Sinker woes

[Eddie Nuff]

Ah well, best laid plans and all that! Got the dash out eventually (seriously folks how many bolts do you need to hold the bloody thing in?), would have been a lot quicker but for trying to separate an original windscreen from an original, and very brittle, scuttle panel with, of course, the most amount of mastic you've seen on one of these things. Took me an hour to separate them, to be met with this



With the aid of a paint brush it became this





Matrix coupling came off very easy but the heater box did not want to separate. Just what I didn't want after the windscreen scuttle. And then out with the old, in with the new





Once the heater box was back together I unscrewed the bleed nipples, put the upturned bottle on the expansion tank, and poured fresh water in until the rust coloured water became clear. And no leaks!

[demag]

Well done Eddie that matrix doesn't look too clever.

[chinkostu]

Looks a bit grotty! Glad youve managed change it.

The winscreen scuttle is a pig, i used a sharp knife and a heat gun which worked well, right up until we got distracted and melted a bit of it!

[CitroJim]

Good work indeed Excellent!

That old matrix was well past it's best... No wonder it was a bit incontinent....

[Stickyfinger]

I does prove why "RadSeal" products do not always work

[white exec]

I think this is one of those jobs where the worry and anticipation is actually worse than the job itself.
I keep telling myself that!
Good job done.

[Eddie Nuff]

I'd agree with you to a point Chris, it's certainly one of those jobs you wish you'd never started but at the same time you know it needs doing and it isn't going to do itself.

Thinking about the small part I have left to do and three things come to mind. There's a green connector to the right of the steering column that on my pictures passes through the hole left after I removed the blanking plate. Any ideas if this is actually for something?

I took a photo of the top side of the heater controls but, silly boy, forgot to take one of the underneath. How do the cables actually thread through to the respective fastening points? A piccie would be good.

The only problem I had with the centre console was the drivers armrest getting in the way. How does the armrest separate from the seat?

[xantia_v6]

A bit late now, but you don't need to disconnect the heater control cables, you can leave the control panel behind when removing the dashboard...

The drivers armrest reportedly removes by tilting upward to the right angle and pulling firmly. I have tried this on several cars, and never been able to remove one. tilting the seat back should give you enough clearance to fit the console.

[CitroJim]

The armrest doesn't Neil... Or rather it's best not to disturb it..

I've always just reclined the seat right back as far as it will go and then it just clears.... As Mike says

[Eddie Nuff]

A bit late now, but you don't need to disconnect the heater control cables, you can leave the control panel behind when removing the dashboard...

Now you tell me, now you bloody tell me!
Tbh it never crossed my mind to leave it coupled up. There again neither did reclining the seat whilst I was trying to rip the centre console out of the car!

[CitroJim]

You will know next time Neil

[white exec]

Well I'm disappointed in you fellas, I thought my inbox would have been full of offers by now . . .

There are ways of asking, and ways of asking.

[Eddie Nuff]

I'm back What's the blue wire for? It's located to the left of the steering column and is attached to the connectors for the indicators, but although it looks like an earth there is nothing for it to connect to.

[xantia_v6]

At a guess the yellow sleved connectors just below it are going to a relay for the blower relay mod, and the connector in question is the earth for the relay coil.

[Eddie Nuff]

There are ways of asking, and ways of asking.

Ah, that'll be down to my Yorkshire tact and diplomacy, honed to perfection over the years. See, a spade's a spade but some actually think it's a shovel.