phenryiv1 Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 I have removed the black plastic dash facia on XJs and MJs at least 100 times, but I am used to the tilt column and a manual transmission. About 10 years ago, I installed a CD player in the no-tilt column-shift MJ that I just bought (my father owned it at the time). I had no trouble with the removal of the facia. I took out the screws, turned on the truck, dropped the column shift into 1-2, shut off the truck, and gently worked the facia out of the truck. I installed the stereo and re-intalled everything. Then about 2 years ago, the CD player died and I repeated the process, using a cheap tape deck that I had sitting around. Again- no problems. Fast forward to yesterday. I have a new CD player to install, a factory fog light switch, new (smooth) 94 XJ facia, and a 3/4 gauge cluster that I want to install, so I started by removing the old textured dash facia- and CRACKED it! I went through the same process as in the past, but this time it broke. Since I have the 94 facia that I wanted to install, this is not a huge deal, but I really don't want to damage the 94 facia when I install it. Is there a trick to pulling and reinstalling the dash facia on the non-tilt column-shift MJs? Is it possible to easily lower the steering column to make the whole process more simple? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfpdm Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 Only trick I know is take your time and not force it. However, you can loosen the two 15MM bolts on the bottom side of the column to give you about a 1/2 to 1 inch more room. Just be carefull not to pull down on the column too much as it will bend the flange where it mounts to the firewall. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comanche5L Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 when i remove it, i always pull the bottom out first, let it slide up the collum a few inches, then i pull the top out. never had any breakage doing it like this before. It is tight, and to put it in i do the exact opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phenryiv1 Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Thanks for the tips. Like I said, I have removed it before without issue, but this time I must have pried too hard. Maybe it was overconfidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now