[PhireSideZA]

Hi all.

Apologies if this is in the incorrect section.

I have lately heard a strange rattle coming from my speedo cluster area which at first I thought was rattle on the steering column. I found out however that the rattle is coming from where my speedometer clear plastic section meets up with the black cowl surrounding it.

By wedging my finger between the clear plastic and the surround, I can get it to stop ranking when I go over uneven surfaces. Driving with my finger stuck in my dash isn't the best solution however and I want to pull it apart and find the source of the rattle once and for all.

Can anyone provide me with guidance or point me in the right direction as to the steps in removing the cowl? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[eye30]

To save the removal why not force a piece of foam between to stop the rattle

[cruiserfied]

Too much to ask for a pic to jog my memory?

[PhireSideZA]

Eye30, where's the fun in taking a shortcut?

Tim, I managed to get it out thanks! It turned into a voyage of discovery, eventually I found the culprit.

I first removed the two screws on the housing that point upwards to the roof, and then gave the cowling a good tug. No game - it wouldn't budge. So I thought it might have something to do with the lower cover beneath the steering column. Fast forward an hour and I had the panel near the fusebox off as well as the bottom most cover beneath the steering column, and I also discovered the tracking unit left behind from the previous owner. I ripped that out and saved about half a pound of weight. Woohoo, hypermiling here we come!

At this stage I still couldn't figure out how to get the cowling off, so I decided to use a bit of violence and gave it a hefty tug. I heard a pop and the cowling gave way, but at the same time I heard something break off and my heart sank, thinking that I broke my dash. It turns out it was only a clip that was dislodged. Another thing I discovered was a little fan near a grille in the dash next to the climate controls. My guess would be a probe to control the temperature inside the car.

The speedometer 'glass' has four protruding nipples that are secured inside the cowling itself, so I wrapped some insulation tape over the nubs and cut and fitted some old motorcycle tube inside the recesses in the cowling, hopefully stopping the rattle which I will find out tomorrow when I leave to go back home.

I took a few pictures but I'll post them up on Sunday or so, as I only have dialup speeds on the farm currently

[PhireSideZA]

UPDATE: The rattle is gone!

After a leisurely trip back to Port Elizabeth I can heartily say that my speedo cluster rattle that appeared after three months of ownership is gone, and I have discovered a few things about the car along the way as well. I'll post up the pics below and explain what I did as I went along

Ominous weather ahead. Better wait for the storm to pass before I start work:


With the storm mostly past, I set to work:




My supervisor checking my work:


The fan that sits behind the little grille near the AC controls, possibly for climate control:


I suspect I am being spied on:




The cowling finally off! You can see along the top part the two plastic nubs with a thin piece of tape to stop chafing. This was the part that I modified, as well as the recesses in the cowling itself:


These were the nubs that I suspect were the cause of my rattle. A bit of tape and rubber and it is as good as new! I forgot to take pics after the modifications were done so you will just have to believe me


Close-up of the nipples:

[Dazzler]

  Was a bit disappointed in the last photo though after reading the description! 

[Wingerdave]

Was a bit disappointed in the last photo though after reading the description! 

 

[PhireSideZA]

Dazz, if you want a close up of some nipples I am sure I can find a few rubber goat teats lying around on the farm

[Dazzler]

Dazz, if you want a close up of some nipples I am sure I can find a few rubber goat teats lying around on the farm

 

[rustynutz]

Poor Daz, he was a deprived (depraved?) bottle fed baby... 

[Dazzler]

I must have been!

[PhireSideZA]

201'486KM update:

The dreaded rattle has returned! I summarily popped off the cowl again to find my rubber inserts had compressed and was no longer damping the movement of the cowl against the speedo.

I replaced the rubber/tape solution with foam strips and while I was at it I removed the speedo altogether and found the black back cover at the rear of the speedo was also a bit rattley. Nothing a bit of foam can't fix!

Also, today I learned that plugging the speedo out resets the DTE, average speed and fuel consumption figures but keeps the odometer and trip meter readings - interesting!

[Dazzler]