Front indicator (turn signal) lamp mounting bolts- tips for

Post in this forum for topics relating to the exterior. This includes body, windows, and accessories

Moderators: GRNSHRK, ron, bfons

Post Reply
User avatar
Brucey
6 Series Guru
6 Series Guru
Posts: 10077
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 7:17 am
Location: Cambridge, UK

Front indicator (turn signal) lamp mounting bolts- tips for

Post by Brucey »

Anyone who has ever taken their 'Hella' indicators off knows that they can be a Hella'uv a PITA to remove. Plus there is always the chance that you will wreck the entire assembly in the process.

Having recently been through this process I thought I'd share my thoughts on the subject, including a means of rescuing and improving an indicator where you have siezed bolts. These tips could save you the (not insubstantial) cost of two new indicator assemblies.


1. Get set. You need a medium/long series 8mm (5/16" will also do) full hex 1/4" drive socket and wobble bar. A pair of ring spanners may also be required. A pair of extra M5 nuts may be necessary. If you are going to the store anyway, pick up some stainless M5x25 hex headed bolts,nuts and washers. You will probably need a dremel tool with a cut-off wheel (or ten) and other bits including a Rotozip bit (see below) as well. Originally BZP nuts were fitted to M5x0.8 BZP hex headed bolts that are meant to be held captive in the plastic moulding; by now they will probably have corroded. Soak them well with penetrant, preferably days beforehand.

2. Try loosening them. OK, you need tiny hands for this. If they come undone, great. But usually they feel like they are coming undone, and then they don't.... In this case the captive bolts are no longer captive. D'oh!...There is no way of holding the bolt from the front side. Double-D'oh!! In fact with the lens off you can't even see the captive heads...double double D'OH!! 'kin Hella!!!

3. One more try. Next, if the screws don't look too bad, try this: there is usually just enough thread showing to allow two extra nuts to be locked against one another on the exposed thread. If you are lucky you can hold the locked nuts with one wrench and turn the siezed nut with another. This is very fiddly but might just save a lot of work. An alternative might be to cut a slot in the end of the screw and hold it that way, but this won't work as well.

4. Get brutal. If 3. didn't work, you have to cut the nuts off, or wreck the assembly. The problem is that if you apply excess force or heat, you will ruin the plastic lamp housing. There is no room for a conventional nut splitter in there. I used a dremel tool with a 1" diameter cut-off wheel. I cut the stud off flush first, and then cut the nut in two, taking it slowly so that the plastic housing wasn't damaged by heat. With luck the housng should come away OK. However it is now useless unless the bolts are renewed.

5. Remove the old bolts from the housing. You need to remove the adhesive that covers (and should secure) the bolt heads. One is in a shallow ( & silver-coloured) recess near the bottom of the reflector, the other in a much deeper hole at the top. First run a small drill in there. If you are in the right place the drill will stop when it hits the head of the bolt. Next, I used a 1/8" diameter 'Rotozip' spiral saw bit mounted in the dremel tool to carefully remove the adhesive plug. I'm sure other tools will handle the lower bolt, but the upper one is so deep this is the only tool I could find that would reach. Once you can see the hex head clearly, you can carefully push the old bolt out.

6. Fettling and fixing. You need to make sure that the new bolts will sit in the original hexagonal recesses. A little fettling may be required. Next, glue the new bolts in place. I used araldite epoxy resin. If desired , re-silver the lower glue plug to retain the OE look.

And thats it, you're done, ready to reassemble and refit. Whether you fit new stainless screws or not, use lots of copper grease on them when refitting, and this will prevent further corrosion problems for a long time.

The picture below shows a repaired assembly with stainless screws, the old screws, and the Rotozip bit used to remove the glue plugs.

Have fun,

cheers
Attachments
shouldn't have to do this again in a hurry...
shouldn't have to do this again in a hurry...
~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
val_c
Posts: 848
Joined: Thu Jul 01, 2004 11:33 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Post by val_c »

Excellent article! I just went throw all process one week ago, when I decided to switch US lenses for the late type (88-89).

The nuts on left one (close to battery) were totally rusted and bolts started to turn into the housing.

I left it and carefully unbolted right turn signal, removed US reflector and found mounting bolts in their deep holes.

Then I destroyed US reflector in the right turn signal, and drilled out bolts.

After short hesitation I decided to change also mounting bolts in the right housing also.

Drilled out and glued new bolts with epoxy, then painted inside of the housing with reflective paint.

Image

Overall I am satisfied with results, considering the price of new housings.
UKDaveJ

Another great tech article from Brucey!

Post by UKDaveJ »

Excellent work there mate!

Am sure this will end up in the Tech section.


Dave :D
Post Reply