stuck screw

[FJ and G]

trying to remove the chassis from my GP-9 (to see why TruSounds in the Williams suddenly got very low).

Got the 2 screws that are side-by-side out easily but the 3rd screw turns but won't come out. I tried pushing and turning and that didn't work and then used needle nose to pull and turn and that didn't work.

Before I grind off the head, anyone got any ideas, or am I just screwed on this?

[Roger Bielen]

Dave,
If no one comes up with a way to remove the screw intact, rather than grinding the head off and bing left with the stub still in the hole, try to get a small enough Easy Out, screw extractor. You drill a small hole into the screw insert the extractor, it has threads that dig in when turned CCW, and turn it with a wrench. I've one that'll work with 1/16" screws that I found at an old fashioned hardware store years ago.

[FJ and G]

Thanks Roger, WOnder if these are at home depot? Yes, these screws (actually machine screws, I think with square ends) are tiny.

[Anonymous]

Is there any gap at all underneath the screw-head? If so, you might be able to get a "chip puller" underneath the head. These are available at electronic supply houses and are meant to pull microchips out of their sockets. They are made of quite thin metal and just might be strong enough.

Are you able to get a grip on the screw head with your needle-nose pliers or do they keep slipping off? If they slip, you might try a small locking plier, such as the Vise-Grip brand. Properly adjusted these really grab.

Sometimes it helps to cut just a portion of the screw-head off to square it up in order to create two parallel sides (so it looks more like a square nut than a round screw-head) and give the Vise-Grips an even better grip. A Dremel Tool with a thin ceramic "cut-off disk" should do this if there is enough space to work.

If the above methods fail, as a LAST resort, cut or grind the screw-head off so that the pieces will come apart. Leave as much of the shaft as possible. Then, when you separate the chassis from the cab there will be a small stud protruding from the plastic body. Then try the Vice-Grips again.

You might have to cut into the body slightly to reveal more shaft, but you are going to have to rebuild the area in and around the screw-hole somewhat anyway, if you want to replace the original screw with one of the same size.

Please let the Forum know what works.

Good luck!

wolverine49

[FJ and G]

Wolverine,

Wouldn't even get a knife blade under the head. Used some heavy duty lineman's pliers and pulled like heck but to no avail again.

I'm putting the project aside so I don't get frustrated and working on my track instead. I find that lessens frustration and lets me think of new ideas.

But likely next step is to cut off the head.

I hate taking chassis off. I stripped out 2 screws once on a plastic lionel RS-3.

Wi***hey made it easier to remove stuff.

[Anonymous]

If the screw turns easily, it must be stripped, and will probably spin if you try to drill it for an easy out. I would try (and you probably already have) to pull up and unscrew simultaionsly.
If the knife blade was too thick, try a thinner crowbar. A very small pair of end cutters might work but they are pricy.
I wonder if you could butcher up a pair of toenail clippers, the ones with the straight edges, to get under the head. Then you could pry and twist and cuss, all at once.
Depending on whats under the screw, you may have to cut the head off and punch it on through the hole.

Bob

Some days it just isn't worth chewing through the restraints

[Anonymous]

FJ and G

Bummer! If you can cut or grind the head off that will almost certainly get you in far enough to do the job with a combination twisting/pulling motion with pliers.

I presume that you have considered sending it back to Williams. They may need to service the sound system for you anyway....

One last thing you might try first: Apply some heat to the screw head, perhaps with the tip of a soldering iron. Let things cool down and try backing the screw out again. The object is to "reform" the plastic threads by melting them a little and hoping that the melted threads will re-adhere to the plastic tighter than to the screw. If the chassis doesn't "wick" too much heat away, and you move fast, this might work. Or, it might just soften the plastic enough so the screw will just pull out.

Too much heat will be catastrophic, however. How much is too much? Damfino!

wolverine49

[flyingyankee616]

[:D] Is there a nut on the other side that might be slipping?

[dougdagrump]

Me's thinks flyingyankee is rite ...................

[GPJ68]

Dave,

I replied to your thread on the other forum, but will do again here.

Are you sure you're trying to remove the right screws? Assuming you want to remove the shell from the chassis to access the guts of the engine, you need to remove one screw from each end of the locomotive, through the end rails - at least that's how I get to the motors, speaker, et al of my Williams GP-9 . The screws you described on the bottom of the chassis hold the speaker to the chassis (pair on one end of the fuel tank) and the control board mounting bracket to the chassis (single screw on the other end of the fuel tank). The single screw has a nut on the other end, which could result in the screw just turning and not backing out if the nut isn't held in place.

Hopefully I'm not way off base on what you're trying to do.

[Anonymous]

Some days I think I am seeing double and today is no exception.

There is a VERY similar thread on the OGR forum under a different user name. The consensus there, as well as the one emerging here, is that you are attacking the WRONG SCREW. I don't have a Williams Geep to compare, but I do have another Williams diesel. It has two screws at one end, and a plastic projection with a hook on it that drops down through a slot in the chassis. To get the body off, one must remove the two screws and then slide the body VERY CAREFULLY about 1/16 inch. This plastic projection looks relatively fragile, although I have disassembled mine several times without breaking it.

Perhaps this is the way your Geep is assembled. Or perhaps it's one of the ways others have suggested.

wolverine49