Dashboard Blues. Loose?

[JohnnyC]

Does anyone else's dashboard completely shake and rattle apart when going over bumps? Its bad! I've had that vent in the center of the dash pop right out at me! More than a few times. That vent doesn't seem to fit down right either. The driver side does not sit well with the windshield pillar part.

Has anyone taken their dashboard out and tightened down everything? Where do i start? remove instrument cluster.... etc.

Could this indicate i need some new shocks? Suspension checked?

[tlong]

Wow that doesn't sound good at all. Has the dash been removed previously to your knowledge? Is this a new acquisition? 80 lbs of pressure in the tires?

Heck no that isn't normal. C4s ride stout but tearing the interior pieces apart is extreme. Assuming the dash is properly connected the suspension may need diagnosis. In other words I dunno. I have a '96 too and offer the comparison as being relatively smooth.

[85vette]

-if the vent is coming loose then there is definitely something wrong
-my 85 is quite easy to take apart but I have no idea about a 96

[Greg Gore]

My 96 had a lot of instrument panel noise when I first got it and since that time I have had it completely apart to fix everything. My center defroster grille was loose like yours and didn't really fasten to anything. Here is what I found: The dash pad had been degraded by the sun and the edges were curling up so I bought a new one from GM (nearly $500 unfortunately) and this fixed the loose defroster grill among other things. The squeaks and rattles were caused by decomposed foam tape insulation pads. GM had numerous (12-15) 2"x 4"x 3/16" rectangular foam tape strips fastened in strategic locations as noise isolators to insulate parts that are in close proximity to each other that otherwise would rub together. Mine had turned to gummy tar and were ineffective so I completely disassembled the dash to clean everything up and replace the foam tape strips. This also allowed me to tighten every screw properly and the job turned out to be a complete success and made a huge difference. I can now drive over fairly rough roads and the dash is completely quiet. This is a big job not for the faint of heart and requires extensive disassembly. I am not saying this is the fault with your car but it was the cause of the problem with mine. My car has 110K miles and spent many hot South Carolina Summers in the parking lot with the windows rolled up. The foam tape insulation in cars that have been garaged may still be OK.

Regards, Greg