The padded dash pad is very easy to
remove. The steps are simple and require only a
standard phillips and a short or stubby phillips
screwdriver.
Here are the steps:
1. Place the vehicle in an area where you can
open both doors all the way and leave them open.
2. Disconnect the negative cable from the
battery, then open both doors all the way.This is
to keep the battery from draining from the
interior lights being on with the doors open.
3. There are two trim pieces, one at each lower
end. One of the screws remove from the side at
the door which requires the short stubby phillips
screwdriver. The other screw is at the bottom of
the trim piece.
4. After the trim pieces are removed, remove the
phillips screws holding the ends of the pad to
the metal lower dash.
5. Remove the three screws along the top edge of
the instrument panel holding the pad to the
instrument cluster.
6. Remove the two screws just above the radio
that face straight down holding the pad down on
that metal protrusion.
7. Remove the three screws along the bottom of
the passenger side clock panel.
8. Remove the three screws at the base of the
windshield holding the pad down.
Now the pad is loose and ready to be removed.
Seat yourself in the passenger seat. The pad
removal procedure will depend on whether or not
you have the clock in the passenger panel. The
passenger panel remains attached to the dash pad
and comes out with it. If you have the clock then
you need to disconnect the lights and power
connections to the clock and maplight if so
equipped. With the pad loose, carefully lift the
passenger side of the dash up and toward you
enough to get your hand in and behind the clock
panel. Once the wiring has been disconnected, the
pad is ready to come out. Grasp the curved part
of the front of the dash just left of center with
your left hand and grasp the far right end of the
dash with your right hand. Carefully lift and
pull the pad straight away from the windshield so
that the drivers side of the dash will move over
the steering wheel. When the pad clears the
steering wheel, move the pad to your right and
out of the car through the passenger side
doorway. Lay the dash pad completely upside down
on a flat table or surface. This protects the
passenger side clock panel from being damaged.
The clock panel is held in place on the pad by
three screws along the top edge similar to the
instrument cluster AND there is a screw at each
end of the panel that screws in from the backside
of the panel. These screws are often ignored and
the plastic screw hole flanges get broken off.
When the pad is installed, you can't tell whether
these plastic tabs are broken or not.
Reinstallation is relatively easy and just a
reverse order to it's removal. |
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