Seized rear light screws - Fourtrak

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Hi guys. A bit embarrassing this. Wanting to change a bulb & all four screws wont shift. The other side is the same. Differential metal corrosion? Anyone experienced this? Other than drilling the screws out, any ideas? Squirt hasn't done a thing Sad The car isn't a rusty relic either.

Drill the heads off and

Drill the heads off and remove the lens, drill the core out of the screw and grab the remaining piece with mole grips and wind out.

Refit with self tapping screws, screw them in and remove them one at a time, fill the holes with petroleum jelly and screw them back in, this will form the new thread and coat it so they don't stick again.

Seized rear light screws - Fourtrak

This has happened to me recently. I managed to remove two screws, one was very tight, the third had to be drilled. What is the cause? I'm reliably informed that the screws are stainless steel, so corrosion is unlikely to be the culprit.

Seized Fourtrak rear light screws

I read this thread a while back and as a precaution decided to check mine. They were all seized rock solid. As I didn't at that time need to change a bulb I had time on my side. I sprayed the back of the fixings with WD40 daily for about a week. I then carefully checked the screwheads to match them correctly to the correct size and profile screwdiver. I was surprised how big the correct fit screwdriver was. I then locked a set of molegrips onto the screwdriver grip to get leverage and used my whole bodyweight to anchor the driver head in place. I then attempted to tighten, rather than loosen, each screw. Using this method, I managed to release all of them. If you are unlucky and someone has wrecked the heads previously, drilling will be the only choice.

David T

Seized Fourtrak rear light screws

Hmmm… interesting… by coincidence I decided to tackle a blown brake bulb today and have exactly this problem…. I'll try your WD40 trick… fortunately mine has the waist-high lights fitted so I can spare a week….

cheers

Seied Fourtrak rear light scews

Good luck. It probably goes without saying but when you put them back, use some copperslip or similar anti seize compound.

David T