2g Protege: Center Console Dismantling for various reasons
 

For the search function for the future.

The primary goal of my taking apart this area of my car was to reattach the base of my accordian shift boot, but there are other things one can get to/fix as well. Now to the pictures to get this all started.

PIC 1: Complete center console

PIC 2: Rear center console piece separate---To remove this piece, pop out the two rectangular caps (A) as you will then be able to pop out their respective bottom corners from their "latches" (using a knife or something comparably slim). The slot for the E-brake lever is (B). There are two screws on both sides of the rear c.c. piece (C)--move both front seats all the way forward to access this with a Phillip's screwdriver. (D) is where the screws (Phillip's) for the cubby hole top's pivot mechanism go (unnecessary to detach for this task, but oh well I did it before I knew that...). The area where (E) is at has a rectangular cap...purpose unknown! Wiggle the rear cc piece to free it from the front cc piece and slide it up over the E-brake handle.

PIC 3: Exposed E-Brake unit---(A) resides by one of the two screws (Phillip's) needed to loose to remove the front cc piece. To loosen/tighten the E-brake cable, use a 10mm socket/wrench by the E-brake handle (B). (C) and (D) are the mount brackets for the side screws that secure the rear cc piece by the seats.

Part 2
 

Continuing this, here we go:

PIC 4: Shift knob, lever, and boot. Ah, something simple here. the shift boot is secured at the top (to the knob) via a groove. Pull it off to free the shift knob so that you can twist the shift knob off the lever.

PIC 5: Shift boot and front center console piece (with black boot mount bracket). (A) indicates that the light brown plastic thing it's over is the front cc piece. (B) shows where the black shift boot mount bracket is...how obvious.

PIC 6: Front cc piece, forward side view (footwell area). The little pop bracket deal (on the carpet) has to be pried/popped out to loosen the forward securings of the front cc piece.

PIC 7: Front cc piece removed (no way!?!). (A) is the rear part of the front cc piece, also where the two screws must be removed (not visible from this pic). The front portion top corners of the front cc piece (D) and (E) unhitch/sort of slide/pop out. Do that before unhitching the forward section latches (B) and (C). Be careful, they don't really want to come out. I broke one of the latches (does not adversely affect the security of that piece upon reassembly).

PIC 8: Underside of front cc piece. This pic exposes the four screws (Phillip's) that secure the shift boot bracket to the front cc piece.

Part 3
 

Final installment:

PIC 9: Black shift boot mount bracket. (A) sits by one of eight shift boot mount slots located around the bracket (two per side). Unscrew (Phillip's) from front cc piece to clean and be ready for remounting/reattaching shift boot base to.

PIC 10: Shift boot secured to shift boot mount bracket. There are eight rubber flaps with three little nubs on each flap on the bottom of the shift boot. These nubs enable the flaps to essentially "snap" onto the bracket. Slide the boot and bracket unit up through the front cc piece shift boot hole and start reassembly!

Cars are like LEGOS for adults...

PIC 11: Discovery! I have found the ECU!!! (if you already knew where it was, then cool. for me, it was a cool personal discovery)

Hope this helped.