How To: Remove inside door panel Options

[kerosene]

Please keep in mind that this might be a little different depending on your car… I will try and put exactly how to take it off tomorrow, this is more or less a how to… I would like to stress the importance of saving all the screws, and making sure you know where they go… If you have any issues, please let me know…if you need more specifics please let me know and I will try to help you out as much as I can… (I am not held responsible for any damages, I have tried as much as I can to be exact.)


This is the most sensitive part of removing the whole panel… please be careful mine was cracked when I bought the car, and it was a lot of problem when I had to work with the panel off…. Push the panel torwards the front of the car, and pry up just a little (delicately) with a screwdriver or a butterknife it will come up just a little then you will be able to pull it out gently…



Unplug the harnesses, there were 2 in mine, might be more in different cars… there’s a push button kind of thing… then you can pull it out, you don’t have to be too gentile…


Hide these wires, they can be kind of in the way when you are removing the panel…


Remove this screw… it’s a small Phillips head


Remove these covers, I think they have to be popped out gently…I am not sure since when I got my car they were ripped out and were sticking on with this paste kinda of thing….


Remove these screws, they are Phillips head screws, not very hard to remove…


Remove these pins… be gentile, they were already gone in my car when I bought it, but I am pretty sure they are the kind that are in 2 pieces, you push the center in then you can pry the outside out…


There are 4 Phillips head screws on the bottom, I made 2 pictures of them, they are hard to see and they are dark…



After all that has been done, you have to push the panel up a little, and it will pop out… then the cover where the door opening handle (inside the car) will need to be turned to an angle and popped out… well in…

Now, putting the panel back on, do everything but in reverse… the most important part is putting in the panel with the door opening and the window… you put in the piece that has the tab in first, push it in, be delicate though… than you put the bottom down, place in hole and push down a little… until you hear a snap… as long as its not the tip that snapped off…

[Valo666]

nice...im gonna get on that tomorrow cuz i got some speakers i gotta install

[RCTCelica]

don't forget to unplug and than plug back your door safety light.

nice...im gonna get on that tomorrow cuz i got some speakers i gotta install

front speakers may need custom brackets since the speaker size is 6.5 but the housing is like 8 inches...

[soven]

I always do it without taking out the switches as the wires have enough slack. unplug it when I am halfway removing door. No problems yet(removed door panel close to 20times now). Might be a better option for some.

[kerosene]

I always do it without taking out the switches as the wires have enough slack. unplug it when I am halfway removing door. No problems yet(removed door panel close to 20times now). Might be a better option for some.

well, i would rather not risk it...mine was cracked when i bought it, and i dont want it cracked again so i am real careful with it

[Valo666]

don't forget to unplug and than plug back your door safety light.

nice...im gonna get on that tomorrow cuz i got some speakers i gotta install

front speakers may need custom brackets since the speaker size is 6.5 but the housing is like 8 inches...

already got it covered...but im gonna have to hold off for awhile to do it because of...well...this


we had seriously bad rain all day today an my garage got completely flooded...worst thing is, we r suppost to get more rain all week too.

[RCTCelica]

don't forget to unplug and than plug back your door safety light.

nice...im gonna get on that tomorrow cuz i got some speakers i gotta install

front speakers may need custom brackets since the speaker size is 6.5 but the housing is like 8 inches...

already got it covered...but im gonna have to hold off for awhile to do it because of...well...this


we had seriously bad rain all day today an my garage got completely flooded...worst thing is, we r suppost to get more rain all week too.

damn that really sucks, how deep is that water? hope you didn't lose anything important and everybody is safe.

