Ok, now I know that the infamous dash crack has been a problem for the j-bodies for quite a while now. I have one that started with a small hairline and has progressively split the dash frame in two parts. I know the only real options are to replace the dash frame, cover it in fiberglass, or just leave it.
My question is the reasoning behind this crack. Everyone says that it has to do with the heating and cooling issues of the plastic section. I could believe that for the inital crack, but that doesn't seem correct for the progressive cracking that happens. I remember a while back someone suggestiong that it could be a suspension issue that you could test for, but I was not able to locate that test in the archives. As my crack has widened, so have the vibes that started with my upper and lower mounts. I would also say that this could have been caused by the mounts, but there are other cavaliers that have the crack that don't have engine mounts.
I am replacing the dash frame, but want to get this straight if this could possibly be a suspension problem that would end up cracking the new frame anyways.
Thanks everyone.
ShiftyCav wrote:thats probably the dumbest thing i have ever heard. you should take that serpentine belt and wrap it around your neck.
i dont think it has anything to do w/ suspensions. my moms is cracked and she has a 00z w/ only 30k on it and my cav, ive gone through 3 different suspensions and mine has still never cracked
80k and a VERY stiff suspension on my '96 - no crack
30k and stock everything on the '02 - big fat crack
fortune cookie say:
better a delay than a disaster.
I have a 96 with no crack. However there is a bolt that holds it to the center of the firewall, and the area around that bolt was actually cracked.
I think this is where many people have problems. If you throw a soft rubber spacer/washer behind the dash (where it connects to the firewall) and before you put on the screw, it might prevent this problem. The only other thing I may suggest is drilling out that hole a little wider to allow some play when the dash moves around.
I'm amazed that GM never recalled this though as it is a very common problem.
@!#$er wrote:I'm amazed that GM never recalled this though as it is a very common problem.
It's not a safety concern and would be expensive as hell to fix. That's why they didn't recall it.
The could have thrown a TSB out there for a fix though. They may not be affecting saftey, but they are affecting future sales.
a tsb wouldnt do any good
if it happens and your inside of the warrenty period , you take it in they fix it
outside the warrenty your SOL
Wild Weasel wrote:@!#$er wrote:I'm amazed that GM never recalled this though as it is a very common problem.
It's not a safety concern and would be expensive as hell to fix. That's why they didn't recall it.
true but my 02 has the reverse light problem with the getrag tranny and no recall on that and thats a safety issue and its common.... so gm is just gay on recalls LOL.....
[quote=97cavie24ls(JDM&00s/c sedans�)]a tsb wouldnt do any good
A TSB or recall would have been better than their choice of dealing with it as they have. By not addressing the issue at all (just as they have with other problems), they are creating dissatisfied customers who will end up taking their money elsewhere.
There wasn't a single GM vehicle I was considering purchasing when I was shopping around for cars at the end of last year. I know I'm not the only one like this either. They already use cheap designs and materials. Poor customer service only adds to the dissatisfaction.
A $0.07 washer, $0.09 spacer, and an hour of a technican's time isn't much to ask for when you spent $10,000 on a car. Especially when you will likely be buying cars for a long time to come.
I agree. As the years have gone by, I've started to notice more and more where GM skimped on their designs. I still love my car, but keeping the uptake sucks each and every day.
I think I will try to do the rubber washer idea as soon as I am able to find the dash frame in my car's color. GM wants $200 for it, and I'm not paying them that.
ShiftyCav wrote:thats probably the dumbest thing i have ever heard. you should take that serpentine belt and wrap it around your neck.
How did everyones crack begin ??? mine crackeddoing a burnout.........kind of an odd way to get it but yea.
They crack because the unibody flexes. Additional braces
may make a difference, as I've seen more base models cracked than suped one cars. But that's purely personal obversation.
I agree with CB98 though, suspension problems are highly unlikely to cause the dash to crack.
Mine cracked under warranty but the dealership had to ok it with the manager because the whole dash had to come off so I told them to forget it. It probably wouldve cracked again anyways....its a cavalier so I take it for granted that stupid @!#$ is going to break and fall apart...
even my interior door piece cracked on the drivers side not sure why...call me stupid but I would probably buy GM again...
<img src="http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/gunslinger88/thumbnail_personal_pic.jpg">
I know my sister's cavy doors cracked all over. But it's been outside for 12 years.
Probably luck the thing hasn't rusted through in this wonerful Michigan weather.
@!#$er wrote:There wasn't a single GM vehicle I was considering purchasing when I was shopping around for cars at the end of last year.
Hence the reason I now own a tC.
cwalksta17 wrote:How did everyones crack begin ???
Mine was a telephone pole at 30mph.
Jackass wrote:@!#$er wrote:There wasn't a single GM vehicle I was considering purchasing when I was shopping around for cars at the end of last year.
Hence the reason I now own a tC.
Ditto
C.T.S wrote:They crack because the unibody flexes. Additional braces may make a difference, as I've seen more base models cracked than suped one cars. But that's purely personal obversation.
I agree with CB98 though, suspension problems are highly unlikely to cause the dash to crack.
They crack when the body flexes because of the way they are secured to the body. It's metal to hard plastic, with nothing in the middle to compensate for the differences in flexibility. Hence why I suggest putting a rubber or semi-hard foam behind the dash before you tighten the nuts/screws on the dash assembly. Hell this may also solve that dash rattle that everyone complains about at high speeds.
As stated before this has been a known issue for J's. Years ago the fix was take the screw out in the middle. There is actually 3 that holds it up under neath the window. Some take all 3, because they really are not doing much. the dash is also held on by other bolts that are bigger and more supportive. I had to re place mine we took the center bolt out, and so far no issues. I have known other J's stock to crack. It appears to be heat and cold combine with the bolts not leaving enough flex. That would explain why some crack around the bolt it is too tight. Some lossen that bolt up as well.
FU Tuning
I only have three bolts holding my entire dash together.... yet, I have no noises or vibrations in the dash other than those I've created (loud engine, loud intake, loud exhaust).
The only noise issue I have is the stupid passenger door speaker, sounds like the wire is making a rattling noise!!!
Wild Weasel wrote:@!#$er wrote:I'm amazed that GM never recalled this though as it is a very common problem.
It's not a safety concern and would be expensive as hell to fix. That's why they didn't recall it.
Yet if it was an Escalade or a CTS GM would have had a recall out in a heartbeat, and Cadillac dealers would be ripping out dashes to make the fix.
not to thread jack or anything but does the dash replacement thing to exist. i remeber someone making a f/g covers but i can't seem to find it now.
I too have the infamous cracked dash, but not really in the normal way. Mine is all the way on the passenger side in front of the air bag. It was a direct result of this beauty:
Hood latch broke and the hood flew up on the interstate doing 85 (I might add it is tremendously difficult controlling a car with the hood covering all but a few inches of your windshield
) and smashed the windshield. I guess the force of the hood hitting the windshield cracked the dash slightly. Since then it has turned into a triangle type piece that I can actually take out if I wanted to. I've got an idea to figure a way to put my Sirius antenae in the hole. Just gotta figure a way to make it look decent.
Wow. And I thought you'd only see something like that in movies. That had to suck, man.
