Underside fuel pipe clips

Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:01 pm

i have tried on a few e30's to succesfully remove these without snapping the bolts. i have never succeded. i dont fancy using a blow torch right next to fuel pipes either.

Is there any tricks of the trade i should know about before i attempt to do them on another e30?

Thanks

Sam

Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:17 pm

Use a crosshead screwdriver bit in a socket on a breaker bar, then jack up under the socket so there is a decent amount of pressure, then turn the breaker bar and it will loosen the screw.

Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:28 pm

i have tried a impact driver on one...i didnt smack it with a hammer

i just put very firm pressure on it.

so maybe i will try your technique in future.

how would you suggest removing a snapped of bolt?

drill and tap?

Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:37 pm

I personally had no trouble removing mine, but I can see that they would be a pig to sort out once snapped.

You basically have an internally threaded tube welded to the bottom of the car. It would be very hard to drill out, or salvage the tube. Grinding off the damaged tube and using either a self tapper, or a bolt passed down from the inside of the car are probably the only options. Neither very nice though.

Ian.

Sat Nov 24, 2007 2:22 am

ian now you have said that to me it has just occured to me. i ordered all the parts needed for that from bmw some months ago, and i had these little bits left over..i couldnt figure out what they were for. it has now occured to me that they are replacment tube's! not the sort of bit you would expect to get as a replacemtn part. they came in the same bag as the new screws.

Nice one

Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:59 am

Dude them screws are as hard as coffin nails being stainless had to cut grooves into the heads with a dremel and use a large flat blade screwdriver,wd40 and a lot swearing seized solid they were only snapped 1 left the tube in place and bonded the plastic pie clip on with some epoxy

Sat Nov 24, 2007 12:44 pm

I had to cut out the wings of the clips and then cut flats on the edges of the screw head with a dremel so I could put vice-grips on them. Pain in the arse

Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:06 pm

sam325is wrote:ian now you have said that to me it has just occured to me. i ordered all the parts needed for that from bmw some months ago, and i had these little bits left over..i couldnt figure out what they were for. it has now occured to me that they are replacment tube's! not the sort of bit you would expect to get as a replacemtn part. they came in the same bag as the new screws.

Nice one

My tubes are welded to the bottom of the car. I believe the earlier cars may have been separate, but not sure how they would attach.

Ian.

Sat Nov 24, 2007 10:20 pm

My car is H reg. i will chop them off and weld them back on. they will have been welded on in the first place.

Sat Nov 24, 2007 10:40 pm

I had issues with mine...

Ended up drilling through the floor on some of them and put a bolt through. If you do this make sure you put loads of selant / anti-rust

Sat Nov 24, 2007 11:07 pm

i think choping them off is the way forward.

Weld new ones on and bingo. factory again