[Valo666]

it was above my ankels at the highest point..its been slowly draining out all night, but theres still alot down there. It was about 2inches from the bottom of my 83's floorpan...so i couldnt park my car down there. And only thing i lost were the tires im gonna b mounting up on the coupe, but then i found them floating on the other side of the garage..lol

[kerosene]

it was above my ankels at the highest point..its been slowly draining out all night, but theres still alot down there. It was about 2inches from the bottom of my 83's floorpan...so i couldnt park my car down there. And only thing i lost were the tires im gonna b mounting up on the coupe, but then i found them floating on the other side of the garage..lol

Sucks dude, I'm gonna try to do it this week, im going to the doctors tomz. and depending on what i find out, it can either mean ill have to get rid of my cars, or ill be happy and free to do it...

[MauiBuilt]

Do you have a How To: Remove dashboard with pictures? I am about to install a Double Din Video unit sometime next week and I did not want to read my CHILTON Manual to do so-your way is much easier.

This post has been edited by MauiBuilt: Jul 25, 2007 - 10:27 PM

[mneal2_92788]

Do you have a How To: Remove dashboard with pictures? I am about to install a Double Din Video unit sometime next week and I did not want to read my CHILTON Manual to do so-your way is much easier.

you dont need to remove the entire dash. take the surrond off your shifter, remove the knob if its a 5-speed. then there are 2 screws that hold the bottom of the center console unit, remove them, then carfully pull at the bottom. take it up and remove. the top by the clock/hazzard light is tougher. when that is set aside, 4 screws hold the stereo in, unscrew them, pull it out. you should be able to use the din mounts for the double din video unit. then, reverse order to put it all back. need anythin do a search, its prolly been covered

[RCTCelica]

Do you have a How To: Remove dashboard with pictures? I am about to install a Double Din Video unit sometime next week and I did not want to read my CHILTON Manual to do so-your way is much easier.

removing a dashboard is pretty easy but very time consuming. you have to take off all the plastics from the b-pillar foward. doors sills, a-pillar, center console, steering wheel etc...

once all of that are gone take off all the air vent covers, there are bolts hiding in there...

if you are series about doing this let me know, i really don't have the time at this moment to write it up but i can tell you that the chilton manual provides little details.

[MauiBuilt]

Thanks RCTCelica & mneal12_92788 for the post. You won't happen to have pictures to back it up?

[mneal2_92788]

not right now. i can have some tomorro for my removal, the entire dash i havent done...yet. and not tomorro. so if you want mine i can get that up tomorro afternoon/morn for you

[RCTCelica]

Thanks RCTCelica & mneal12_92788 for the post. You won't happen to have pictures to back it up?

no, no pics of me taking off the dash. it's really straight foward. just make sure you take out the front seats since there will be times that you will have to lay on your back.

[cHinaman727]

Just so yall know, there are 3 pins on the side of the door frame/panel, and two extra screws you dont mention. One is in the hand grip thing in a deep hole, the other is behind the door handle's interior plastic, which btw, can be removed to be painted .

oh yeah and dont forget to plug your door light back in... I had the drivers panel on with 4 screws in, the hard ones, and I had to take it all off to plug in that damn light.


ALSO,

does anyone know how to get to the rear speakers?

This post has been edited by cHinaman727: Aug 1, 2007 - 9:58 AM

[kerosene]

Just so yall know, there are 3 pins on the side of the door frame/panel, and two extra screws you dont mention. One is in the hand grip thing in a deep hole, the other is behind the door handle's interior plastic, which btw, can be removed to be painted .

oh yeah and dont forget to plug your door light back in... I had the drivers panel on with 4 screws in, the hard ones, and I had to take it all off to plug in that damn light.


ALSO,

does anyone know how to get to the rear speakers?

yep, you have to take the trunk panels out (if hatchback) and then there are screws holding that panel...i also removed my back seat so that i can get to the bottom screw easier...i think that can be done without removing the seat...

[cHinaman727]

Just so yall know, there are 3 pins on the side of the door frame/panel, and two extra screws you dont mention. One is in the hand grip thing in a deep hole, the other is behind the door handle's interior plastic, which btw, can be removed to be painted .

oh yeah and dont forget to plug your door light back in... I had the drivers panel on with 4 screws in, the hard ones, and I had to take it all off to plug in that damn light.


