Can't get damaged screw out of air filter box.

[Thymeclock]

i have a funny feeling the factory screws are that really soft tin/aluminum screws, hence why the strip so easily.

But thymeclock is on the money with the repair. You could also try a cleco fastener if you found one that fit.

Asian steel is softer than the American steel of years ago. Welcome to the new world of planned obsolescence, disposable income and disposable (non-permanent) materials.

[Bas]

Well, in the end I had to use a drill and drill off the head. It was impossible to pull it out. After I removed the lid from the filter box I saw why: the thread isn't actually in the plastic of the filter box, but in a little metal oval-shaped cylinder-type thing. So I couldn't pull the screw out by stripping the threads, because those were metal too. and the screw didn't turn: it was still completely stuck in that little metal cylinder, and when I turned the screw, the cylinder would turn with it. I tried to dig it out with a screwdriver but it's impossible to get it out, so I just left it there. I refastened the other three screws and the lid still seems pretty secure on the filter box.

The filter actually looked surprisingly clean. There was a little sand and a tiny bit of leaf in the box, but hardly any, really. I vacuumed the filter and the box and figured it's still good to go for at least a couple of months.

[Shakatu]

If you're sticking with the stock air intake, I'd get a K&N filter when it's time to replace (or even RIGHT NOW!) you won't regret it. I switched mine out when I first got the car, and almost a year later cleaned it just for the heck of it even though it didn't need it yet. I read somewhere they're rated for up to 50k miles between cleanings... Was nowhere near that lol.

[Thymeclock]

Well, in the end I had to use a drill and drill off the head. It was impossible to pull it out. After I removed the lid from the filter box I saw why: the thread isn't actually in the plastic of the filter box, but in a little metal oval-shaped cylinder-type thing. So I couldn't pull the screw out by stripping the threads, because those were metal too. and the screw didn't turn: it was still completely stuck in that little metal cylinder, and when I turned the screw, the cylinder would turn with it. I tried to dig it out with a screwdriver but it's impossible to get it out, so I just left it there. I refastened the other three screws and the lid still seems pretty secure on the filter box.

That's a threaded metal insert that is press fit into the plastic. It has broken loose due to the screw being seized in it, and it rotates when you put torque on it. You can either leave it that way, or rip it out by locking onto what remains of the headless screw and pulling up on it, or drill it out.

Considering that that screw became seized you might want to put some anti-seize compound on the other screws when reassembling the air box.

[petrified.rabbit]

Considering that that screw became seized you might want to put some anti-seize compound on the other screws when reassembling the air box.

x infinity.

[Thymeclock]

x infinity.

Ah, yes, as in "the squeaky wheel gets the grease".

[Bas]

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to the hardware store today to see if I can find some new screws, but antiseize is definitely happening.

[JusteR]

if only the stub were longer, you could put a nut on it. know anyone who could tig weld a stud on

[Thymeclock]

if only the stub were longer, you could put a nut on it. know anyone who could tig weld a stud on

"If only" ... Well... "if only my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a bus."

If the stub were longer and he could get a die on it, he could re-thread it and install a nut on it.

Since he can't, and since the remaining stud is headless and is stripped, here's an alternative: use a tinnerman nut onto the stripped stud to secure it.

For those who don't know what a tinnerman nut (AKA a 'speed nut') is, do a Google search.

[JusteR]

Hi Thymeclock

Let me google that for you VBG

"if only my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a bus."

I know right-- sorry; slow day.

Hopefully, our ideas gave him something he can work with.

Bas, Let us know what you came up with

on a serious note/sidebar: This reminds me of those little brass collars that used to retain the headlights on the '96 LH body Mopars. They'd seize, crack/split, spin, and then you'd have to replace the whole lens mount behind the air dam. Fortunately, lenses and mounts got cheaper with time. I finally got rid of my intrepid 2 years ago. See if you can tap out the insert, and epoxy in a longer bolt so you can put a nut on top. if that epoxy spins, then you can put a box end on the bottom. HTHY