A Guide To Removing Your Dash

[S2Sosmart]

I'll try and fill in some of the gaps that the Toyota guides can furnish you with already. If there's anything obviously missing, just drop a comment here and I'll do my best to answer it for you.

The Toyota link (Which I've found invaluable so far) is http://www.toyota-tech.eu/

To start. Remove the door runners and kick plates by simply giving them a good yank (There's going to be a lot of that throughout BTW). Then get on your knees (Both sides of the car and you'll find a bolt at the bottom of the plastic trim near the floor:

In the passenger footwell the plastic below the black rounded edge should now pull out. Start at the bottom on the left and work upwards. Then work across the top and down the RH side. It should just come away. The back of the panel looks like this (If it helps for clip placement). View is upside down as it would clip back in as you revolved it upwards from the bottom of the pic (If that makes sense).

You are left with something like this:

Underneath the steering wheel the plastic trim has a rectangle in the middle. This is an airbag and you DO NOT need to remove it !!!!!

Again, work around it taking out any obvious bolts and either remove, or as I've done, leave it hanging into the footwell.

Time to pop out the ends of the dash front, here

And the same the other side. If it helps. Pull the door rubbers away from the door surround to give you access. MAKE SURE they are pushed fully back before you shut the doors again.

Back to the passenger footwell.

The big black bit (The soft dash front) can now pull clear. This bit:

Grab it both sides at the bottom and pull directly towards you. With that out. The same can now be done with the speedo surround and cover. Again pull towards you and it'll pop out. Leaving this:

That's Part 1 for now folks. I'll try and get in a few more pictures to explain more as I go.

Any questions, as I say, please feel free.

Si

[Soeley]

Aww, I thought we were going to see what you had done. As in the finished project, keeping us in suspenders

[S2Sosmart]

Go back to the dash post.

It's all there to see

Si

[S2Sosmart]

Part 2:

With the speedo cover off undo the 2 screws that hold the speedo assembly in and gently pull towards you. When you can get to the connectors disconnect them both & put the speedo somewhere safe

The steering column surround 'should' just come apart in 2 parts. There's a round plug on he right hand side that just pops out to help get the 2 bits apart. Here's a couple of pics to show where we're at with it

Now it's onto the A pillars (Or if that doesn't mean anything to you the first thing that goes from the roof lining to the dash that touches the windscreen).

Unpop the bottom of the pillar and gently pull towards the middle of the dash. When you've got about an inch of clearance look about 2/3 of the way up and you'll see a brightly coloured hook.

This needs to be turned through 90 degrees by pushing / twisting to release the A pillar. It'll just come away after that. By taking these out you'll expose the 2 bolts that secure the dash to the sides of the car. On the drivers side you will see a large plastic connector and a bolt in the A pillar frame. Obviously disconnect and undo the bolt.

Only the central assembly left now. The central black section (Below where the heater controls normally are) again simply pulls off towards you. Leaving this

Undo the bolt bottom centre of the picture and then grab ahold of the central column (Where the gearknob and handbrake are) and give a sharp tug upwards. Move the whole assembly backwards about an inch (Just to give clearance for the next bit).

If it helps remove the sloping piece (Bottom left of the picture) by lifting straight up. Then pull out the black section with the 12v plug on it.

Undo all bolts that you can see around the central uprights, disconnect the clear hose from either end, then pull towards then up to clear everything that's in the way at the base.

This then leaves you in this position

Undo any other bolts that are left restraining the dash and lift and gently pull the dash towards you. You'll probably have to lift the dash assembly up and over the steering wheel.

NOTE:

Pull gently and disconnect any and all remaining plugs that are still attached as it comes away. IT'S PROBABLY EASIER TO DO THIS WITH 2 PEOPLE THE FIRST TIME YOU DO THIS.

this is the end result.

