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I am trying to remove my headlight for polishing and one of the two nuts is rusted onto it's bolt in such a way as to spin both the nut and the bolt effectively doing nothing to help get my headlight out.
I understand there is something broken on the inside of the headlight assembly which is no longer holding the bolt in place firmly enough to spin the nut loose. So I was wondering if there are any tricks to removing it now that it's spinning and if there are any more than the two easily visible nuts I need to loosen to get the headlight out?
thanks,
jack
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Bad Blue, '86 245, 250,000 mi., Columbus, Ohio
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I faced this problem when I pulled a set of Euro-lights off a junked car (for our Aye Roll!). At home I would have used my Dremel to cut the bolt, at the junkyard I had to use a blade from a junior hacksaw. A new bolt will have to be epoxied in -- or so I thought until reading B.C.'s tip.
Erling.
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My 240 Page
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Thanks guys,
I need to try to do this as cheap as possible, I'm gonna try to cut the bolt first and see if I can reuse the headlight housing with a new bolt.
I may need the E-codes (I've been wishing for a set of those for awhile) but I'll let you know how it goes with a new post after I try to cut that bolt which may be a day or two yet.
thanks again,
jack
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Bad Blue, '86 245, 250,000 mi., Columbus, Ohio
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BTDT. More of being pissed off than a monster problem. Grip the nut with something, wrench or ViseGrip, to hold the bolt from spinning. Disconnect all the adjuster things and the wire and you can, IIRC, get the lamp bucket off and out of the way. Then start drilling on the bolt head. I used a small one first, like 3/32 inch, to get a well-centered hole. Follow with a 1/4 or 5/16 inch, whichever is just larger that the bolt thread diameter.
Drill the hole straight into the bolt head, and it will come off entirely.
Next, get a new bolt, about 1/2 inch longer than the old one. Get something that will sleeve the bolt, just long enough to hold the bolt head from sinking in to that now-rounded hold in the mounting plate. I used a piece of vacuum tubing cut a little too long. When you tighten down that bolt, the sleeve allows you to get a wrench on the bolt head; the in-car part looks and works just the same.
Advantage: For me: the repair could be done RAT NOW!, no waiting for epoxy to dry, or running replacement parts. Disadvantage: You gotta have all that stuff to do it, it takes about an hour, and it may or may not work on the other bolts, mine was the upper-inner.
Good Luck,
Bob
:>)
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thanks,
seems like getting the housing off is gonna be quite helpful.
no problems getting the adjusters back in?
I've only found 2 nuts on my headlights... do you know if there are, in fact, 3 or more?
jack
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Bad Blue, '86 245, 250,000 mi., Columbus, Ohio
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Jack -
There are, or should be, three bolts. I looked for 4, and IIRC there are holes for 4, but only three there. Thank heavens, b/c the fourth would be totally inaccessable - even by the tranined chipmunks that are used in some assembly points.
The adjusters require a LOT of care. The ones, 2 IIRC, that have twist knobs, most of all. The threaded rod is held to the lamp bucket using a device like a safety pin. Where it is held to the back of the bucket, the plastic is weak, an if it cracks off the bucket is junk. I have never been able to repair that break. Whatever you do, avoid placing any force on that hold-on part where it is cut for the "safety pin" thing.
I hope that you have soaked the nuts with P'Blaster overnight, maybe several nights. I have found that process to be very helpful, especially for the job you're doing and for loosening up exhaust nuts and bolts. (Water Displacement 40, aka WD40, is not the same.)
My approach to the headlight situation would have been different if I owned a Dremel tool. If you have one, get in there and cut the nut off, or cut it into having 2 or 3 slots and break it off.
Good Luck,
Bob
:>)
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posted by
someone claiming to be goldy
on
Tue Apr 22 18:47 CST 2003 [ RELATED]
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I have successfully rebuilt the cheap plastic mount for the clip that holds the adjuster nut in.
Two years ago, my wife clipped an owl at night and the left euro light (86 245) was loose.
The plastic socket for the "safety pin" clip was broken.
My secret weapon for my volvos has been marine grade resin and fiberglass matting.
I built up a clump of fiberglass matting and resin, large enought tobe drilled, small enough to allow the clip to function.
Then I redrilled the socket hole for the adjsuting screw. The slot for the clip was cut in with a hack saw - I did not own a dremel tool at the time.
Two years later - hot summers, -40 in the winter, nad no problemo.
I also rebuilt the broken left signal/park lens using the fiberglass matting. Looks good from a distance.
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thanks Bob,
yeah, I used PBlaster on the two nuts about 3 days prior to trying to remove them, one loosened the other spun (causing my post on this subject).
I will look for the third nut and PBlaster it overnight...
I have a friend with a Dremel tool but I'm not sure he has a grinder bit.
if need be I'll exercise as much caution as possible with the adjuster screws based on your advice, thanks again,
jack
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Bad Blue, '86 245, 250,000 mi., Columbus, Ohio
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I use an abrasive cutting disc on a Dremel tool to cut the nuts off of the ones that spin. You can purchase replacement metric bolts and epoxy them into the housing after removing the old ones. A bit of antiseize or grease will prevent a replay with the new ones. I believe there are three fastners per light but I'm working with a failing memory... (grin)
Randy
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How much do you care about the headlight housing? The problem is that this bolt is pretty much a press fit into a hex recession in the housing, so once that rounds out the bolt will turn.
I used to either grind them off (risks nicking the backing plate), take a big pry bar and just break the housing (risks bending the backing plate). Nowadays I usually grab a propane torch and heat that bolt up until the plastic of the housing surrounding it melts a bit and I can pull the bolt through the housing. Stinks a bit and may put soot on or remove some of the paint of the backing plate, but no lasting damage (except, obviously, to the housing which will now have a bolt-head-sized hole in it).
If you need replacement headlights contact me off-list, I can do you a pretty good deal on E-codes.
Bram
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