Jeff928S4

89' S4

My niece was fiddling around with the temp sensor and managed to pull it out of the dash....the whole unit; not just the round grill cover thing.

In doing some searches, I see the unit is zipped-tied to a collar or something behind the dash?

I tried pushing it back in, but it makes a sound like the blades of the fan inside are hitting something and it just pops back out.

I am going to pull the center console tonight and try and fix it......do I simply just replace the zip ties that must have broken?

Any tips?

PHIL928

Have you tried putting it back through just removing the side panel and fiddling through there? Seems like an awful lot of work to take the whole center console out just to put that back in place.
You need to route the little flexible hose into the barrel fan, I think that may be whats causing your noise.

Jeff928S4

From what I've read - there is no way to get at the back of it without pulling the center console. If this were not true, I would be very happy!

...and yes, I saw the flexible hose in the pic, I suspect that will need to be lined up when I put it all back together.

Bilal928S4

I don't know if the 89 has airbags. On the cars with the airbags, there is a screw on the right top corner of the center console that is a b**ch to get at.

Bill Ball

It's been many years since I replaced mine. There is a tie wrap around the neck of the sensor behind the dash that keeps it in place. So, put in a new, high quality one once you get the console out. It may be that the neck separated from the fan - I don't know - but you'll figure that out once you remove the console. I don't think there is any other way to get to it.

Jeff928S4

No airbag. I read the posts concerning that screw - didn't look fun.

StratfordShark

But isn't it ironic that this was case of accidentally pulling out of dash?

Often I see chips out of the grille which I always thought was from people trying and failing to remove from front. When I replaced mine there was no alternative to pulling the console.

Jeff928S4

The console doesn't seem too bad a job; and I have to swap out the footwell flap actuator, so it's a double-up job.

Will post pics of what was behind the dash and why the sensor was not staying in.