Ford DIN key stuck

greensalad

Hi everyone,

So I decided to treat myself to a new car stereo after getting a new job! I have a Ford Ka (2002) and it only had a cassette. Picked up a fascia kit on eBay and a new radio from Amazon...

Normally I'd pay someone to put something technical in like this for me but after being told I'm a fool and it's dead easy I thought I'd try it myself. Looked up a youtube video and it seemed simple... well what a mistake.

I pushed the keys (two keys, four prongs in total, slightly curved) and with a little bit of pressure they made a good sounding "click" and felt in place. Then I pushed outwards as I saw on the video. Nothing. I tried a bit of a wiggle as I saw on the video. Nothing.

I tried to pull out the DIN keys to see if I was doing something wrong with how they were inserted. Stuck. One of them is stuck.

I've now tried EVERYTHING but the key is stuck fast. I can't get it out. I tried pulling on it and wiggling it until my hands were red raw. I got a bit of rope, wrapped it round my hands and looped it through the curved DIN key and put all my weight on pulling it out. NOTHING.

What can I do, if anything? How much is this going to cost me to fix? Seems now alongside a crappy cassette player and the awful local radio for my hour long commute I also get the joy of a metal key sticking out of my dash. Just great. :mad:

RegWorts

greensalad wrote: »

Hi everyone,

So I decided to treat myself to a new car stereo after getting a new job! I have a Ford Ka (2002) and it only had a cassette. Picked up a fascia kit on eBay and a new radio from Amazon...

Normally I'd pay someone to put something technical in like this for me but after being told I'm a fool and it's dead easy I thought I'd try it myself. Looked up a youtube video and it seemed simple... well what a mistake.

I pushed the keys (two keys, four prongs in total, slightly curved) and with a little bit of pressure they made a good sounding "click" and felt in place. Then I pushed outwards as I saw on the video. Nothing. I tried a bit of a wiggle as I saw on the video. Nothing.

I tried to pull out the DIN keys to see if I was doing something wrong with how they were inserted. Stuck. One of them is stuck.

I've now tried EVERYTHING but the key is stuck fast. I can't get it out. I tried pulling on it and wiggling it until my hands were red raw. I got a bit of rope, wrapped it round my hands and looped it through the curved DIN key and put all my weight on pulling it out. NOTHING.

What can I do, if anything? How much is this going to cost me to fix? Seems now alongside a crappy cassette player and the awful local radio for my hour long commute I also get the joy of a metal key sticking out of my dash. Just great. :mad:

Calm down...deep breath and try again slowly as in the video.

Spread the extractors outwards , pull and try and ease it out.

Using brute force will just buckle the clips

greensalad

RegWorts wrote: »

Calm down...deep breath and try again slowly as in the video.

Spread the extractors outwards , pull and try and ease it out.

Using brute force will just buckle the clips

I gave it another go but honestly, the keys just bend. I'm a weakling so maybe I will have to get the bf to try. The keys seem sturdy, but I'm really shocked that even just me trying a reasonable amount of pressure when moving them outwards would bend them? The other one bent when I tried, and I was able to bend it back whilst in the slot so it is still straight.

greensalad

OK so have tried again after a break. The DIN key is never going to come out the same way it went in.

What are my options? How much would a garage charge to do this (if it's even possible?) I'm not planning on keeping the radio fascia. Is there any way I can pry it out and then use wire cutters on the DIN key from the other side? Even if it involves breaking the plastic around it...

Or do I just have to accept that it's not fixable?

Wish I hadn't bothered trying to treat myself now. What a waste.

RegWorts

greensalad wrote: »

I gave it another go but honestly, the keys just bend. I'm a weakling so maybe I will have to get the bf to try. The keys seem sturdy, but I'm really shocked that even just me trying a reasonable amount of pressure when moving them outwards would bend them? The other one bent when I tried, and I was able to bend it back whilst in the slot so it is still straight.

Strength doesn`t really come into it.

There is a spring clip on each side of the radio that has a couple of lugs that engage with the casing fitted into the dashboard in which the radio slides.

All you are doing with the extractor pins are pushing them through the four holes on the front of the radio and engaging with these 2 spring clips ...so that when you (gently) press /spread the pins outwards you are (gently ) forcing the spring inward towards the radio body so that the lugs disengage from the outer casing.

At this point the radio can be eased out.

