is there a trick to getting the column cowl of a p38?

My steering column height adjuster has gone floppy and I need to get the column cowl off to see whats going on. The telescopic bit works fine but the column wont lock in position on the up and down motion so I need to get the cowl off to see whats going on.

Ive got the four obvious screws out, but there looks to be two more screws obscured by a steel bar that the knee panel under the dash screws on to. Then it appears that the column cowl is taped together from the inside.

Looks to be fragile plastic too so im terrified to force anything and i cant find any info in the RAVE...... anyone know where im going wrong?

There are 6 screws, 2 release the top cover, the other 4 the lower cover. The 2 screws at the lower end can just be reached with the column fully extended. It's easier to get the top off with the binnacle surround removed. The plastic is very fragile, the 2 long screw posts for the top cover are easy to break off. The small plastic pieces around the stalks have a latch at the bottom which can be a fiddle to part without breaking.
A squirt of oil usually frees off the mechanism for the column unless something has broken.

Just sorted it while you were writing that, Data'.. cheers though.

I drilled two holes in that steel plate under the dash which made those two remaining screws much easier to get at. Then it really was just the tape on the inside of the cowl that was holding it together.

It appears to be the half inch thick steel "finger" that isnt locating and therefore not locking the column in place. Just a tiny amount of pressure on that and column locks fine. Ill give it a squirt of oil as you suggest, fingers crossed itll be fine.

I had the same problem on my 98. The grease in the mechanism had more or less solidified. WD40 and moving the mechanism back and forth with a screw driver eventually freed it up.