c63addix

So it's been half a week since my CEL went off, since the first time it came on after i did a WOT with new air filters on. I did a WOT again yesterday and the CEL came on again!!! This is too troublesome, so I decide to just put back the stock filters with charcoal delete.

But now i m fked because 4 out of 10 screws holding the air filters down are stripped, so I can't remove the plastic covers


Should I take it into benz to have them find a way to remove those dead screws? Or is there a way I can remove them? thanks

tfthach13

You can potentially use file and file a straight line across the screw and then use a flat-head screw driver to remove it.

Out of curiousity, how did you strip the screws? I've removed the air filter housing countless times and the screws are fine to this date.

c63addix

thanks for the tip, but really the screws are too tiny i dunno how i can file them; i stripped them probably because I've been using a square shape screw driver instead of the hexagon shaped ones. Stupid MB could of just used flat head screws.

dodger63

Flat head screws on a mb??? That would be horrible

dodger63

Those boxes are big money also is pull them completly off and from the bottom just cut the tabs off that hold them on... So you don't notice from above and let it be

motoman

So the head of the screw is stripped, not the threads, right? Try squaring off the head a bit with a file and use a vise grip "flat beak" to just grip the screw head. Even prepare the vise grip by filing it if necessary. .. or

Go to H Frt and buy their small bubble pak of LEFT HAND DRILLS. I think the smallest might work. Center punch the screw head LIGHTLY to produce a home for the drill tip. Use low speed variable drill on REVERSE and begin to drill out the screw . Sometime the drilling itself will loosen and remove the screw. If not , see if a small dia "easy out" will fit into the hole. Go slow.

Merc63

Drilling straight down the screw head is best. It will loosen right up.

I have extra boxes if you need

Quadcammer

come on man, if you are gonna work on your mercedes, get the right tools.

a set of torx bits are stupid cheap.

jvanbrecht

These cars (not just MB, most cars do now) use torx screws for a reason, they are less likely to strip the head when using the correct tool because they offer more surface area for teh driver to bit on, and are less likely to get destroyed. Now if we are talking security torx screws, well that is a whole different bag of pain in the ***

ps.. Apple uses these damn things... well now they use some sort of funky 6 lobe rounded screw head.... They do it to **** people off though.. well the after market repair demographic anyways..