Hello everyone,

One of my headlight ballasts seems to have gone bad, and I was trying to replace it today but ran into a problem I don't know how to solve... The screw that you get to from the wheel well, the one picture here (Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet) doesn't come out. The black thing on top of the screw just rotates with it, and I can't get the screw out from either side. Has anyone ran into a similar problem? If so does anyone have a suggestion on how to remove this piece?

Thanks in advance!

 

corrosion is usually the culprit here. the problem is, the bolt or screw seizes to it's retainer clip. the retainer clip attaches to a rather flimsy section of the plastic fender liner. it doesn't take much pressure on the bolt or screw to break the retainer clip away from the plastic liner. when this happens, both the bolt and the retainer clip just spin freely. you need to hold the retainer clip at the same time you are unscrewing the bolt. to do this, you need access to the clip. if you unbolt the forward section of the fender liner (the plastic studs) near the edge of the fender, you will be able to reach inside and access the clip. don't be concerned about damaging the fender liner, it is quite flexible. i use small needle nose vice grip pliers to grab the clip. once the clip is being held, you can remove the bolt. it's kind of a tight fit to get your hand in there and access the clip but it's not all that difficult.

 

same action required for the bottom bolt. you will need to get to the "stay" and hold it securely while you unscrew the bolt.