Be careful that these extractor pins are not pushed in too far ( and hard) so that they end up tangled up in far side of the spring clips. (This is what might have happened to your pin that cannot be removed )

Gentle wiggling or pushing the extractor pin inwards should eventually free it up (eventually )

Harsh pulling, banging and bending is unlikely to work.

Patience and careful movement usually does.

Take a look here at this site that shows how similar clips work and what happens to the extractor pins when you push them in

http://www.shareamemory.com/radio/removal.htm

greensalad

RegWorts wrote: »

Strength doesn`t really come into it.

There is a spring clip on each side of the radio that has a couple of lugs that engage with the casing fitted into the dashboard in which the radio slides.

All you are doing with the extractor pins are pushing them through the four holes on the front of the radio and engaging with these 2 spring clips ...so that when you (gently) press /spread the pins outwards you are (gently ) forcing the spring inward towards the radio body so that the lugs disengage from the outer casing.

At this point the radio can be eased out.

Be careful that these extractor pins are not pushed in too far ( and hard) so that they end up tangled up in far side of the spring clips. (This is what might have happened to your pin that cannot be removed )

Gentle wiggling or pushing the extractor pin inwards should eventually free it up (eventually )

Harsh pulling, banging and bending is unlikely to work.

Patience and careful movement usually does.

Take a look here at this site that shows how similar clips work and what happens to the extractor pins when you push them in

http://www.shareamemory.com/radio/removal.htm

Thanks, I guess that makes sense. The thing that shocks me is that I'm obviously not particularly strong, so I have no idea how I pushed it in too far. I'll admit to giving it a reasonable amount of pressure when putting it in, but I am amazed at my somehow superhuman strength to push it in way too far.... especially considering I was using my left (non-dominant) hand, was sitting in the drivers seat and this key was the further away from me (so less pressure as I was leaning across). It's the bottom left part that is stuck.

I've tried pushing it in further to see if I can get any release from it but it literally doesn't budge. And if I put anything more than a light touch on it, it just bends.

What are my options, if any? I can't return the radio I bought which is frustrating but I know if I can just get this thing out then it will hopefully be fine to just pay someone to get it put in instead of trying to do it myself (which is evidently not going to go well!)

RegWorts

greensalad wrote: »

OK so have tried again after a break. The DIN key is never going to come out the same way it went in.

What are my options? How much would a garage charge to do this (if it's even possible?) I'm not planning on keeping the radio fascia. Is there any way I can pry it out and then use wire cutters on the DIN key from the other side? Even if it involves breaking the plastic around it...

Or do I just have to accept that it's not fixable?

Wish I hadn't bothered trying to treat myself now. What a waste.

It can be done . I`ve removed quite a few and never had a failure yet. This includes at least a couple with mangled up spring clips.The secret is patience.

Something that might be useful is to try and get a strip of plastic down the side of the radio to see if that can release the clips ( an old credit card or something similar cut to size perhaps )

If you are giving up ( and before you take an axe to the dashboard !) try asking at your local Car Audio Store or Halfords or similar to see if they can help. They might charge a fiver or so but it will be worth it.

greensalad

RegWorts wrote: »

It can be done . I`ve removed quite a few and never had a failure yet. This includes at least a couple with mangled up spring clips.The secret is patience.

Something that might be useful is to try and get a strip of plastic down the side of the radio to see if that can release the clips ( an old credit card or something similar cut to size perhaps )

If you are giving up ( and before you take an axe to the dashboard !) try asking at your local Car Audio Store or Halfords or similar to see if they can help. They might charge a fiver or so but it will be worth it.

Thanks. I'm going to reattempt tomorrow with something to put down the side, but after three attempts I don't seem to be getting anywhere!

I'll see if I can find a local place as by the looks of it Halfords want to charge £29 for a radio fitting, I expect they'll want to charge more for actual complex work :P

RegWorts

greensalad wrote: »

Thanks. I'm going to reattempt tomorrow with something to put down the side, but after three attempts I don't seem to be getting anywhere!

I'll see if I can find a local place as by the looks of it Halfords want to charge £29 for a radio fitting, I expect they'll want to charge more for actual complex work :P

Just act dumb and chat up one of the blokes in Halfords by saying "I bet you can`t get this radio out" and the chances are they`ll prove you wrong....for a fiver !

(;o)

greensalad

RegWorts wrote: »

Just act dumb and chat up one of the blokes in Halfords by saying "I bet you can`t get this radio out" and the chances are they`ll prove you wrong....for a fiver !

(;o)

Excellent idea!