Dash removal

[Peterla]

Can any one help me with how to remove my dash from my 200Tdi.

I need to replace my airconditioner and the only way I can see to do this is remove the dash!!

I gather all the consoles will need to be removed but do I have to remove the steering wheel?

Any help would be appreciated.

Pete

[discopinion]

Hi Pete,

I feel terrible: I typed out a complete step by step reply to you on saturday, and as I tried to post my Internet Explorer crashed. I will redo a bit later when I have a chance.

Hang in there

Anre

[Peterla]

Hi Pete,

I feel terrible: I typed out a complete step by step reply to you on saturday, and as I tried to post my Internet Explorer crashed. I will redo a bit later when I have a chance.

Hang in there

Anre

Thnaks Arne,

No Rush Ii am away 4wding this weekend and will start to pull it out next weekend.

Pete

[camelk464]

Don't know if you have started taking the dash out yet but here's how i did mine.

Remove the cubby box: 4 nuts/screws under rubber mat.

Remove centre consol: 1 screw behind window switch panel and 2 right at the front, again under the rubber mat. I had to pull the pin out of the handbrake linkage to get the consol to clear the lever.

Remove the heater control knob ends(ooh er missus), i think they just pull off or they could have very small screws in them.

Remove heater panel: again i think this has a couple of screws holding it in. While this is off replace the bulbs in the heater panel PCB. Unplug the clock and fag lighter.

Remove "glove box": 3 screws on the top lip and 2 underneath the back of it on the end of 2 metal arms.

Remove the passenger grab handle: Lift the rubber mat and you will find 4 crossheaded screws. Don't loose the spacers.

Remove the steering wheel: Prise off the LR cap and there is a cover with a 27mm or 24mm nut hiding underneath. The wheel will not want to come off so if you have to hit the shaft remember to put the nut back on to protect the threads. Mine took about an hour of hitting with a FBH before it surrendered.

Remove steering cowl: About 5 or 6 screws.

Remove Wiper and indicator stalks: held on with 1 of 2 screws and their wiring.

Remove the fuse box cover.

Remove the A-pillar trim on both sides.

My memory is now fading but i think there are just 2 little screws holding the dash in, they are at each end, just pull the door seals away to get at them.

As you can see from the photos the heater box is dead center and is only held on with 4 bolts and the pipework into the engine bay.

Hope this helps.

Stu

[Mark]

That is useful stuff to know...

I take it you were doing a lefthand drive to righthand drive conversion at the same time???

Cheers

Mark

[camelk464]

That is useful stuff to know...

I take it you were doing a lefthand drive to righthand drive conversion at the same time???

Cheers

Mark

Thats correct, not that hard to do really.

And you only need a few RHD parts, Dash, wiper motor, steering colunm carrier, Steering box, PAS pipes and on normal Disco's a hub. On the Camels both OS and NS hubs have the bracket for the steering arm link bar. I bought a RHD disco with no engine or box and terminal rot and used that as a part bin.

There's more pictures on my website www.cameltrophydiscovery.co.uk

Stu

[Orgasmic Farmer]

I did mine the other day. You are correct, it must come out in order to remove the air con stuff. Main things not to overlook. Centre console must come out. The passenger grab handle must come out, and the instrument binacle must be removed. Everything else will fall into place. Not a hard job but a PITA

[Peterla]

Thanks everyone,

I have finally got my dash out to remove my AC.

Your instruction and pictures helped alot.

If anyone is interested in knowing why their AC will not work as the suction pressure is to low

even though there is plenty of refigerant in the unit this is what i discovered.

I have a 93 200tdi that has a factory ac in it.

I could not get over 5 psi running on R12 with plenty of refigerant in the unit.

Upon further investigation i found my TX valve was icing up.

First thought was that the tx valve had lost its charge on the bellow and was not opening.

Whan i did get the unit out i found the fine mesh filter on the inlet to the TX valve was full of carp.

Then i looked into my steel liquid line and saw it was rusted on the inside!!!

I suspect it is something to do with steel and aluminium contact.

I visited a local RR wrecker and they were nice enough to let me plull dahes out to get a replacement steel part.

I found another 2 steel liquid lines that had the same rust!!

I eventually found an earlier model with a aluminium liquid line pipe.

Pulled my 4th dash out!! and checked this one. No rust and the TX valve filter was clean.

This is what i have put back inot my car after flushing the whole system and fitting a new drier.

Evacuated and charged unit with refigerant and it now works like new.

Not sure if anyone will find this useful but something to keep in the back of your mine if your 200TDi has AC with a steel liquid line.

Pete

[Bigbird]

Hi,

Good informative post that.

Can I just ask how Peterla flushed the system?

I'm just about to fit a replacement compressor and advised to flush the system first or invalidate the warranty.

Thanks in advance

Bigbird.

[Peterla]

Hi,

Good informative post that.

Can I just ask how Peterla flushed the system?

I'm just about to fit a replacement compressor and advised to flush the system first or invalidate the warranty.

Thanks in advance

Bigbird.

I had my system apart and it was easy to flush each part with Shellite.

I made new hoses so these did not get flushed out.

This is a petrol based cleaner that evaporates quite quickly. You then blow it out with nitogen.

I use this when i am rebuilding compressors to clean all old oil from them.

It works quite well.

Are you looking to flush your system while it is in tact?

Pete

[Bigbird]

Peterla,

I have a new Expansion valve to fit which was supplied with re-con compressor, and a new filter/dryer, otherwise yes, I was hoping to avoid stripping it down too far, just flush it, fit new compressor then take it to have it recharged.

I've had it converted from R12 to R134 with the correct oil in the compressor.

Just needed to know a suitable substance to flush through it in case there is any bits of compressor in it.

I might not bother with the Expansion valve as the thing was working fine befre the compressor siezed.

Cheers

Bigbird.

[Peterla]

The reason thay have probably asked you to flush it then is the original oil will mix with the new oil in the compressor.

It is reccomended that this is not done as the original oil is usually mineral not synthetic like the new oil in the compressor.

To flush the system in place can be difficult if it is like mine.

For some reason i have what i first thought were check valves in the liquid line and suction line.

I suspect they are more like pressure control valves that keep the head pressure and suction pressure up when used in extemly cold weather.

This would be for defrost puposes.

You would therefore need to overcome this pressure setting with your flushing agent to get it to flow through the system.

If you do replace the TX valve you have the system nearly all apart and you could flush it then.

Hope that helps and good luck.

Pete

[Bigbird]

Thanks for that Peterla,

I'll strip it down to find the TX valve and split it there, then I should be able to flush each way back to the filter dryer and compressor, the do the condensor on its own.

Thanks for your help.

Should maybe have put this in a separate post. Will do next time.

Cheers.

Bigbird.