dashboard

[Guest]

how difficult is it going to be to replace my dashboard(facia). any pitfulls i should look out for. regards dave

[E_T_V]

Two people make fitting it easier, but otherwise its pretty straightforward. The most fiddly bit it usually removing the speedo cable from the back of the instrument pack.

[Guest]

That's an understatement! - You'll get to a point where everything is released and you're ready to remove the complete dash, but the speedo cable still won't part

Solution
Go to petshop, buy a mouse, give him a couple days training, some strong tiny gloves and send him behind the dash to pull cable from drive - you'll have to bargain with him first - just let him know he can nest in the foam panel under the dash
:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

[pister]

I have not tried this job on a Maestro, but a few times on my Metro! I you cannot get hold of a trained mouse, a better solution is to remove the speedocable from the gearbox, so you can pull the dash further out!

[G Force]

I don't really understand why disconnecting the speedo cable is hard Unless it is that all the ones I have changed were when the cars were reasonably new. It was just a case of locating (ok you have to force your hand behind the dash a bit) the cable connection and squeeze the end of the plastic with your thumb and forefinger and the cable pulls away easy

[Dave]

It's the getting your thumb and forefinger to the connection! You need an extra elbow!

[Guest]

That's why I suggested the 'mouse' (I actually had one - yeah, a real mouse living in my Monty).

Actually, the disconnect at box end makes sense (to pull cable through). Why can't you think of the obvious at the time?

[E_T_V]

Yes I feed as much of the speedo cable through from the engine bay to give more slack behind the speedo cluster to make room for my fat fingers. There is a knack to it and it'll either almost fall off in your hands or you'll swear at it a lot!

[Guest]

Its really easy, and I don't have small girly hands either! Just feel around the plastic bush until you find the flat spot with the grooves on, and push it, theres normally enough tension on the instrument pack, so it will just pop out.

Getting it back on is sometimes harder, as you have to line up the square drive pin, with the square drive hole in the speedo unit.

Otherwise, make sure that all the multiplugs under the glove box lid are unplugged. Mk2 dash had two plugs, a long flat one, and a smaller one. Later Mk3 dash only had the long flat one.

Remove the gear knob, otherwise you will scrape it on the way out with the metal plate on the bottom of the dash centre, both me and Simon have had this experience, and its not very pleasant.

[Mr bump]

I'm fitting my early maestro dashboard now. Is there a rubber that's sits into the metal channel, or just the chunky thick rubber strip that cloaks the gap up to the screen?
also, is there just the brackets either side that the dash fits to or anymore?