the door look just fine but will not operate by the key fob. I have had the keyfob tested and its transmiting fine. It has a Spal alarm fitted not a Meta and parts are no longer available for it. So I am in some faint hope that if I can reach the unit I will find a wire pulled or similar (ha ha some hope I here you say). But here lies the problem, its an early 94 car that does not seem to conform to anything else Ive seen. Ive seen all the dash removal links and photos and have done the job before on a 96 car I had. As you look behind the glove box panel I have the ecu dumped here, with very little movement. I can see the bolt to the back of the dash but can not find the one to the front. I have levered the ecu out of the way (with much flexing of fibreglass) and have performed the Chimp head stand with a torch in my mouth but still can not either see or feel the front bolt. Has anyone else found this bolt were it shouldn't be???? HELPPPPPPPPPPPPP...
I assume you've seen the guide on Chimaera Pages, this picture may help:
The front glove box bolt is vertical and about 4/5 inches to the left of the heater controls.
The front glove box bolt is vertical and about 4/5 inches to the left of the heater controls.
I have seen this picture and thought I had seen that far in through the small space I have left passed the ecu unit. I am reluctant to get to rough with the ecu to get it out of the way as it is well and truley wedged in there. Is this a standard place for it on a early car as my 96 car had it perched on top of the battery?
Only real difference on early cars is the battery top, fusebox bottom arrangement, in which case: since there is a bare (normally just covered in blob of silicone) contact on the fusebox - people were very careful to keep fuel ECU away from the fusebox.
Just keep feeling the along flange where the upper & lower dash joins thru the glove holder (box what!) panel dropped down - you must be able to trace the front fixing.
You keep referring to an ECU, are you talking about the Lucas ECU for fuel arent you??
Dave
Just keep feeling the along flange where the upper & lower dash joins thru the glove holder (box what!) panel dropped down - you must be able to trace the front fixing.
You keep referring to an ECU, are you talking about the Lucas ECU for fuel arent you??
Dave
ouiseyg said:
I have seen this picture and thought I had seen that far in through the small space I have left passed the ecu unit. I am reluctant to get to rough with the ecu to get it out of the way as it is well and truley wedged in there. Is this a standard place for it on a early car as my 96 car had it perched on top of the battery?
Mine is a 94 and the ECU is in the same place as yours. I too found it well and truly wedged in but with a bit of gentle guidance it will come out!
I had a 95 chim and had to remove the dash, i too found it a nightmare, i dropped the glove box like i was told but could not find the bolt anywhere, i later found it nearly a full arms reach from the glove box into the bash right behind the middle dials, no idea what it was doing there but it all come appart after that.
think they just put bolts where they feel when they build them :-)
think they just put bolts where they feel when they build them :-)
Hi Paul
This probably isnt much help to you but may help others who read this post.
My key fob decided it was no longer worthy of opening my car about a month after I purchased it.
Went back to Precision alarms in Canvey Island who fitted a immobiliser to my S and a alarm/imob to my dads Tiv in the past.
The guy came out to the car the next day, had the dash out in minutes and a new Toad alarm/imob fitted within the hour. 350 all in I think it was now.
I was chatting to the guy as he was fitting it and I said (as a joke) while you have it all apart could you fix the faulty light on one of the dials, no probs was the reply, I did not expect that!
Fantastic service and nice blokes too.
This probably isnt much help to you but may help others who read this post.
My key fob decided it was no longer worthy of opening my car about a month after I purchased it.
Went back to Precision alarms in Canvey Island who fitted a immobiliser to my S and a alarm/imob to my dads Tiv in the past.
The guy came out to the car the next day, had the dash out in minutes and a new Toad alarm/imob fitted within the hour. 350 all in I think it was now.
I was chatting to the guy as he was fitting it and I said (as a joke) while you have it all apart could you fix the faulty light on one of the dials, no probs was the reply, I did not expect that!
Fantastic service and nice blokes too.
Thanks for that , I think replacing the alarm might be the only answer. Its a shame as it works fine from the door lock but not from the blip but you know how us boys are with our toys, if its there it should work!! I am still going to get the dash off just because its starting to p**S me off that I cant. I must find someone with a 5 foot long arm (they all work at TVR dealers probably).
Finaly did it. Had to disconnect the ecu and bend the riveted bracket on the ecu out of the way and out it dropped. And there was the missing bolt, no matter what I did with that ecu you could not get to it. Two minutes later the dash is up in the air, but guess what no joy with the alarm it all looks ok. GREAT!! It was labelled as the central locking unit, is this classed as the alarm control unit and is it where the blip signal is received? The ecu went back in lovely with the unwanted bracket coming under the assult of a pair of tin snips.
ouiseyg said:
It was labelled as the central locking unit, is this classed as the alarm control unit and is it where the blip signal is received?
I had a simillar problem with my alarm, with the fob not operating. I seem to recall that there is a central locking box AND a separate alarm box. Again, I think that I remember that the central locking unit was under the dash top, but the alarm unit was beneath in the same area as your ECU. My car is a 93 so possibly simillar to yours. Follow all the wires that come out of the central locking unit and you should come to the alarm box.
In my case a wire coming out of the alarm box (or was it the central locking box?!) had got brittle and split. This would explain why my problem was intermittent at first. It was very difficult to spot the split wire. It was very close to where it came out of the box.
This is all "from memory" from maybe 2 1/2 years ago, but possibly might help you.
Paul.
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