re: Dash rattle 2002 TX

[Gidgee Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Gidgee]

As I have had no replies Do i assume that my Prado is the only TX model with a dash rattle?
Has any other 90 series owners experienced a dash rattle? :?

[StormyKnight Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close StormyKnight]

I would say most have, but they are now used to it & ignore it.

Does it rattle on the highway or just offroad?

Cheers
Richard

[Mark Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Mark]

I remember reading heaps about this ages ago, I think it was on the LCOOL Prado forum. A very common thing!

Cheers,

Mark.

[Rainman Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rainman]

My RV developed a rattle on the left side above the glove box. I read a post on one of the Prado forums that if you removed the glove box (an easy job) there are two screws that brace part of the dash onto the cross beam and that they quite often work loose. Once tightened the rattle disappears. I tightened mine and that was the end of it.

I dont have airbags, so I dont know what the set up under there is for vehicles that do, so the screws may not be as easy to get to.

Now I have a rattle behind the air vent near the drivers door, its driving me insane. I have pulled apart as much as I can but there doesnt seem to be anything behind it that could be causing it. Very annoying. :evil:

[prado4x4 Member Find all posts View Profile Close prado4x4]

Actually it is in the 90Series Yahoo email group, in their files section.

I've copied the word doc to http://members.iinet.net.au/~jah/4wd/DashFix.doc for you to make it easier.

I made this fix to my own dash (both passenger and drivers side brackets) a while ago. Use basic stamped metal triangular shaped brackets from Bunnings. I didn't do anything about the front of the dash - near the windscreen, as the side brackets fixed everything for me. Not sure if the airbag gear will be in the way or not, as I don't have airbags.

Worked great over the corrugations on the Mereenie Loop, Old Ghan line, etc.

John

[Gidgee Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Gidgee]

Dash Rattle

Richard,
The rattle only happens on the dirt if its corregated.

Thanks for all the advice and ideas.

Gidgee

[birdboy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close birdboy]

Over Easter i also fixed my dash rattle - 2000 TX - similar to everyone else by the sounds but i also put a self tapper in through the dash behind the instrument binnacle.
Also bought new clips that go in the firewall ($1.20 each) and glued the pins into the dash and located them into new clips rather than fitting into firewall clips and locating into dash. (Hope that makes sense??)
My model has dual airbags and had no dramas at all. Just disconnect the battery and decharge system completely by leaving the lights on. This step was recommended by my mechanic but isn't mentioned in workshop manual. Better to be safe than sorry though.

Haven't been on dirt/corrugations yet but when i grab the dash and try to move it, it now rocks the whole car rather than rattling like mad! Very happy - can't believe i left it for 4 years!
If anyone wants any more details let me know.

Cheers
Birdboy

[rayray17 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close rayray17]

Haven't been on dirt/corrugations yet but when i grab the dash and try to move it, it now rocks the whole car rather than rattling like mad! Very happy - can't believe i left it for 4 years!
If anyone wants any more details let me know.

Cheers
Birdboy

if you were only in brisbane mate, id tell you to come over and fix ours , a carton should suffice? :P

relatively, how hard is this task? i dont know if its because our car has a bit higher mileage than most (197K) but yeh she has her fair share of noise in the cabin. cheers

[birdboy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close birdboy]

I put it off for years but had to do it when both sides were rattling! Can't believe i left it so long now!
Much easier than i had thought. I have had alot of the dash apart previously - radio etc so it was just more time consuming. The workshop maunal i had bought from repco or somewhere years ago helped heaps. Recommend it.
I've done 215,000km in mine and i still love it!
Sorry for brief reply - heading out west on Saturday for holiday so a bit rushed sorry. Feel free to send me another message and i will get back to you when i get back in a few weeks with some more info.
I still owe someone else some photos taken while i did it too!
Cheers
Dave

[birdboy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close birdboy]

Hi Grande,
Yes disconnecting the battery is essential to making sure the airbags don't go off.
Yeah i wondered the same thing about any latent charge in the system, but like i said, my mechanic recommended it and i wasn't keen on the airbags going off while i had it all apart. So it was an easy step to put in for peace of mind rather than "piece" of mind :lol:

I've now done a cameron's corner/strzelecki track trip with the "fix" and it worked a treat. You will wonder why you didn't do it sooner like i did!

Best tip is to buy the workshop manual. (mine is a Gregorys i think). They didn't/don't make a diesel book but the petrol one does the trick for this sort of stuff. Nicely itemises how to take the dash apart so you can put it back in the same steps - handy for not having too many left over bolts/screws :?

Hope that helps, and good luck!
Cheers
birdboy

[scottrus9987 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close scottrus9987]

Re: re: Dash rattle 2002 TX

Hi all,
Wow, its works awesome...

