How do you remove the center vent on a 2G?

[92GSXman]

I need to remove the center vent on my wife's 99 GS-T because it is broken. Does it snap out or what? I need to either try to fix it or replace it but I need to get it out first. I am talking about the one above the HVAC controls.

 

[Defiant]

Well, like everything else built since 1975, it snaps together.

Oh, but we can't let you get away that easily, can we?

That bizarre "Cool Air Bypass Lever" has a wire you need to disconnect. To get to where it lives, you need to drop the glovebox. Luckily, there's not much to that: empty out the box ("Oh! THERE'S those goddamned sunglasses!") and there are two black plastic rectangles on the sides. Slide those backward, and they fall inward. The box can now drop all the way open. If you need to pull the whole box, there are just two screws holding it in, and the parts of the hinge that mount to the car have little holding tabs on the backs of them to hold it in place when you're re-installing. You can probably leave it attached.

Once the glovebox is out of the way, you can get to the control wire for the bypass lever:

 

[Defiant]

And if you ever figure out what the damned thing does, let us all know.

The whole center panel is held by 4 spring pawls, with a bit of yanking it'll come out.

 

[92GSXman]

So you're saying I can't yank the vent out and disconnect the wire through the vent hole?

 

[Defiant]

I've not had to pull one yet, but the picture books all say to start with the wire. I don't think it has any slack.

And those books have the lines _really_ close together, it's tough as hell to color them all without going over.

 

[92GSXman]

Thanks for all of your help man. I'll get my lazy butt out there and drop the glovebox also.

 

[Jason_99ozGS]

Originally posted by 92GSXman
Thanks for all of your help man. I'll get my lazy butt out there and drop the glovebox also.

Actually there is no need to drop the glove box on 99's because they don't have the cool air bypass lever. Just pull out the center assembly and there are the four clips like defiant posted above. Once it's loose just disconnect the 3 wiring harnesses and you're all set.

99's just have a switch to open and close the vent. I found out about the cool airbypass lever when working on my friend's 98 and it made me mad the first time I had to take the cable for it off

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[Defiant]

Originally posted by Jason_99ozGS
Actually there is no need to drop the glove box on 99's because they don't have the cool air bypass lever.

Oh, COOL, Jason. I didn't know they did away with that stupid thing.

I guess someone, somewhere must've thought it was a good idea..... until someone brighter came along.

 

[92GSXman]

Thanks guys!!!!!

 

[and1chewy]

i have a 98 spyder do you know if anything on this has to be disconnected from behind before prying? along with the vents i have the power top switch a rear defrost and something else i cant think of off the top of my head.

 

[4Lurker4]

I pried mine pretty easily, you'll get a bit of slack from the wires (about an inch or two) just enough to press on the connections and free them from the bezel. Just take it slow and look at it from the bottom of the vent as sometimes the vent will get stuck on the leather trim that covers the dash and if you're just pulling without any care, it'll tear.

 

[and1chewy]

i did get the vent out of my 98 spyder wasnt a have to to drop the glove compartment to get it out but doest make the job a lot easier. so you can take whatever route you like my opinion is to drop the glove and pop the cool air bypass line from back there.