Bronco Forum - Full Size Ford Bronco Forum banner

Dash Removal drama......

60K views 103 replies 16 participants last post by  Ironside 
#1 ·
Well since i have nothing else to do this week, I decided to dive in to a much dreaded project of mine. Removal of the dash so I can fix some issues behind there.

Well I read up on this as best I could find and it sounded like a pretty difficult job. After working on it now for 3 hours, I have the dash hanging. It seems like everytime I think I have it looses, I find another bolt or two, or three I need to remove.

My biggest issue right now is this. All I want to remove is the dash skin, but it seems like all the duct work behind it and a shit wad of electrical is still connected to the skin some how.

Here is what it looks like so far.






This is one of the reasons for going thru this torture. When I replaced the heater core last year, I could not get this control cable back on, there is a tiny access hole that you have to contort your hand to even feel this damn thing, much less get enough leverage to get it back on. Well at least thats fixed now. I can select hot or cold again.


I thought this was the last one holding the dash skin on, but apparently not.....I took alot of cuss words to get this one out too.




I didnt think this was going to be a multi day job, but apparently it is. Good thing I dont have anything to do for a few days.
Does anyone have any suggestions on places to look for hidden bolts or do I really HAVE to take the other stuff out too?
 
See less See more
4
#35 ·
Ooops. didn't see you had already removed the dash cover. Dude you did it the hardest way you could have ever chosen. You won't be able to re-install like that. I have 3 dashes sitting in the floor right now, always remove all wiring in place. If you need help re-installing let me know.
 
#41 ·
Read the whole thread before you start posting. Just because you don't know how to install something (or have never done it a certain way) does not make it impossible. And if you look a little closer at the pictures you will see he's already got the ducts out as well. Likely he might re-attach the skin before assembly. I would rather (and did, see others pictures on page 1) fight with only removing the skin rather than remove the harness plugs required to pull the ducting (which will most assuredly be brittle and break).

If the vacuum switch is leaking, could that cause a surging idle? hmmmm. I still have a surging idle from time to time, comes and goes. sometimes i can turn it off, count to 10 and turn it back on and it will run fine.
Yes! I would notice on mine that on certain settings (Max A/C for example) it would idle rougher. Problem gone with new switch.
 
#36 ·
I have it under control now, at least till I try to put it all back in. So many Screws, hope I remember where they all go. Usually I end up with 3 or 4 left over lol.
 
#43 ·
He was naughty.
Does anyone know what this is for?
Yeah, you keep your weed in there.:thumbup
This thing definitely needs to be replaced.
Why? What test did it fail?



If you suspect the HVAC vacuum system is causing idle problems, just unhook that line from the tree on the intake, and plug the nipple on the tree.



All the speaker wires except RHF go thru C200 &/or C229 (dash-to-floor):

.

LHF then goes thru C214 (floor-to-door) behind the e-brake):

How do I get the rest of the ducting out?
I thought you were already FAR past this... Have you been doing all those repairs with the shell hanging like that? The shell should lift over the column, and out. If not, drop the column - there are only 4 connectors, the shifter cable, and 1 bolt holding it to the intermediate shaft near the firewall boot.
I know id have to pull the heater core.
No. It's in the inside box; not the ductwork.
 
#40 ·
If the vacuum switch is leaking, could that cause a surging idle? hmmmm. I still have a surging idle from time to time, comes and goes. sometimes i can turn it off, count to 10 and turn it back on and it will run fine.
 
#42 ·
How do I get the rest of the ducting out? Is there bolts under the hood? Like where the evaporator housing bolts on?
I know id have to pull the heater core. I dont really think I will pull it, but would like to know how.

The part left attached to the firewall below.
 
#44 ·
The harness Labeled "Door from Floor" Is that behind the hood release? Or do I have to pull that big ass aluminum bracket loose to get to it. Its hard to tell.


No everything is out. Just curious about the last bit with the vacuum valves how it would come out. Only reason I would take it out is to clean it. Not a big deal. Im tired of not having a truck to drive. Im ready to put it back together.
 
#45 ·
Or do I have to pull that big ass aluminum bracket loose to get to it.
That big aluminum bracket is easy to pull. Three nuts holding the ebrake assembly on, lay it on the floor, then 4 big bolts holding that aluminum piece on. Simple, and you should go ahead and pull it and re-attach the bracket to your black ducting and put the bracket and ducting back in as an assembly. As mentioned earlier, that aluminum bracket is the only thing supporting the ducting on the drivers side of the dash.
 
#46 ·
i put the dash and duct back together this morning to check fitment. Also did some TSB's.