Whoever out there who has a dash rattle/ dash vibrates up and down on gravel roads - do not worry, its easily repaired. As in the comments suggested above, the clips under the glass windscreen securing the top of the dash to the body eventually wear down/break and the dash allows movement which results in a vibration style rattle which is just pure annoying.

I took the plunge and pulled the majority of the dash out -- surprisingly quite easy...(Mechanical Aircraft engineer background kinda helps) I observed the document posted above and fabricated my own reinforcement brackets out of some thin sheet metal. It’s quite hard to explain actually. Basically just copied exactly the above document and it seemed to come together relatively easy. Also, make note, I took the instrument/Speedo/tacho cluster guage out and realised there are nuts attaching the driver’s side dash to the dash sub frame. As already mentioned before, this explained why the rattle/vibration came more so from the passenger’s side rather than the driver’s side. HOWEVER, when I inspected the two nuts, They were both very loose, so loose I was able to back them off with nothing more than my fingers. (whether they came loose since 2001 or they were never properly tighened?) I tightened them both up, installed my side brackets and put it all back together.....

The outcome, Like I’m driving a brand new car, firm and solid and could not be more pleased with the result.... I was really frustrated with the cheap sounding flogged out rattles coming from the dash, I could not be more happy now.... The brackets are installed out of sight and provide nothing more than support between the main dash panel and the body of the car.
Anyone who would like any more information or advise on this, or wants to look at mine, feel free to ask. I could even provide some guidance to the mod if one needs it, either verbally or if in Newcastle area by dropping around. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures at the time.
To the members above thanks for the advice, works a treat... Don't put up with the rattles, makes you feel very good when you are driving a solid vehicle.
Regards
Scott

[Rainman Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rainman]

Re: re: Dash rattle 2002 TX

Fixed my wobbly dash on the weekend. I couldnt find the stamped bracket shown in the link so I made my own out of a piece of scrap metal I had lying around.

Its surprisingly easy as many have mentioned. I started on the passenger side and had to remove two pieces of the air con ducting to get to the cross bar nut and from there was able to attach the bracket to the dash and put everything back together again.

I then did the drivers side, which I thought would be a nightmare due to the close proximity of the fuses etc, but it was even easier than the passenger side. I removed the moulding from around the steering wheel to give me better access when drilling into the side of the dash but I probably could have gotten away with out going that far. You also have to remove the panel beneath the steering wheel which allows you access up behind the dash.

Access to the cross bar nut is easier on the drivers side than it is on the passenger side and I had the bracket installed and every thing back together in about half an hour.

I havent had a chance to try the "new improved" dash on a rough road yet, but its now as solid as a rock and hopefully it will stay that way. I'm planning another trip to Ruddall River later this year so that should give it a good test.

[pambs Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pambs]

Re:

Over Easter i also fixed my dash rattle - 2000 TX - similar to everyone else by the sounds but i also put a self tapper in through the dash behind the instrument binnacle.
Also bought new clips that go in the firewall ($1.20 each) and glued the pins into the dash and located them into new clips rather than fitting into firewall clips and locating into dash. (Hope that makes sense??)
My model has dual airbags and had no dramas at all. Just disconnect the battery and decharge system completely by leaving the lights on. This step was recommended by my mechanic but isn't mentioned in workshop manual. Better to be safe than sorry though.

Haven't been on dirt/corrugations yet but when i grab the dash and try to move it, it now rocks the whole car rather than rattling like mad! Very happy - can't believe i left it for 4 years!
If anyone wants any more details let me know.

Cheers
Birdboy

hope you see this :lol:

i wanted to know how you took out the airback cover. to you push the clips from the inside? the clips on the ends both sides are blocked by the airbag frame, is there a possibility of breaking them?

[birdboy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close birdboy]

Re: Re:

hope you see this :lol:

i wanted to know how you took out the airback cover. to you push the clips from the inside? the clips on the ends both sides are blocked by the airbag frame, is there a possibility of breaking them?

Hi pambs,
Are you talking about the drivers airbag or passenger side?
It was a while ago so my memory is a bit poor - I'll try to find some photos if i can.
Passenger airbag comes out with the dash and just needs wire connectors unplugging.ie you don't need to take the cover off the front.
Steering wheel airbag from memory is just detached as part of the steering wheel boss. Screws are covered by plastic covers and on the side of the steering wheel.
Someone who has done it more recently might remember better

[pambs Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pambs]

Re: re: Dash rattle 2002 TX

thanks birdboy. i was talking about the passengers airbag so that i can put screws where the clips are. at the end i didnt do anything about that and installed 2 brackets on each side no rattle now!

while doing the work i noticed that i'm missing something from the car. behind the centre console theres suppose to be a frame where the radio sits mine is not there. any ideas where i can get one?