Hours required by a professional to remove the dash ?

[Arrowhead]

I'm about to see if I can have some facility remove the dashboard in a 2000 SLE and replace the mode/airmix motors and seal any potential leak entry points. I know it'd take me forever to figure it out and doing the headstands needed would make me dizzy in my current health. Anyone have a "ballpark" idea of what's a reasonable/average amount of time to do that ? Would a body shop be a good choice over a more "mechanical oriented" shop ya think ? Thanks !

[Arrowhead]

Sorry bout the duplicate thread......

[harofreak00]

Read this whole thread: http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 17281.html

I did it outside in 23°F weather. Removed in 1 hour and had it reinstalled in 4 hours. Book time is 7 hours.

[ddalder]

I've had mine out in an hour. The couple of times I've done it, I've taken it out as an entire assembly (dash carrier and sub-structure). There's no need to remove the cluster, radio, HVAC, etc. A few things do have to come out (glove box, console, drop the steering column, dash pad, etc) and unplug some connectors.

[Arrowhead]

If I decide to just limit this project to only replacing the 4 actuator/airmix motors, can they all be accessed without removing the dashboard and console ? I doubt anyone would charge me any less than the full 7 hours that are listed in the book, and that wouldn't include whatever time was needed to explore and seal any potential water leak areas. Thanks !

[ddalder]

I believe that it may be possible to replace some without removing the dash but when I did my mode actuator, I saw absolutely no way of gaining enough clearance to do it without taking it out.

[ddalder]

The service manual seems to think it's possible to replace the mode actuator without removing the dash so who knows. I didn't think so but it may be worth a try. It's really tight in there. Aligning the mode actuator will be hard to do when reinstalling it. There are three levers that need to be properly inserted into three different grooves on a cam plate. Of course you can't see these when you install it because they're on the side against the HVAC box.

I had to take mine apart a second time because one of the levers ended up in the wrong slot. Fortunately I tested everything before it was completely back together.

This is what the mode actuator looks like...

[Arrowhead]

Dang. This Bonneville is getting closer to the crusher by the minute !

[ddalder]

So perhaps another question to ask is what's going on that you believe there's a need to replace your actuators? Is it because of the water leak problems or something else?

[Arrowhead]

My passenger side ducts started blowing only hot air, even when the temp. was set to 60 degrees and A/C button pushed. I closed the vents on that side have tolerated it for quite a while. Now, the mode selector has stopped directing the airflow and it comes out of the vents only( no floor or defroster) except for one day in March when it worked properly for a short time. The icing on the cake is that the A/C compressor doesn't seem to be coming on now either. I have a guy that does compressors and Freon very reasonably but, he's an old/stiff fart (like me) and doesn't mess with any in-car work under the dash. I'm not even sure that there are any leaks from the windshield/firewall area, I just thought it'd be good to check and seal those areas while the dash was removed. I've seen pics on here where the seam sealant was missing altogether or had sagged below the seam and allowed water to enter. We just had a heater blower replaced in a Bonn. GXP and it showed that water had leaked onto the original one from someplace above. Thanks !

[ddalder]

I'm guessing you saw my post regarding water leaks LOL...

I see where you're going with actuators. It could be something like a stuck door as well but short of having a Tech2 where you can cycle each actuator it can be hard to know exactly what the problem is without getting in there. I'd be betting on an actuator as my first choice too, but I've been surprised before. For what you're looking to solve, I would absolutely pull the dash. Having said that, it's a lot easier now that I've done it a few times versus someone navigating through the process for the first time.

[Arrowhead]

I was pretty disappointed to realize that the guy that installed the blower and mentioned water being present never bothered to check the condensate drain on the GXP. Today, the wife said she'd heard water "sloshing around" when making turns. The pass. side carpet was soaked. I went to check the drain and it'd had the two "lips" of the rubber stuck together. (maybe from road salt ) When I squeezed em a little, I got a cool, refreshing shower of condensate. WTF kind of "mechanic/tech" doesn't think to check something so basic ? I'd kill to find a competent and honest shop that has reasonable rates around here !! I paid $88.00 labor to have a blower installed, IF, I'd known it was so easily accessible, I'd have saved my money and done it myself. I hope the new blower isn't trashed now from water damage. Sheesh, I guess I'll just take my sweet time ( and some ibuprofen) and remove the SLE dash myself. Thanks for the helpful posts.

[ddalder]

That's disappointing news for sure. Take your time and have someone help you. Lifting the dash in/out is a two-person job (ideally). Also, if you've never lowered your steering column before you'll want to look into how it's done properly otherwise you may find some fasteners fall out of the dash that you won't have a lot of fun putting back in place. You will need a reverse Torx socket and crowfoot socket with extension to do it properly. You will need to get to some areas that are tight so consider this if you have any decreased mobility/musculoskeletal problems.