Last updated: April 3, 2000

Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1998 09:00:23 -0700
From: "Jim LaBreck (ECA)"

Remove the panel covering the driver's end of the dash... three spring clips are holding it in place, and it has an alignment post which you might just cut off once it's out of the car. Makes it much easier to remove.

Remove the bolt (8mm) holding the end of the under-dash panel in place, remove the screw on its right side (towards console) and then pop it out of place, one spring clip on the upper right, I believe. Once it is loose, disconnect the heating duct in back of it. Remove the under-dash panel.

Remove the three screws holding the column cover in place, from the bottom. Two are normal screws, one is a machine screw. CAREFULLY unsnap the upper half from the lower half, starting at the driver's side. Remove the column cover.

Remove the two screws holding the instrument panel in place, one at each lower corner. The instrument panel is held in (at this point) by three large spring clips in the back of the curved hood. There is also an alignment post on the hood. Take hold of the top of the instrument assembly, one hand on each side, and wiggle it, pulling towards you and up. If you're careful, nothing horrible should happen, and it should pop loose. It will still be connected by its wiring, but you don't need to remove it completely.

Behind the right side of the instrument panel are two screws (?) I believe which are holding the climate control assembly in place. Remove the screws, and pop out the climate control assembly. Be careful popping the lower half of it loose (area around the stereo).

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Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 20:28:06 -060
From: "Jonathan S. Ott" (jott@directlink.net)

To remove the center panel that contains the A/C controls and goes around the radio, you have to remove several other pieces first. There are four screws holding in the center panel. Two are hidden underneath the console panel and the other two are hidden behind the instrument cluster.

1. Remove the console panel (the piece where the shifter and ashtray are). Pry it up from the back. I am able to do this with my fingers, but you can also use a padded flathead screwdriver if you are careful. Once the back is popped up, you can pop up the rest. You don't have to completely remove the console panel, just move it back so there is at least an inch at the front of the panel so you can unscrew the two screws at the bottom of the center panel.
   
   
2. Remove the steering column cover. The top half pops off. There are several plastic alignment pins which break easily. If you press in on the sides as you pull up, you will release the plastic fingers that hold it to the bottom half. I can't remember if removing the bottom half is necessary, but if you do need to, it is held in by three screws.
   
   
3. There is a small side panel that has the driver's side window defrost vent to pass through to the door. This panel can be removed by pulling it straight out, and it will expose a screw to the lower panel underneath the instrument cluster.
   
   
4. Remove the lower panel beneath the instrument cluster. There are three screws holding in the lower panel. Two are on the front of the panel and the other is on the left-hand side where the side panel was.
   
   
5. There are two screws holding in the instrument cluster, one on each side at the bottom of the cluster. Remove the two screws and you can pull the cluster slightly toward you and then you will be able to move it to the left, which will expose the two screws on the left side of the center panel.

Once the four screws are removed, you can pull the center panel forward. I think there are three connectors to the A/C controls to remove. There are pictures and instructions in the factory workshop manual on page S-54, but the order they recommend removing pieces is incorrect, because you can't get to all the screws if you follow their order.

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Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 21:53:54 EST
From: ShelbyDk@aol.com

This is a pain in the butt and you'll have a lot more of your dash apart then you intended. Remove the steering column clamshell, two screws from bottom of the instrument cluster plastic. Then the fun part, pull back on the instrument cluster shell and hear a lot of bad sounds as the clips release, then you can reach the two screws on the upper left corner of the radio trim panel Jason was talking about. I think you might have to take out two more screws under the center console as well. Now that you have most of your dash in your lap, I hope whatever you went in there after was worth it!!

Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2000 08:04:02 -0500
From: "Westbrook, Chuck E." (CWestbrook@tmh.tmc.edu)
Subject: RE: (rx7) [rx7][3] Glove Box Door Fix

> My glove box door broke, it wouldn't stay shut, so I took it off and it 
> appears that the problem is that the latch mechanism is loose.  I took the
> handle that you lift up to open the door off and managed to get 2 screws that 
> were floating around inside the door out.  It appears that these are what 
> hold the latch in place.  Unfortunately the glove box door does not appear
> to be designed to come apart, seems to be glued or bonded together.  Has
> anyone else had this problem or know how to take the glove box door apart?