Armrest Fix 2

[luigi'smax]

well, here it goes..

the center console has a pop up function, (annoying to me but thats out of the point) when the console pad is in the up position, it becomes a liittle weak since most of the pressure is put onto it is a the front part and forces the back to try to hold in place all the wight. the cushion pad is held in place by four (4) screws, one in each corner and after so much work the rear screws seem to fall or become very loose making this pop up juiggle more than ususal... you can fix it yourself or get the dealer to fix it under warranty as i did...

well, this is what i am talking about:

in the down position...


up position... see how much of the console is just up in the air?? well THAT is were we all put most of the pressure...



which forces the rear of the console to basically hold all our (my) weight.

well, so lets fix it. put the pop up pad down, open the console and expose the two screews you will have to remove... circles indicate them...



remove those two screws and then starting from either lower corner (where the screws came out of) pry it open with a screw driver ( or nails if you have them long ??) insert something in that corner...your fingers would do and then keep prying open upwards...nuthing to worry there...nuthing to delicated in there just pry it little by little, once you get to the upper corner you should be able to just lift it from the screw's corner up and out...


now to step two...
Luigi

[luigi'smax]

once you remove that...youll see this:




remove the four screws that are circled...the three screws below them are for the hinge and stuff... after yiou remove the first two, you might want to hold the pop up with your hand so it is not supported by only one or two screws which might cause the plastic to break...we dont want that...

once the four screws removed you will get this...



there you have the pad, the first cover you removed and the other piece that was held by the last four screws you removed.

well THIS is the problem...


the rear screws are the ones that come loose...mine were not even there by the time i took it apart. so if yours are just loose, tight them up and if the are missing, remove one of the other and go to the nearest hardware store or automotive parts store and test for the best fit..remember IT is goint into plastic so you got want extra big screws or whatever... oh, to acces those screws you can pup the pad up...try to push the button to release it...what ?? it doesn t work ?? ummm try putting it right side up...for some reaso it only pops up if it is in the upright position... ahh just taking all the guess work out of the way for you guys.,..

well, to put it back togheter just do the above in reverse,,,i only have one suggestion...when you tighten the outer two screws, you know the ones you removed first...be extra careful, they will eat the plastic and then they wont tighten...so do like me...



with your fingers, hold the pieces together as tight as you want them to be and then put in the screws and stop right when you feel the most minimun amount of resistance...this screws are not really holding anything so they dont have to even be tight tight, it is better to have them secured than have them coming of because they ate the plastic.

well, thats is ...hope that helps many of you guys...

[PapaL]

Originally Posted by luigi'smax

once you remove that...youll see this:

Good info, thanks. Even better Free hand Paint writing skills, lol.

[luigi'smax]

u r welcome !! dont joke my skills !! jajaja

Luigi

[04BlackMaxx]

Its a pretty chinzy mechanism IMO...the armrest should just be higher and longer, poorly designed, my old taurus had a very functional armrest.

[luigi'smax]

Originally Posted by 04BlackMaxx

Its a pretty chinzy mechanism IMO...the armrest should just be higher and longer, poorly designed, .

and annoying....but oh welll...

Luigi

[Killah Kane]

So I just tried this procedure and it didnt work for me. Even though the armrest is lose, the screws were mostly all tight. After tightening a bit more, I put it back together and now its even more loose. Maybe I will just buy a new armrest and replace it.

[Dutchboy]

works for me

[Killah Kane]

So my center console armrest compartment rattles real bad when its in the upright extended position while going over bumps. This was the most annoying rattle that I have heard in my car so far. I tried fixing it before when someone had a thread about taking it apart and tightening the screws, but that did nothing for mine. So I then ordered a brand new unit, it was fine for a month and then it also came loose and started rattling. So today I took it apart and examined what exactly is loose. Well its hard to explain, and I forgot to take pics, but I did figure out a way to fix it. I used dynamat in certain areas which actually didnt do much, but then I wrapped a whole bunch of rubberbands around the plastic shim looking things on each side of the inside of the part of the armrest that pivots back and forth. This really tightened it up and once I reconnected it, no more rattles. I know this sounds weird and its hard to explain without pics, but I know many of you have this same problem, hopefully this will work for you too

[werdna58]

alright, I've fixed mine about 3 times already and Im sick of fixing it and know what the problem is now, but not sure what my easiest solution would be. The four spots that the screws go into on the armrest (padded part) itself are basically worn out and therefore the screws don't secure themselves. I bought some new screws that are longer and one of them fits tight which should help out.

Does anyone know the quickest fix for a sealant or something to make sure the screws are able to get tightened and secure the armrest?