New 03/17/2006
Does the cup holder have to come out to remove the ashtray area of the dash ??
From what I've read on the website, removing this section is risky (breaks easily).
Just wondering if there's an easy way to remove it without breaking it.
Is this section of the dash held in by the 4 clips, and that's it ??
I'm trying to see if there's a spot in there where I can mount/screw a bracket from my tranny temp
gauge.
Thanks,
Stan Phillips
White '97
TIGGED
FPS Tranny Cooler
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It probably is necessary. Don't worry though, it's really easy. I also didn't have the issues of it being fragile... it came off and went right back on without incident. I removed two screws (in the front of the armrest), but when I think back on it, I'm pretty sure that wasn't needed.
If you need any specific help, let us know.
Be gentle and you're set.
Eric Hildebrand
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Its not extremely fragile, but it can break. I broke my space age cup holder once while taking it apart. You do have to remove the cup holder part first in order to get the ash tray assembly out. I’m almost positive that both of those parts are held in place by metal clips only, no screws should need to be removed. Open your center console and start there, the top part of the cupholder fits under that little door. Open the cup holder about half way holding it with your hands, then push the bracket forward from that rearmost point, it will kind of pop out. then lift it up some, and gently pull back and up and it should come out. it seems to get hung up on the cup holders itself if its either all the way closed, or all the way open, so I find that half way works best for me. As for the ash tray, move the gear shifter into a comfortable position to make it easier to get to, you may want to reach around under it so you can kind of push it out along with pulling it. Open the ash tray part, and just pull gently. It will be pretty tight the first time. After it pops loose don’t pull too hard, there is a wiring harness plugged into it to supply power for the outlet and the light. Disconnect that and it should come out.
Good luck,
Mike
97 ES