This message is marked as Important.

Subject: Removing Center Console Author: comptech : member since April, 2004 : 55 posts Posted on: 2004-09-09 21:50:23

This information might be needed if:
Your replacing the Neutral Safety Switch
Your testing HVAC vacuum actuators
Your adjusting/fixing your parking brake lever
You just want to see what's under there

I know there are other sites that tell how to remove the console but I like pictures so here goes.

First you need to remove these two screws



Remove the plastic piece on the slider and grap ahold of the vent housing between the two vents and pull straight out.

Then remove these two screws



Then remove the parking brake cover by pressing the two sides of the brush holder in and the lifted it up and pull it out toward the front of the car



Then remove this screw



Put the parking brake in the down position, then put your hand through the parking brake lever cut out and push the window switches through



These pics are just for reference so you know which wires goto what



Then pull off the buttons and set them aside

Put the parking brake on all the way on then push the back half of the console back as far as it will go, lift up slightly on the back of the back half of the console so it clears the slider, then move it forward and up until it clears the parking brake lever



If you are adjusting or repairing your parking brake stop here, the adjustment screws are the ones with the two red arrows



If not keep going

Remove the ask tray and set it aside, then remove the 4 screws behind it, then reach behind there and push the window switches through and disconnect them




Then remove this screw on the driver's side



Then this one on the passenger's side



And this one (if mine wasn't missing it would be right where the arrow is)



And this one too



Now open the glove box and grab ahold on the peice to the left of it, pull the top towards you then lift the bottom of the peice up and remove it (not as simple as it sounds, may get caught on something)

Now look at the shifter, there is a small screw right where the arrow is remove it (you might want to use a magnetic screw driver for this, if you drop it you may not find it again)



And this one at the top (which I have already removed)



Now pull up on the bottom of the black plastic piece the s/e/1/2/3 knob is on then pull towards the back of the car, it should come right out and look something like this



Yes, yes I know there are green wires spliced in there and silicon on the switch where a plastic connector should be, they melted so I had to replaced that section and couldn't find a connecter to match the switch in the city bmw junk yard, I will fix that someday.

Remove this screw on the other side after you put the shifter in 1 (make sure you have the parking brake on, I also have already removed this screw)



There should also be a screw at the bottom of the plastic piece

Remove the s/e/1/2/3 knob by pulling up on it, there is a nut under it remove that to then set that plastic piece aside



Remove this bolt from inside the shifter cut out



Now, pull up on the back of the first half of the console (make sure the shifter is in 1 when you do this), it may be stuck pretty good



Once the back is lifted up reach down by the vent on the driver's side and pull the carpeted piece around the vent down and out so it clears the vent, repeat for the passenger's side

Then pull whole first half of the console towards the back of the car and lift the front of the first half of the console up as the shifter hole gets close to the shifter (this is hard to do the first time, it keeps getting caught on stuff, but as long as you didn't forget anything it shouldn't be too hard)

If you are replacing the Neutral Safety Switch you will have to remove the three bolts at the red arrows, remove the c-clip at the blue arrow and remove the transmission control cable from the shifter base at the green arrow



Then pull the shifter out VERY SLOWLY the transmission control wire is attached to the bottom of the shifter, you will need to disconnect that too

Now you can remove the shifter, since I have never replaced a Neutral Safety Switch all I can tell you is read this post by David Cecil
here

If you are trying to track down an HVAC vacuum leak then remove these two bolts



And unplug the vacuum hoses one by one testing each one for vacuum, once you find the color use this pdf to find which actuator(s) is causing the problem A/C block diagram

Sry for the any bad spelling, if a photo is too small let me know and i'll post the full size ones, or if you need more info about how to do any of the things I went over (or didn't go over) just say so.

Enjoy.

'86 735i 128k miles

• Removing Center Console (pic) (url) - comptech 2004-09-09 21:50:23 (4232 views)
  • Re: Removing Center Console - kjkumar 2004-09-10 12:39:13 (426 views)
  • addition... - Kevin Elmore 2004-09-10 12:12:58 (401 views)
    • Re: addition... - comptech 2004-09-10 20:39:06 (474 views)
      • yup (nt) - Kevin Elmore 2004-09-13 13:19:39 (406 views)
  • Fantastic post - this is what this site is so great at (nt) - philipuk 2004-09-10 04:22:54 (378 views)
  • Good post! (nt) - DavidC 2004-09-09 22:35:42 (351 views)