If I can find some speaker wire around the house this morning, Ill be back up and running in a couple of hours. :)
 
#48 ·
ok so I finished all the repairs today, ran my speaker wires, cleaned up all the wiring harness mess under there and got it ready to put in.

I completely assembled the dash so that I could try to put it in as one big piece.
May not have been such a great idea, but I wanted to try it. SO far so good, Its just an extreme bitch getting all the modules hooked back up (for me at least with my limited mobility). I had a bit of difficulty with the BIG wiring bundle, im not real sure where it has to be to clear everything. Right now its way too far to the passenger side. I would have finished it today, but I ran out of daylight. I spent most of the day cleaning all the parts and cleaning all the crap from under the dash.

I think removing the dash with the vents attached is the way to go to make it easier, only a handfull of bolts to remove like that. Now that I know what attaches to what and how it all goes together, it should take no time at all to get it out the next time.

So heres some pics from today.
Before

After

Before

After


Under dash after cleaning
 
#51 ·
Just to get this straight, I would disconnect the big harness completely, then attach everything thats mounted on the ductwork, Then remove the Big Aluminum bracket, attach to the dash, then put that back in as a unit, connect all the connectors.
 
#53 ·
Also, when I was putting the steering wheel back in, this fell out. I have no clue what it is or where it goes. Steve, Im sure you know exactly where this goes. Enlighten me please sir.

 
#54 ·
I take it from that drawing that the connector that is unused on the bottom center of the big harness is for the brake controller. I was wondering If I had a connector for that. :)

Also the module mounted outboard of the glove box is the Wiper Control Module?
Mine is just hanging with no obvious means of mounting it. Just curious how thats supposed to be mounted.
 
#55 ·
There's nothing in your pic to show proportion - I can't tell what it is without some idea of the size. What does the other side look like? And what do you mean by "putting the steering wheel back in"? Did you take the wheel off the column? Or do you mean putting the COLUMN in?
 
#60 ·
Well I made some progress today.`````
I got the steering wheel support bracket out.
Found my cut speaker wires (After I had already done a work around, which im gonna undo)
Cut myself (1st time on this project)
Stubbed my toe, uttered large number of cuss words.
Scratched my head, and said **** it, its break time.

Cut speaker wires


How it sits now



How do you disconnect these? DO I need to do anything under the Hood?


to make it even more fun, Now its Raining!
 
#61 ·
This is just like the column bolt spacer! :twak Did you open the hood & look??? :shrug Yes, C202 & C205 are bolted from the other side (probly 10mm or 11mm). Once they're apart, release the clips that retain them in the firewall.

If it doesn't have it, and you think you might EVER want to add RKE, now's the time to add loops to the lock wiring just below the w/s so it's easier to splice in later. Also take a REALLY close look at the w/s adhesive. If you have any doubts, apply some of the watery black sealant to close up any gaps or cuts while you have easy access. Lube all the pedal bushings so they don't squeak or wear. And that column is gonna have to be OUT to put the dash back in. Back out the ig.sw. connector bolt FIRST, then remove the lock cylinder, upper shroud, MFS & its connectors, TCS & SRS connectors, shift cable, and the 13mm bolt in the steering shaft at the firewall, and it's free.
 
#63 ·
I just ordered the TSB 94-15-13 Dash repair bracket on Ebay, and the Damper vacuum switch from amazon. Once this bad weather lets up, im going to go junkyard hunting for parts. I really need to remember to make a printed list of parts Im looking for. Every time I go looking for something I get sidetracked and forget something im looking for lol.
 
This post has been deleted
#64 ·
talk about a major undertaking..kudos to you for the progress..

for these connectors, you'll need a 10MM socket on the engine side of the firewall to loosen the connector, same as with the EEC connector. Then you can squeeze those tabs together and pull it out.

 
#65 ·
Hey Jeremy, long time no see. Wish you were here to lend a hand. I could damn sure use it.
When I get this finished, im gonna need a 5th of Crown Royal. lol
 
#66 ·
Made some progress, what a pain in the ass.

one down one to go.....



Im out of daylight now, so ill start again tomorrow. hopefully I can get that other connector loose without losing a finger lol.

I need to nickname this project as "Blood on the Floorboard".

Thanks for the tip Jeremy, that did the trick. I had to cut away a bit of the insulation on top and bottom of the connector to get to it.
Ill try the same thing with the Big connector tommorow. I have a feeling im gonna be laying on my back trying to get that damn thing loose. I would hate to pull this thing loose without all this stuff taken out.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top