Body/Trim: 70: Dashboard creaks!

[wilbur750]

Hi all

I have had this problem since I bought the car 4 years ago...

Basically the right hand side of the dashboard is loose - you can put your finger in the screw hole to the right of the dashboard (hidden by the door when it is closed) and pull/push the d/b about half an inch.

When I drive over big bumps or accelerate hard the dashboard moves suddenly and creaks and cracks.

The windscreen isn't the original and someone said before that maybe the fitter loosened the d/b when fitting the screen.

How can I tighten the right hand side of the dashboard?

Cheers

Wilbur750

[caveman]

it depends if you want a proper fix or a bodge! if its a proper fix youll have to start looking at which screws are missing and replacing them, which means you might have to actually take the dash apart! or, you could wedge some cloth or card in the gaps until the noises stop!
regards
cavey

[wilbur750]

I've tried the wedging card trick but it hasnt really helped much - good as a business card holder though

Ho wdo you get to the dashboard screws? Where are they?

Cheers

[Mike Smith]

There are some screws under the bonnet where the wiper is situated, which hold the dash in place, have a look in my gallery as I removed the dash last year to attend to the evap!
A word of caution don't overtighten them! as there only screwed into plastic holes, there are 4 in total and can be seen below
http://www.volvoclub.org.uk/photopos...3&limit=recent

[Geezer]

It is possible that the screws at the bottom of either side of the dash have come loose, letting the dash drop and squeak. I had this problem and found that I eliminated most of the dash squeaks by doing the following.

Took about 45 minutes total...working it out as I went!!

1) Get yourself some thread compound (red stuff...can't recall what it is called).

2) Tighten (don't over tighten) the bolts on the scuttle panel as previously described, then get inside the car.

3) Remove the ashtray and the 2 torx screws behind it. Get a business card (or two) or something like that and locate between the two trims that is where the centre console meets the bottom of the dash. This is a source of squeaks as well. Don't put the screws back in just yet.

4) Pull back the trim that runs along the floor and up to the bottom of the dash. Pull gently and twist slightly. It should come away reasonably easily.

5) Remove the bolt that you find behind the trim. From memory the locating hole that the bolt has just come out of is elongated. You should now be able to move the dash in an up and down motion. Don't force it, just see how much upward movement you have.

6) Once you have worked out how much upward movement you have, get the bolt that you removed and put some "red thread goop" on it and locate it in the correct position. Do the bolt up enough to bind, yet to allow a free up and down movement of the dash.

7) Now the tricky part...sit in the seat and push the dash upward as far as you can, and prop the bottom section with something (I used my knee!!!) while at the same time tightening the bolt fully.

8) Refit the floor trim...it should just push into place.

9) Do exactly the same for the other side of the car. The dash has probably "dropped" on that side as well.

10) Fit the torx bolts that locate behind the ashtray, re-fit ashtray and hopefully you should have cured a few squeaks.

I hope this makes sense...it worked really well for me...hope it does for you as well.

[Geezer]

Sorry, this was a 70 issue and not 850, however I would have thought that the way the dash is located and bolted is pretty much the same. The process should be similar.