I need to get to the screws in the down tubes in order to pull the headset. On the driver side the top screw is blocked by the panel directly under the steering column. My question is how is that panel removed, I can't see any screws and I don't want to break anything - help please.

 

Put a glove on your hand.
Put your hand in the gap under the steering wheel.
Give the panel a good tug slightly downward.

Two pins in the top two corners snap into the dash, and three plastic hinges snap in on the bottom edge. It's a little snug but it just snaps off if you're not too shy. It snaps back on.

 

Thanks

 

ppro,

So happy I found this short thread! I didn't have much luck with keyword searches and was about to start a new thread and buy a repair manual. I wanted to try to stop a "creaking" noise that appeared to be coming from the steering column in my MCS by lubricating some ball bearings a few inches towards the firewall, but I didn't know how to get the lower panel off that Frank in Toledo was asking about. I also didn't want to use too much force in the wrong place and break something. Your instructions did the trick! One firm tug with a gloved hand, a spray of silicone, and no more creaking was heard! The local garage in Towson, MD said a couple of days ago that they could probably subdue the noise for a while with some lube but that they were eventually going to need $700 from me to completely address the problem. I don't think I am ready to believe them. Thanks again.

Frank in Baltimore

 

What in the world could cost that much!

I'm glad this helped. You will find the panel gets easier to remove after a couple times in there.

ppro