ALSO,

does anyone know how to get to the rear speakers?

yep, you have to take the trunk panels out (if hatchback) and then there are screws holding that panel...i also removed my back seat so that i can get to the bottom screw easier...i think that can be done without removing the seat...

you mean the trunk panels, like all the plastic siding?

[kerosene]

Just so yall know, there are 3 pins on the side of the door frame/panel, and two extra screws you dont mention. One is in the hand grip thing in a deep hole, the other is behind the door handle's interior plastic, which btw, can be removed to be painted .

oh yeah and dont forget to plug your door light back in... I had the drivers panel on with 4 screws in, the hard ones, and I had to take it all off to plug in that damn light.


ALSO,

does anyone know how to get to the rear speakers?

yep, you have to take the trunk panels out (if hatchback) and then there are screws holding that panel...i also removed my back seat so that i can get to the bottom screw easier...i think that can be done without removing the seat...

you mean the trunk panels, like all the plastic siding?

yes sir, you have to remove all that to get in there without bending or snapping anything, and you also have to remove the plastic at the bottom of the door.

[cHinaman727]

this is gonna be fun! much easier than removing one door panel eh? haha well thats for another day i guess.

[kerosene]

its not half bad...could be lots worse...

[1995ST]

What about us guys with manual windows?? Does the handle just pop off?

[Superaison]

yeah how do u get the crank off?

[pflau]

yeah how do u get the crank off?

According to the Toyota service manual you use a shop rag to pull off the snap ring and the regulator handle and plate can then be removed.


Would somebody tell me if I need to remove the tweeter speaker cover (for those of use who have the 8 speaker system) before I can remove the door panel?

Also, are the speakers attached to the door panel? Thanks.

[SwissFerdi]

The speakers are attached to the door frame, not the door panel.

You will need to remove the tweeter anyway because it's attached to the triangle "sail" above the door panel, which needs to be removed for the panel to come off.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Mar 7, 2010 - 9:30 PM

[Scosh]

Can anyone help me with this? I remove all the things like in the picture and I am trying to actually take the panel off. I tried moving it around and pulling it up but it seems like something else is holding it down. Also do the windows have to be down? I tried taking them off with both windows down and up.

[Jrgn]

Did you remove the plastic that sits just by the mirror? If i remember right you must remove it

[Scosh]

I did not, whenever I pull on the panel it sounds like im pulling apart some sticky stuff. I guess that is the plastic you are talking about.

[SwissFerdi]

You might have missed a screw. The one behind the small panel located behind the door pull handle is easy to miss, as is the one in the door handle.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Apr 2, 2010 - 2:49 PM

[SoDo]

Lift and pull off the door panel. This is very simple to do.

[GriffGirl]

If it's not moving, you probably missed a screw. Did you remove the black cover that goes around the door handle latch? There's a screw to remove that cover, then there should be 2 brass screws behind that holding the door panel on. Lastly, there's also a screw just at the bottom part of the door handle on the panel, you'll find the hole that leads to it if you look or feel around the underside of the handle just by the arm rest.

[Scosh]

The panel moves, it just wont come off. I dont want to pull hard on it because Im scared that I will break something.

[SwissFerdi]

Try this: pull up slightly and then back. If it still stays, then you missed a screw. Recheck everything.

There is glue holding some weather proofing on the door panel, but there's no way that it can be causing the door panel to stick because that's a few inches behind the panel itself.

As has been said, recheck everything.

[ilmatic]

What screws are needed? i lost all of my screws.

[SwissFerdi]

What screws are needed? i lost all of my screws.

How did that happen?

Anyway, pull them out of the other panel, there are 3 or 4 different screws. Take them to a hardware store and they'll tell you what they are.

[ilmatic]

well when i got the car... the panel was already out and was in the trunk.
couldnt find the screws in the car.