Rockledge
Pluggin' away
I posted this in another thread I started over in the Electronics Forum, but it is kind of an emergency, since my dash is all apart, so I think it's worth posting here, too.
I started on the BDA repair today and got as far as pulling the dash and taking off the old BDA and bracket. Just as everyone says, so far it's been a hassle, but not impossible, just time being invested and patience being tested.
I was able to unclip the speedo off the guages from behind the dash which was a big time saver. Once the dash was pulled back and I had removed the old unit (easier said than done), I postioned the new BDA and bracket I have on hand and it does look like it will fit OK.
However, when I looked a little closer, I found something that was a pretty big surprise ...there was one of those "mini" bic lighters wedged in door area which had jammed it all up!
I have no idea how the lighter could have gotten down there. I don't smoke so it must have been on the the previous owner's watch. But still, how the heck could it get down there in the first place? Through the center dash vent, maybe? Otherwise, someone would have had to drop it while replacing a heater core, or some other kind or repair like that.
I do realize that this means my original BDA could actually still be functional, but oh well, it's still getting replaced, now that I am in there this deep.
Anyway, the problem is that the "opening" at the top of the door hinge (the part where the BDA stem slides into it) is now cracked, and I'm not sure the stem will fit in there as snugly as it should. Could this possibly be a problem later on? I was hoping I could wrap a piece of silicone tape on the stem or something like that to help make sure it plugs into the door more securely. The door moves nice and free now.
Any feedback on this would be appreciated.
I started on the BDA repair today and got as far as pulling the dash and taking off the old BDA and bracket. Just as everyone says, so far it's been a hassle, but not impossible, just time being invested and patience being tested.
I was able to unclip the speedo off the guages from behind the dash which was a big time saver. Once the dash was pulled back and I had removed the old unit (easier said than done), I postioned the new BDA and bracket I have on hand and it does look like it will fit OK.
However, when I looked a little closer, I found something that was a pretty big surprise ...there was one of those "mini" bic lighters wedged in door area which had jammed it all up!
I have no idea how the lighter could have gotten down there. I don't smoke so it must have been on the the previous owner's watch. But still, how the heck could it get down there in the first place? Through the center dash vent, maybe? Otherwise, someone would have had to drop it while replacing a heater core, or some other kind or repair like that.I do realize that this means my original BDA could actually still be functional, but oh well, it's still getting replaced, now that I am in there this deep.
Anyway, the problem is that the "opening" at the top of the door hinge (the part where the BDA stem slides into it) is now cracked, and I'm not sure the stem will fit in there as snugly as it should. Could this possibly be a problem later on? I was hoping I could wrap a piece of silicone tape on the stem or something like that to help make sure it plugs into the door more securely. The door moves nice and free now.
Any feedback on this would be appreciated.
