Stripped tail light screw

[Jajanken86]

I'm gonna try to explain the best I can. So the 4 nuts that hold the tail lights are fine, and so is the section of posts they screw on to, but what's stripped is the black plastic housing holding those posts. I was trying to torque them down to spec after replacing the gasket yet again but they kept on spinning and so my tail light is essentially being held on by 2 good screws/nuts and quickly filling up with Portland rain.

Is there a possible fix before I decide to drill a little hole on the bottom to drain?

What's the likelihood of the 2 good nuts giving up and dropping my tail light incase there's no fix?

Thanks in advance!

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[Tcoat]

Once the plastic is broken there is not much you can do. You could try some epoxy around the posts but it probably won't hold. You probably won't drop the light but it will it could start bouncing and causing issues. If still stock you may find one on here fairly cheap or you could go and check your local auto wreckers and see what they want for one.

[Ultramaroon]

I'm a big fan of JB Weld but it's a bit of an art. You would have to find a way to get it to flow all around the fastener inside the cavity.

Are you a hobbyist? Do you have a dremel tool?

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Jajanken86

I'm gonna try to explain the best I can. So the 4 nuts that hold the tail lights are fine, and so is the section of posts they screw on to, but what's stripped is the black plastic housing holding those posts. I was trying to torque them down to spec after replacing the gasket yet again but they kept on spinning and so my tail light is essentially being held on by 2 good screws/nuts and quickly filling up with Portland rain.

Is there a possible fix before I decide to drill a little hole on the bottom to drain?

What's the likelihood of the 2 good nuts giving up and dropping my tail light incase there's no fix?

Thanks in advance!

Sent from my iDroid

........ a torque wrench cannot replace a sense of ..... "tight nuff".

Bubba says to take it off, apply a heavy coat of bees wax to the places where it is supposed to seal and slap it back on (leave the torque wrench in your tool box ......).


humfrz for Bubba

[Jajanken86]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Once the plastic is broken there is not much you can do. You could try some epoxy around the posts but it probably won't hold. You probably won't drop the light but it will it could start bouncing and causing issues. If still stock you may find one on here fairly cheap or you could go and check your local auto wreckers and see what they want for one.

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I'm a big fan of JB Weld but it's a bit of an art. You would have to find a way to get it to flow all around the fastener inside the cavity.

Are you a hobbyist? Do you have a dremel tool?

No not stock tails sadly. Running the Lexon tri-bar ones. Hmm I could borrow a Dremel tool or get help with one I guess. Never used one lol but I'm interested in hearing your suggestion anyway!

Sent from my iDroid

[Jajanken86]

Annoyingly just the right tail light has been giving me problems since initial install and has been on and off about twice since. The left tail light has been great since day one and never needed to be touched again.

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[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Jajanken86

Annoyingly just the right tail light has been giving me problems since initial install and has been on and off about twice since. The left tail light has been great since day one and never needed to be touched again.

Sent from my iDroid

Well, OK, be sure you use a right handed dremel tool and apply the JB weld in a clockwise manner ......


humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Jajanken86

No not stock tails sadly. Running the Lexon tri-bar ones. Hmm I could borrow a Dremel tool or get help with one I guess. Never used one lol but I'm interested in hearing your suggestion anyway!

It's a matter of getting the epoxy down into the area where the head of the fastener is molded into the fixture. Using the smallest spherical tip available, I would grind a single little slot radially just big enough to coax the epoxy in all around the head of the fastener with a pin or toothpick. I would jam a couple of the nuts together on the stud to make a little handle so I could rotate and wiggle the stud to work in the epoxy thoroughly.

The cool thing about JB weld is how much it responds to heat. Freshly-combined and heated to over 100F, it flows readily. Heated to about 150F tops, about as hot as anything would get baking in hot sun, it cures in minutes. For this job, I would let it slowly cure at room temperature for a full day.

I would also continue to be gentle with it afterward because that joint will never be as strong as it was before it worked loose. To reduce the temptation to crank down on the studs, use 2 gaskets when mounting the light.

Bonus tip with the JB Weld: If you start finding more uses for it, and a job requires more than one step, the remainder of the mixed epoxy can be cooled in a freezer for a couple days to prevent it from curing. When you're ready for the second layer, warm it up and go to town.

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well, OK, be sure you use a right handed dremel tool and apply the JB weld in a clockwise manner ......

[gravitylover]

I'd use a good two part epoxy like Hardman, fill the hole entirely and let it cure for the suggested amount of time. At this point you can drill and tap it and it should be good to go. It won't be affected by warm summer or cold winter temps and won't expand or contract and cause problems later.

https://www.theepoxysource.com/Epoxy.htm

[Sapphireho]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

It's a matter of getting the epoxy down into the area where the head of the fastener is molded into the fixture. Using the smallest spherical tip available, I would grind a single little slot radially just big enough to coax the epoxy in all around the head of the fastener with a pin or toothpick. I would jam a couple of the nuts together on the stud to make a little handle so I could rotate and wiggle the stud to work in the epoxy thoroughly.

The cool thing about JB weld is how much it responds to heat. Freshly-combined and heated to over 100F, it flows readily. Heated to about 150F tops, about as hot as anything would get baking in hot sun, it cures in minutes. For this job, I would let it slowly cure at room temperature for a full day.

I would also continue to be gentle with it afterward because that joint will never be as strong as it was before it worked loose. To reduce the temptation to crank down on the studs, use 2 gaskets when mounting the light.

Bonus tip with the JB Weld: If you start finding more uses for it, and a job requires more than one step, the remainder of the mixed epoxy can be cooled in a freezer for a couple days to prevent it from curing. When you're ready for the second layer, warm it up and go to town.

Brilliant!