I took out the whole mechanism because the screws are rusted but I cant still take them out and none of my bulbs are working. What I am to do? Very bad design no protection to the screws from the outside environment and they rust plus everything around it is plastic so everything is fragile HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have used a can of WD-40 still no help

 

i hacked that bracket to bits then ziptied what was left of it back up into place. seemed to do the trick and doesnt look ghetto. you cant even see the zip ties.

 

i had my mechanic build a new harness for the lights from a piece of scrap metal...its a lot cheaper and it works good. the whole assembly at the dealer is around 50 bucks buy the bulbs at the dealer...close to 20 bucks....PM me and ill give u the address of the place that did mine

 

Dariod: I had the same problem on my 98 SE. I ended up removing the entire bulb assembly removing the three clips and carefully removing the mounting assembly. There was no way to use a screwdriver on the stuck screws. BTW, you can buy the bulbs at Pepboys or Autozone (#194). Unclip the wire so you can work on it. Then, instead of trying to removing the rusted, stripped screws, take a pair of pliers and work the plastic "nut" backing out of the metal plate. It's square, so it should slide out with no problems. Be careful not to bend up the mounting plate too bad. ** Then, use a pair of vice grips to turn the plastic nut off the screw -- then you should be able to back the screw out and remove the plastic lens to replace the bulb. Installation is the opposite, just twist on the plastic nut on the screw BEFORE putting the square nut back into the mounting plate. Remember to apply some dielectric grease to the bulb connector and you will be good to go. Also, if the rubber seal is deteriorated or gone, apply thin bead of gasket sealant, etc. to keep out the water. Good luck to you!!!

 

Same problem on my 96. I used an extractor from sears and that got them out. Picked up new screws at a hardware store.

 

Had the same problem on my 99 SE. I replaced 1 of the bulbs after alot of toil but one of the screws for the other bulb just doesnt want to come out. I tried to drill the bastard but even the drill bit broke which kinda made my jaw drop. Gonna try some stuff suggested in this thread.
Also, i got 2 bulbs for like $3.. who would pay $20 for them DAMN.

 

Same problem on my '97 SE. Havent solved it yet though but good thing I noticed this thread, some helpful info in here. Thanks

 

jeezuz this area of the car sucks... I just tried to take my license plate off after nearly 6 years of being there and those damn upper bolts were rusted permanently (PB Blaster did nothing). The screwdriver I started out with ended up stripping the head so as to make one of them unuseable and then on the other one, the plastic piece holding the nut in place broke off allowing the bolt so spin in place... I ended up having to drill the bolts out, holding on barely w/vice grips and using 5 increasing diameter drill bits. Of course my drill's battery died on me half way through. So, after having to recharge, in the end it took me 4 hours+ to take off just 2 upper license plate bolts. Oh and there is NO room to get back in behind those things to get any sort of tool or spray can unless you bend the license plate up out the way (which I refused to do).

In any case, I feel your pain and am glad I haven't had to deal with those lights... I don't even want to think about that.

 

same on mine, I used a dremel w/cut off wheel to cut the bolt heads off, then yanked them out and replaced them with SS bolts

 

Stevewwj: I know exactly what you mean. When I bought my car, I had to drive home with the seller's license plates on it until I could get BOTH the front and rear bolts loose. I ended up breaking off one of the plastic tabs on the front and rear. Then, I had to buy a clip with the nut attached and hold it in place on the plastic edge of the front housing and the rear bumper while I tightened them. I used stainless clips and screws, so hopefully no more problems.

As for the rear license plate bulbs -- I need to edit my previous thread to include that while you have the assembly out, you should replace both bulbs or the working bulb may go out not that soon after. That is because that bulb has had to run the entire electrical load after the other bulb burned out.

 

Well I almost fixed the problem on my car. I took off the plastic things that are on the other end of the screw (whatever they are called). I slowly unscrewed them and then just pulled the screw out. Then the light bulbs came out, they were burnt out. My dad stopped and bought 2 new bulbs on the way to work today so I'll put em in tonight. Update to follow...

 

I had the same problem, and as someone stated before--Zip ties are your friend!

 

LeVel: That is exactly what I had to do. Hope the write up helped you and that you get everything back together and in proper working order. After that, use stainless screws and you should be good to go.

 

i just did mine drilled center of the screws out then when i removed the lense i grabbed what was left of the screw with a pair of needle nose vice grips i did it on the car but car was on a lift take precations not to damage the paint then used new screws