hello all, I am working on the rear engine lid latch cables and it appears that I need to remove the taillight assembly to reinstall the threaded bolt plate that secures the latch assemblies. I cannot access the taillight nuts. Please advise.
I have most of my trunk out to replace the zippered cover and seal. Here is what I see. Not sure helpful, but it appears that two nuts hold down the latch assemblies and you do not need to remove the lights. Hope this helps Mike
The latch bolts thread into a loose plate which must be accessed through the taillight opening. in order to get them reengaged to the plate.
If you mean the excess length of the threaded studs on the taillight housings makes reaching the nuts difficult, you need a hollow shaft nut driver -- and I had to cut off some of the plastic handle to make the metal shank even longer IIRC: Image Unavailable, Please Login (and be super-gentle tightening those nuts -- very easy to pull the threaded stud out of the taillight housing).
You need to remove one of the left tail light as an insurance in the event the cable / latch does not work out and you cannot open the trunk. When that happens, having the tail light hole accessible is a blessing.
Upon inspection, the three holes in the inside sheetmetal line up with the retaining nuts for the taillight. Those holes have plastic "fingers" that block them, which are for the twist lock fasteners on the small interior trim panel. It is possible to force a nut driver through the "fingers" but it seems that breaking them is a good possibility. Also, if successful in removing the nuts, it seems impossible to reinstall them through these restricted openings The "fingers" are riveted in and could be removed and replaced with some other fastening system. I didn't expect that removing a taillight would be such a challenge! The car is a euro 328; any advise on how to proceed will be much appreciated.
