MAC removal tool orientation


cobrar1339

cobrar1339

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Feb 2, 2006
956
Diamond Bar, Ca
Before I get to the point of no return.

There are no directions.:ack The manual shows the sliver bars on left and right as coming off. There is a smaller tool to move the silver bars out of the way. But there is no room to actually remove them when in the dash, IMO. They do move enough to the outside to stick the tool in between the radio and bars.

For those that have done this.

Is this the correct orientation or the tool or does the L go to the outside? Also, any issues with clearance on the parking brake? or console on removal. Anything else to expect? Thanks.

I don't want to stick it in the wrong way, as the manual says it locks in place. I guess there is no way to remove the tool unless you slide the radio out ( Guessing here). Then it looks like you just slide it back in place an it will lock. Do I have this right?

Yeah, I know I need to tape up before real surgery.
 

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Anyone?
 
cobrar1339 said:
Anyone?
Click to expand...
ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! :biggrin
 
Wally- use the small silver "s" hook to pull out the little bezels straight toward you.... They will pull off and snap back in. They have rubber retiners that mount on a tab on the radio. Then you have enough room to slip the radio tool on the side...
 
cobrar1339 said:
Before I get to the point of no return.

There are no directions.:ack The manual shows the sliver bars on left and right as coming off. There is a smaller tool to move the silver bars out of the way. But there is no room to actually remove them when in the dash, IMO. They do move enough to the outside to stick the tool in between the radio and bars.

For those that have done this.

Is this the correct orientation or the tool or does the L go to the outside? Also, any issues with clearance on the parking brake? or console on removal. Anything else to expect? Thanks.

I don't want to stick it in the wrong way, as the manual says it locks in place. I guess there is no way to remove the tool unless you slide the radio out ( Guessing here). Then it looks like you just slide it back in place an it will lock. Do I have this right?

Yeah, I know I need to tape up before real surgery.
Click to expand...

Call or PM me and I walk you though it

Takes care

Shadowman
 
Wally, DO NOT TRY THIS THE WAY YOU HAVE IT ORIENTED!!!!!!!!!! (caps for effect). The tool will slide right by the tabs that hold the radio in and get stuck. You must pull off the small silver bars on each side to get into the proper channel as MAD describes. Where's you blue tape?????????? You'll be sorry without blue tape everywhere around and on the tunnel.
 
OK, the pics are below. In the pics below you are looking at the silver trim bar moved all the way to the right.

You will notice that on my MAC that the tabs shown require you to slide the trim to the right, in the pic the trim is wedged again the right as far as it can go. Yet they do not pop off. On this Mac they do not pull forward and the tabs are not rubber they are hard plastic.

It looks like I am very close, but that last grunt to do so, is more the S tool will take as it bends. Also the S tool will not slide in between the housing and the trim, I can only get it to slide in between the radio and trim.

Ideas?, is this really this big a PITA. I fiddled with a screwdriver, but the best leverage point is against the radio(eek). Ideas?...Am I just being too Chicken.
 

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Wally, those silver strips pull Forward, towards you, not to the sides. My silver strips were superglued to the radio. Those little rubber holders must have had wet glue when inserted into the radio and made them almost impossible to get off. Been there, done that, the same pain you're feeling. Push the strips back into the radio and get them to come forward. Not enough room for them to come off going sideways. Even if the strips become separated from the black rubber holders, they have to come straight out. You can re-superglue them after they come out.

Once they're out, the tools slide in easily and the rest of the job takes 10 minutes. Yes that little L shaped tool is soft, as are the removal tools.



PUT THE BLUE TAPE ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Oops, looked at photos again and see the tape)
 
cobrar1339 said:
OK, the pics are below. In the pics below you are looking at the silver trim bar moved all the way to the right.

You will notice that on my MAC that the tabs shown require you to slide the trim to the right, in the pic the trim is wedged again the right as far as it can go. Yet they do not pop off. On this Mac they do not pull forward and the tabs are not rubber they are hard plastic.

It looks like I am very close, but that last grunt to do so, is more the S tool will take as it bends. Also the S tool will not slide in between the housing and the trim, I can only get it to slide in between the radio and trim.

Ideas?, is this really this big a PITA. I fiddled with a screwdriver, but the best leverage point is against the radio(eek). Ideas?...Am I just being too Chicken.
Click to expand...

Call me I am in the shop at this time

Shadowman
 
Frank, thanks for the Warning ! A little back seat driving here really helped.

Shadowman, thanks for the tips and helping me understand the way the back of the trim piece is shaped.

And YES, you are ALL right !:thumbsup. It will pull straight off, toward the shifter. The S tool, well the first letter is the start of a new name for it:lol.

It takes a little bending to get it to wiggle in between the frame and the outside of the trim piece. In the end ,I used Shadowmans "tip" , a Snap on Pick on the top to pull the top forward, then the bottom.

Thanks guys, pic's coming soon. It helps to see the backside of the trim piece to understand it.
 
Wally, if the black piece comes off, you can superglue it back on to the silver strip, just make sure it dries before you re-install.
 
Thanks for all the tips. Here are some pics of the silver trim piece, S tool and the proper orientation of the KEY tool. The KEY tool has to wedge between the outside of the frame and the lock mechanism on the radio.

Also, when you see the back side of the trim piece you get a better idea how it is attached.

The S tool does not fit between the outside frame and the trim piece. You can bend it to fit or take a small pick, tape the top of the trim piece and pull from the top till it snaps out and then from the bottom. This is what worked best for me. In an earlier post the black plastic pic you see is the piece sliding ou tof the trim channel. It will glue back in with ease, if you find it is loose.

When you are done messing around back there, attach the trim pieces, then slide the radio back into place, You will here two clicks, that wil tell you that it's all the way in.

The reason for removing the radio was to install an Ipod adapter that will also charge the Ipod. This harness has the wide Ipod plug at the bottom, no other cables. It works as advertised, except I had to modify the harness to make the power connections longer, install a new ring for the ground,etc. If I had to do it again, it would be about 1 hour, taking your time, including the harness modification... if you had everything you need handy. Figure 2 hours if setting up shop first.

Some other posts mentioned how tight that area is on the right side rear exit to the fuse box. It was a RPITA to fish that wide connector through. Not easy with the brake line in the way and another big harness. If you were to exit the rear of the drivers side it would be easier to get out that way.
 

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Good going Wally! And you thought you knew a lot about working on cars. If you messed up your little chrome strips, you can order more from Mac. Go to their website and see if there's a dealer somewhere near you. None here in the Midwest.
 
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The Alum strips were fine, just needed a dab of glue on the black plastic piece as you suggested. Thanks Frank :thumbsup
 
So where do you put the IPod once you plug it in?
 
You can buy a suction cup holder, I have a little black pouch that fits inbetween the seat and console with two pockets, you can lay it on the seat, etc. I like mine unfixed so I can lift it up to change things without taking my eyes off the road so much. The 7 foot cord is nice and flexible.
 
I ended up with buying an adpater that mounted under the seat bolt on the passenger side with a flex shaft that the iPOD clips into that can be moved anywhere.

like this one....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-Floor-Mount...ryZ58350QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
Very Cool! Thanks I'm going to look into that mod.
 
For now I just did this. I don't fiddle with the ipod very much. I select a play list and let it roll. Was soo tempted to cut a hole in the bottom for the cord, this way you would never see the cable at all. Lots of nice options if you are willing to cut, splice or dice.

But I like the stand, nice find.:thumbsup
 

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