Miata Mailing List: March 2000, Message #101

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Kevin Lahey and I noticed this hole when we were doing our oil pressure
  gauges. My guess is that it's used at some point during assembly.
  There's probably something that might require access after the column
  cover is installed. So they can install the cover without the cutout,
  then later after they've done whatever they need to do through the
  hole, they can just pop the cutout into place.

The removable part looks like it can only be removed when you have the
  whole cover off, so it's not for access after the car is built. But it
  could easily be installed while the cover is in place.

Of course, this begs the question of what they need to get in there for?
  I have no suggestions for that one.

  Keith Hearn
  '99 10AE "Sexy Sadie" the Sapphire Shark
  Milpitas, CA

In message <38BC8B84.C8E29161@mediaone.net>, John Suchak writes:
> Okay, here's one that's been bugging me for a while now..   While
> changing my '91's steering wheel I  had the top part of the plastic
> steering column cover off, and observed a removeable cover in what was
> obviously an intentional cut-out.  IIRC, it was rectangular, measured
> about 2 inches by 3 or 4.  What is this there for?  It sort of was in
> the place where the automatic trans indicator would have been in a
> column shift car, but that's clearly not it...  Is the column cover
> maybe used in another model line where it's used for a flasher switch or
> something??!?!?  Mazda wouldn't have gone to the trouble of cutting a
> big cut-out and making a plate to cover it if there weren't some reason.
> 
> (It's bugging me!)
> 
> John
> 
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