How do I remove this County dash?

[Carslil Jim]

I need to get in behind the dash, but I am unsure of the sequence to remove the bits and pieces, and where the screws are. Photo attached

All advice greatfully received.:)

[crump]

Great minds think alike, I'm removing mine to fix stereo at present and its a PITA.Basically the top pad has to come off before you can get to anything else.You may not have to pull it off completely just shove it out the way of the area your working in.There are 3 screws along the inner edge of the windscreen that hold it in as well as various along the front face.Start by removing the ends of the dash assembly at the drivers side near the heater controls and get the instruments out of the way, then just work your way along as you find attachment points.The screws are several different sizes and types and its just trial and error as you put it back together, I normally have a few left over.:(Absolute bastard of a set up.:mad:

[p38arover]

I took mine off to paint it and fix the air vent flap seals and fix the heater control - but that was a few years ago. What I can tell you is to photograph/sketch the heater/air control valve block vacuum line connections. Do not omit this step! Ask me how I know.

I might still have the sketch I made when reassembling (trial and error testing) but I doubt it.

Check the light fitting in the heater control. Mine was melted owing to someone having fitted a 5 watt bulb and overheating it. Don't fit anything bigger than a 3 watt bulb.

While the dash is off, replace the foam seals on the vacuum operated flaps so they seal once more. I bought 3mm closed cell foam from, I think, Clark Rubber (Para Rubber in NZ). If you can't get any, I've still got some left.

[clean32]

a couple each end and inside the air vents, just flick the vents out, screw it up top. heater and air controls, just undo the 4 holding the panel in, rotate and poke it back in.

easy once you have done it a couple of dozen times

[crump]

County must be a hell of a lot simpler than Defender.I just replaced a fuse on the back of the stereo and must have removed close to 20 screws to do so.No way you can access the top mounting screws for the centre fascia without getting the top pad out the way, only one is accessible via the ash tray.

[Carslil Jim]

What I really would like to have is the Workshop Manual instructions. My manual does not cover the dash, but the dealers must have had something more formal.

[clean32]

What I really would like to have is the Workshop Manual instructions. My manual does not cover the dash, but the dealers must have had something more formal.

What are you actually trying to do??

Good advice, while you are in there put a relay on the fan speed switch, only on the bottom 2 wires " brown" these wire also feed the condenser fans up front, 30 amp fuse on that lot. Bloody hard to get a switch now days and i haven’t found a strait swap out replacement because of the brown wires.

[clean32]

I took mine off to paint it and fix the air vent flap seals and fix the heater control - but that was a few years ago. What I can tell you is to photograph/sketch the heater/air control valve block vacuum line connections. Do not omit this step! Ask me how I know.

.

Mate, why didnt you post that 5 months ago :mad::mad:

[p38arover]

Actually, I did take pics but I hadn't noticed the exposure selection knob had been moved (my Konica FinePix S5500 is a pain in that regard - it happens quite often, there isn't enough friction/detent in the control).

The pics were all out of focus.

[clean32]

Actually, I did take pics but I hadn't noticed the exposure selection knob had been moved (my Konica FinePix S5500 is a pain in that regard - it happens quite often, there isn't enough friction/detent in the control).

The pics were all out of focus.

a poor tradesman blames his tools.:wasntme:

but a good idear, my dash will be coming out next week, ill flick off some picks then, also the the changes to save the fan speed switch from producing smoke

[p38arover]

Yes, that would be good.

I photographed my switch repairs, too. Also out of focus. I should have stuck with my Nikon which is what I usually use for close-ups.

[Carslil Jim]

Clean 32,
Thanks for your interest. The reasons I am pulling the dash out are:
1. I need to re-feed the radio aerial
2. The fan motor is making awful squeeking noises
3. I want to figure out how to do this in the comfort of the garage, not on the side of the road when something (may...I know, most unlikely!) blow up.

I did not know what a can of worms I opened when I started this thread!:)

Regards, Jim.

[clean32]

ok the fan motor is under the bonnett, on the motor side of the round lump, it has a cover over it held in with 5-6 screws with 2 wires going in. there are 3 wires going to a square thing with a spring in it just below mounted on the inner gard, this is the fan speed resistor.

squeeky fan motor, yes get onto that it could burn out the wires from the switch to fan motor, as mine did.

[Carslil Jim]

I got these instructions from Mr Bob on the UK LR Users site, so I am posting them for the record.



