Center Dash removal
 

Hey Guys/Gals,

Trying to find some information on how to remove the center dash portion of the dashboard. I don't have NAV. To elaborate on what I am talking about, it's the trim peice on the dashboard itself right above the amber info screen for the stock radio..


Thanks for the help!

-Jon

Its a PITA.

Attached are the four pages from the shop manual showing the steps in order.

You have to remove all of the stuff in the diagrams because it all overlaps.
You can probably leave the center console in place and just disconnect it and move it back without having to pull the entire thing.
Its the Radio that is the really hard part.
There is a screw that is listed as step #2 "bolt" in diagrams that you can only feel and not see from an inverted position on the floor on the driver's side.
It attaches the face of the radio to the chassis. 10mm.

PAGES 1 & 2:

Thank you Jeff, that's just what I was looking for. I don't think I'll have to totally remove the center console though, just the front portion that covers the shifter on up to the area where the Nav goes.. I'm going to replace that are with the gauge pod here that ptp is going to release hopefully in the near furture.

actually it really isn't that bad...I've done it before, well about 6 times :p but I didn't touch the last part...since I have no need to take apart the NAV unit on mine

Uh, and that would be the part I'm talking about.

Pulling the actual radio is the hard part. The plastic bits are a breeze.

I meant this part I've never done: https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...chmentid=39371

pulling the center console and radio and vent is the easy part

did I miss understand this post I quoted here?

So, how did you get the 10mm bolt that holds the radio out?

I had to actually make a twisted 10mm box wrench into a strange pretzel with a vise and a torch to get it in the spot where the bolt is. The bolt isn't even visible.

Huh? I just used a 10mm socket with a few extenders.

philodox, make sure you jam some saran wrap or something similar into the socket so the 10mm bolt head stays in the socket. Otherwise the bolt will fall out and go between the transmission hump and the carpeting ........... many have lost this bolt and I almost did.

I'm just lame. http://www.mazdamaniac.com/images/sm...tting_self.gif

I spent forever on my head in the footwell; my feet wrapped around the seat back like a cheap Baltimore stripper in some kind of retarded pole dance.
It wasn't pretty.

the problem I had with the bolt is several of the pics online of it were of THE WRONG BOLT! :p but once I jammed my head down there I saw it

used the 10mm with extender to loosen it (here is the key:) then slowly removed it with my fingers so the extender, the socket, and or the bolt didn't fall into oblivion :p