Instrument cluster squeak

[Russ]

The hood over my instrument cluster squeaks. The noise comes from the top edge where it meets the underside plastic bezel that covers the area from the hood to the clear plastic instrument panel lens. Nudging the the hood up & down manually confirms this is the source of the problem.

I've tried spraying silicone into the crevice between the hood and the bezel, and fiddling with the tightness of the two phillips screws holding the bezel to the hood with no improvement. Any ideas on how to remedy this???

------------------
Russ
'91 black/black

 

[Vytas]

Was your instrument cluster ever apart? Perhaps it wasn't installed propery. If all else fails, removing it and reinstalling it may do the trick.

 

[Andy Buzz]

I had the same problem in my 97. Remove the cluster after dropping the column a bit. I added felt between the plastic brace at rear and drove two self tapping screw threw the assemply hence minimizing the movement. My sqweek is gone.

 

[Slingshot]

You may want to try cutting a piece of thick yarn (that matches your hood color) the length of the back edge of the hood and wedging it in the crevice with a credit card.

 

[Russ]

Follow-up: It turned out the squeak was caused by the right inner edge of the bezel making contact with the lens. The thin strip of foam rubber which is supposed to prevent this had compressed, allowing the parts to touch. The bezel actually wore a little groove into the plastic lens.

A thin strip of felt did the trick. What a difference! Getting rid of that squeak makes the car seem so much tighter and even more enjoyable to drive.

Thanks for all the suggestions.



------------------
Russ
'91 black/black

 

[LJSB]

High pitched squeeks can be really annoying.
Feels good to find and fix don't it?

[This message has been edited by pbassjo (edited 12 January 2003).]