I am really struggling with these. 8.5 hours into replacing the evaporator, and I am stalled testing to get the dash bar off because I can’t get the cabling loose. Any hints? It seems the biggest obstacle in this job so far has been all the cable ties.
If there is access to the back of the panel it is pushed through, sometimes it is possible to slip a 10 mm box wrench over it, which is just the right size to squeeze its ears and release it. That wasn't my idea; somebody else posted it in the last year or so. I forget who it was, but it changed my life. Trouble is, still not every clip has adequate behind-the-panel access. Then sometimes you need to work a thin blade under the 'skirt' of the clip and try to snag the tips of its ears that way.
That clip goes into a rectangular hole. The tabs that lock it in place might on the "ends" or the "sides" of the hole. (Honda has a few evil variants with 4 tabs) I have used a variety of methods to deal with them. 1)use a small tool (pick, needle nose pliers, screwdriver- whatever works) to depress the tabs from the back side while pulling gently out. Sometimes you can push the clip to one side and get 1 tab to release then move it the other way for the 2nd. 2) as mentioned "lift the skirt" around the hole and sometimes you can use a pick to just push the tiny little tip of the tab that pokes up through the hole 3) carefully cut the zip tie off and resecure with a new one through the old base when going together 4) when none of that works, use a "forked" door trim panel tool (or something) to pry the retainer out of the hole. For me -2 out of 3 times the tabs survive enough to clip it back into place. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Don't overthink it, just put a tool in there and pry it off... The more times you do it, the more skilled you get at popping it off without breaking it... And if it breaks it's not too much of a problem in that particular location.
Wow! Bookmarking this website. Would’ve been so much faster to cut the clips and replace them. Thanks a ton!