I bought a 1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4x4 last summer and I really love it. The headlamp went the other day and I bought a new one to change it out. Pretty simple, right? Wrong. So I was taking off the trim piece around the light and crack, one of the screw's pan head broke off and left some of the threading in the hole. Sheesh. I tried to take another screw out and crack, another screw broken off. I was a bit p-o'd at this point, but I needed to get that headlamp done. So I replace the headlamp and greased the remaining screws. Well today, my turnsignal went right under the headlamp I replaced yesterday. Ugh! Figured easy fix, right? Wrong. Well the two screws holding in the turnsignal lens broke off too. The trim piece is the only thing holding in the lens. My question is, how the heck am I going to get those broken screws out of the body without breaking it? I tried to grease around the threadings and use vice grips, but they are in there pretty tight. From the way these were rusted in there, I don't think the lamps were ever changed! Can I drill them out? Help!!

Thanks,
Cheryl
1996 Jeep Cherokee 4.0
1993 Dodge Dynasty 2.5
1990 Dodge Daytona 2.5

 

Drilling them out is probably not an option...IIRC, the screws are a sheet metal type that screw into the plastic or fiberglass or whatever. My turn signal housing has been floating behind the trim for years...never bothered to fabricate an alternate mounting arrangement for it after the screw heads broke off.

 

Yeah my parking light has been floating behind the bezel for a while too. hell, i think even a few screws are missing and it all stays in place great. As long as it doesn't look to crippled, don't see how letting it float would hurt.

 

pb blaster

 

PB Blaster, a trip to the junkyard for another trim piece and light retainer, some new screws, and then proceed to beat the hell out of it, then replace with the new parts.