Si

[S2Sosmart]

The underside of the dash looks like this

As you can see the passenger airbag on the right and all the heater vents running through the whole setup. All this can be disconnected but for what I required it wasn't necessary.

Si

[Soeley]

Excellent tutorial there ;)

[Ben Davy]

How do you do the steering wheel? I had a quick look and I couldnt figure it out. Ive read to undo some clips but couldnt find them. I need to take the wheel off to put it back on again, as its not quite central when the car is driving straight. The tracking seems ok as it holds straight when I let go of the wheel but when holding the wheel straight it steers to the right very slightly.

Any advice would be a great help, as my OCD will now kick in and bug me till I sort it.

[Soeley]

Ben, it could be off centre because the tracking has been adjusted all on one side? If it is done equally on each side steering wheel should stay central.

[aaronfife]

Question - I removed the centre console a while ago but couldn't figure how it 'clipped' back in? It' just wobbles about as it's not clipped in and have tried my best to make it secure without any luck. It's the whole centre console where the handbrake/cupholder is. Nearest the dashboard. Any help would be appreciated :)

[tarquin]

Great Tutorial

Simon

David

[Raistlin]

Topic pinned

[Ben Davy]

Aaron - wouldn't that mean though that if the car drives straight and the tracking is therefore ok, wouldn't the steering wheel to be removed and centred properly?

Thanks :o)

Sent from my iPhone using Toyota OC

[aaronfife]

I'm talking about the middle console section where the handbrake gearstick plastic is. The plastic unit between the seats.. whatever it is officially called lol

[tarquin]

To remove steering wheel cover, there are 2 holes one each side of the yoke. look inside one and you will see a vertical spring . just push it in (both sides) with a flat blade screwdriver and the cover pops off just be careful of the air bag

David

[Ben Davy]

Thanks David. I will give it another go. Just needs moving to the right slightly.

[Sensha]

One other thing that I discovered when my dash parts were removed is that the stupid black "eyebrow" piece attached over the speedometer face (and sitting atop the rest of the dash assembly) was the source of a set of extremely irritating rattles when the car was at speed on the highway.

I pulled mine for refinishing with flat black Plastidip, and will "wedge" it in place with a piece of fine gauge plastic film when reattaching it to the dash assembly.

I had pegged the rattles as coming from the ventilation outlet to the left of the driver's position, but these things can radiate and be hard to track down. Once the dash was out, I used the handle of an electric toothbrush to vibrate the whole assembly, and the rattles immediately became apparent.

[tarquin]

I have noticed that the thin plastic covering the fuel display can create a "tapping" effect one the top cover of the speedo has been disturbed / removed/re-fitted. It is cured by placing a strip of black insulating tape over the top edge one the cover has been removed

David

[lightbearer]

Hi everyone - ages since I left a post on this forum, nonetheless I do look at all of the topics on a regular basis!

I thought this was the best topic to place my query on.

In trying to cure an irritating rattle on the dash yesterday I inadvertently poked the display out of its retaining clips (see photo) oops I thought...that is going to be hard to clip back into place??

Can anyone give me any help please... is it going to mean dismantling lots of the dash or is there a really easy solution?

I await any kind advice that may be out there!

Thanks,

jack

[tarquin]

Hi sorry just seen your post

1, you have to remove the 'V" shaped Aircon unit by sitting infront of it between the seats ad placing your hands either side of it and with your finger tips grip the recessed grooves and pull towards you quite to very hard as there are many clips to seporate. If your struggling to move it try jerking it towards you. Dont worry you will not break it. When you have removed it out of the way, look into the hole under the radio and you will see 2x 10mm bolts. Remove them make sure you dont let them fall in !!

2, put your hands around the radio unit ( like your cuddling it) and pull it towards you again its going to be stiff to move

It will come off with short leads. You will see your module loose. Simply click it back into place and reverse the instructions to re-fit. Ant problems PM me

Davif

[Debss]

Hi, my speedo is all misted up, is there a way I can solve this myself please