It depends how far you are trying to get into the dash, and how much of the dash you want to remove.

I had all of mine out recently in order to fix the heater flaps. It was a BIG job, and a total pig, a good day and a half to two days work.

If you're totally stripping it out, I'd go in this order:

1.remove instrument binncale
2.remove dash end panels (disconnect heater flap control)
3.Remove top dash pad (you'll need a 90 degree screwdriver or some such to access the screws)
4.Remove dash tray plastic trim (at this point you'll have to remove your air-con setup!)
5. Remove passenger side dash end cheek (covers the wiper motor)
6. Remove the dash/heater duct by removing (from memory) two long threaded screws, again a pig....you'll need a UJ joint on a socket

The whole thing was a pig of a job and should only be done if you really NEED to remove the dash! So good luck!

[clean32]

Seems a bit long winded for what you want to do

1.remove instrument binncale

a couple of screws each side and thats only so you can get to the long dash panel thingy which has 1 screw on the right hand side under the binnacle.

2.remove dash end panels (disconnect heater flap control)

left hand side the concave black panel inside the hand grip thing this is a bugger to get back on

3.Remove top dash pad (you'll need a 90 degree screwdriver or some such to access the screws)

nope i have never done that

4.Remove dash tray plastic trim (at this point you'll have to remove your air-con setup!)

Tray?? this is starting to sound like a defender and not a county

What i would do is flick out the air vents ( carefully hard to get replacements) with a screw driver, just bend down the top so they come off the pin then the bottom.

the inside the ducting for the vents there is a screw up the top. once you take these out the front panel should flick forward from the top and just lift out

oh that’s after undoing the 4 screws for the heater controls and poking that back though the hole and unplugging the wires on the back of the ciggi lighter and window washer button.


anyway that’s how i remember it, I plan of taking mine out at 2pm tomorrow, with pictures

[Carslil Jim]

Clean32,
Thanks for comments. I will be very interested in your progress. I already have the vents out, but I will wait until I see your pics before I go any further.

Regards

Jim.

[clean32]

Clean32,
Thanks for comments. I will be very interested in your progress. I already have the vents out, but I will wait until I see your pics before I go any further.

Regards

Jim.

lol you have already done the hard bit, did you see the screws inside the vents?

[Carslil Jim]

No screws I can see. The vents I took out were the little black air directors. I just flicked them out with a small screwdriver. I took a couple of shots so you can see what I am looking at but I am not seeing any screws.

Am I looking at the right thing?

[flagg]

No screws I can see. The vents I took out were the little black air directors. I just flicked them out with a small screwdriver. I took a couple of shots so you can see what I am looking at but I am not seeing any screws.

Am I looking at the right thing?

yep look up - the screws are at the top on the outside ones (ie on the right on the right pod, and the left on the left pod. Feel with you fingers if you can't see. They are about 10-15 mm from the top.

[clean32]

took all of 10 minits

[clean32]

more

[flagg]

No screws I can see. The vents I took out were the little black air directors. I just flicked them out with a small screwdriver. I took a couple of shots so you can see what I am looking at but I am not seeing any screws.

Am I looking at the right thing?


took all of 10 minits

but these are different parts - clean you are talking about the instrument cluster, Carslil Jim is talking about the Air Con panel...

(But I'm jealous Clean32 that your cluster is in such good nick, mine is broken as and held together with tape and velcro :(

[clean32]

and more

[Carslil Jim]

Clean32,
I am awed... That is fantastic. Thanks for the tutorial!

I will take a crack at it as soon as I can.

[clean32]

just remeber that the clock and ciggi lighter are live


just wating for the sun to go down a bit, 40+ out there at the moment and the county is on the sun side. and i will pull out the rest of the lower dash along with the air ducting

[clean32]

but these are different parts - clean you are talking about the instrument cluster, Carslil Jim is talking about the Air Con panel...

(But I'm jealous Clean32 that your cluster is in such good nick, mine is broken as and held together with tape and velcro :(

i guess you posted a bit to quick LOL

My binical is not to flash either, over a 100 for a new one so i have decided to make up a new one that’s a bit wider, tacho, boost, EGT and the 3 ARB switches. I will also need to make up a center one for UHF stereo and air controls as well as a few giggi lighter outlets, which I have at the moment all mounted in an overhead thing that I quickly made up but I hate it