RE: dashboard

[Hugo]

How difficult is it to remove Dashboard on +2S ? (Not covered in Workshop manual)

[TeeJay]

Hi Hugo.
In my early +2 Workshop Manual the removal is covered in the Body section, B18 Facia Panel (Dash)

Facia Panel (Dash).pdf

(494.81 KiB) Downloaded 208 times

[Hugo]

Thanks Trevor

[Chrispy]

The Dash isn't hard. It's all the wiring that makes it tricky!

[stugilmour]

The heater controls are a bit tricky. There are very small retaining screws on the bottom of the control knobs that are easily misplaced. Take a few pictures of the cable routing as it is not particularly intuitive when reassembling.

With the dash out, good time to check the condition of the foam seals on the heater box flaps among other things.

As mentioned, documenting the wiring is the big job. The nature of the stock bullet connectors is it is easy to reconnect individual wires incorrectly. In my Federal model there are a couple of wires that change colours at the main dash connections inside the firewall, so check your appropriate diagram carefully for that issue.

One big improvement to consider is to replace the maze of bullet connectors with several plastic multi-wire plugs. The advantage of this approach is the connection is more reliable after being disconnected and the plugs are oriented so you cannot connect them incorrectly in the future. I think I ended up with a couple of plugs at each end of the dash above the doors, three plugs leading to the engine area, one plug for the rear loom, and one or two plugs to the steering column. Your car’s wiring is somewhat more complicated, but the point is you need a selection of different sized connectors to hand if you want to go this route, as it is kind of designing on the fly.

The job is not that bad, but requires patience and diligence, particularly the first time. I am sure happy that the job is simpler with some modifications. It is absolutely worth taking on yourself as it is very time consuming. Easy to make a few mistakes along the way, but even a professional will face the same difficulties.

HTH

Stu