Cabriolet dash removal and aerial help?

[golf cabry]

I am trying to fit a new electric aerial to my mk1 cabriolet and am having trouble getting the aerial cable through from the bulkhead to the inside of the car. I have attached the new cable to the old and am trying to put it through but it seems to be catching on something. I have alread cut a cable tie from under the passenger footwell but cannot get in to see what is obstructing. Ha sanyone removed their dash before and if so is it easy? ANy instructions welcome. The reason I also wish to remove is that I am getting a leak into passengers footwell from around where it joins passenger side. Anyone know where this leak is possibly coming from? Any help welcome!

Cheers

[gibby]

golf cabry, I dont know anything about removing the dash and the ariel bit but about the leak into the passenger footwell, have you had a look at the bulk head gulley under the bonnet to see if its full of water ? If it is then you need to unblock the two drain holes near the wings, these get clogged up with leaves and cr@p and this can cause the water to overflow and go into the car. Secondly, I sometimes find that my passenger footwell has water in it when it has rained and the car is parked facing downhill as the water somehow finds a little gap and drips in, may seem like a daft idea but if this is the case try parking it differently, e.g. up hill. Hope some of this helps. 

[golf cabry]

Have checked the usual drainage but the drain holes are clear. If leak is coming from scuttle tray then it must be coming in from the very right most corner looking at the engine bay. There is a bit towards the back that is starting to break away. Any other ideas as it does not appear to be bulkhead leakage as it is coming in around the left  of the fuse box.

Cheers for help though gibby

[gibby]

Are there any other gromits or cables that go into the passenger footwell ? If there is try a blob of grease on them to see if it stops the water, I'm wondering if there's a hole in the inner wheel arch that is allowing spray from the road to get in. Is the water in the footwell after driving or when parked ? Dunno if I'm helping here or not 

[Madone_si]

I installed new aerial in my cab before I took it apart. I managed to get my cables through where the loom cables go through, it takes some time to get each one through, but it works. It also took some time to find the cables once I got them through under the dash board.

Good luck?

Yeah I've taken the dash out of a cab. You have to take steering wheel off, pull all the covers off from dash, pull all the switchs out and take the attached cables off, un-screw and take out the dials- be careful not to rip any cables or damage the dial cables..., then un-screw the 15 odd screws holding it in place - 1 at each end of the dash and rest at bottom of dashboard and then you pull the dash off up wards and there are 5 big clips that hold the dash in place - you can't see these as they are under the dash right near the front window area, but it will come out easy.

The leak by the way may come from the heater unit in the middle, if the rubber holding it in place is split water links through - I know it happened on my golf, but you won't see this unless you take the dash off and unscrew the heater unit - which is done via the engine bay area.

It's all outlined in the VW golf maintain books.

[golf cabry]

Thanks for that post Madone. What golf maintain books describe dash removal? I have taken steering wheel and mfa out before so this shouldn't be too much trouble but screws along bottom of black dash above the grey section look hard to remove without damaging the dash. I appear to have two screws at the end of each side of the dash also? Is the dash different on a 1991 reg to the early models?

[Madone_si]

From my memory (I've owned a few cabs of all ages) I think they are all the same. The Dash is only held in place by screws, so you shouldn't damage it at all. Just take your time and check throughly.

[DANO]

I have just put an electric aerial in my '84 cabby. There were holes already drilled in the panels from the old aerial so the job was easy. The co-ax and wire went through the wing high up so that they came out behind the metal panel that forms the 'drip tray' for the windscreen. A hole that was already drilled was re-used and when I pushed the wires through they came out behind the glove box. Now this is when the age of my car shows, the glove box has been in and out more time then Ron Jeremy (!) so when the wire were pulled through I could route them through to the correct area behind the head unit.
Everything worked first time and for once has continued to do so!! A first for my electrical skills!!

Dano

[richandhazel]

From my memory (I've owned a few cabs of all ages) I think they are all the same. The Dash is only held in place by screws, so you shouldn't damage it at all. Just take your time and check throughly.

I had to do a lot of rewiring and had to change the dash in my cabrio. Taking the dash out made life so much easier........exposed everything. I can't emphasize more what has already been said: take your time and be careful. So easy to miss a cable tie attaching a wire to where it shouldn't be, break some of those plastic bits etc.

[Alps]

not sure if this will help, but I tied string to the olf aerial connector thenpulled it through, then tied the string to the new ariel and pulled it back, wasnt too difficult.