[Dav466]

Hi all,I noticed a small fracture in the upper fairing just above the blinked. I have removed will be plastic welding the the crack. Because so close to the rubber grommet I wanted to remove the blinked. The phillips head screw holding the backing plate won't budge. I was thinking applying heat via heat in an attempt to loosen. Any thoughts?

 

[Thefastsecond]

I always used a Phillip's screwdriver and an adjustable wrench for impossibly tight bolts. Just push the Phillips into the screw and turn it with wrench. Just be careful not to strip it. Not perfect but works for me.

 

[KBear]

Try soaking the screw with some penetrating oil i.e. PB Blaster for a day or so. Then with a small ballpeen hammer strike the end of your phillips driver into the screw head. Don't strike the end of the driver into the screw head too hard you wouldn't want to break that fairing strut bracket. First tighten the screw ever so lightly to break the seize then try backing out the screw. And, as TheFastSecond has stated use a wrench to turn the driver providing your driver has a square shaft. This method has worked for me in the past roughly 80 percent of the time not on the particular screw you're attacking but other stubborn screws. Some results may vary so don't hold me accountable for personal actions.

 

[Dav466]

Thanks to thefastsecond and KBear for your quick responses. Fingers crossed I'll be able to remove the phillips head screw. Then I can plastic weld the crack.

 

[Damocles]

Just FYI; the apparent Phillips-head screws on KLRs actually are, JIS-head screws (Japanese Industrial Standards, I guess. Google knows). The profiles, while similar, remain significantly different. A JIS bit more likely fits a JIS screw (more torque available) than a Phillips bit.

That said, an IMPACT DRIVER (inexpensive hand-held tool driven by hammer blows) or IMPACT WRENCH (electrically- or air-driven) usually makes short work of stubborn screws.

Penetrating oil (as stated above) or BLASTER helps free adhered screws.

 

[lineman1234]

I have had to at times, Taken a deremel tool and make it a big regular screw and it seems to work most of the time, then take it to hardware store to replace it.

 

[StevenE]

Damocles for the win........... Video explaining the difference...

How did I never know this before?

 

[Damocles]

Damocles for the win........... Video explaining the difference...

How did I never know this before?

Great video!

Here's an image (from Google) of a proper mating of a JIS screw and its appropriate driver:



If I get around to it, I'll share an image of a bad fit between a Phillips bit and a JIS screw.

All this said, the nuclear solution mentioned by lineman1234 above (cutting a flat-blade slot into a screw head with the assistance of Mr. Dremel Moto-Tool) often proves effective (don't ask me how I know this!).

Confessing, my most recent experience with slot-cutting; I wrongfully used a hex bit in a Torx (or is it, torque?) head screw; boogered the screw head terribly. Had to unleash the Moto-Tool and its fearsome swift cut-off disk to solve the problem. Now, gotta find a proper torque-head replacement screw!

OK, here's what a bad fit between a Phillips head screwdriver and a JIS screw looks like::



Hope image appears; don't know why only a URL appeared in my attempt at posting a picture earlier in the post.

 

[KBear]

The knowledge of JIS drivers has been a known factor on Japanese motorcycles for some time now. Yes, I know, before I knew about JIS drivers I was in the dark as well. When I first heard the acronym "JIS" I thought "What the...Who the...Why I oughta...!" Although it's not that difficult to obtain a JIS screw driver or sets of drivers you won't get anywhere walking into a Tools R Us store and asking "Hey, where's your JIS drivers?" Wanna know why? Because I did just that a long time ago. You'll need to find them on the Internet for purchases.

Someone will chime in and let us know just when JIS drivers were no longer available in the US and around the world.

 

[R/L]

Yes to JIS.

Since plastic is involved, I'd be real careful using a hammer type impact driver. Use an air, or electric impact driver with the proper JIS bit.

 

[pdwestman]

It is possible that someone used Loc-Tite on that screw. Let a soldering iron get as hot as it can, then hold it to the tiny screw for a bit, then attempt to loosen.
Soldering iron not hot enough? Use propane torch to heat a nail or iron bar red hot, hold red hot against the screw for a bit, attempt to loosen.

 

[KLR Kool-Aid!]

Aren't the screwdrivers supplied in the KLR's toolkit JIS head? If not, that's not a good one on Kawasaki...

 

[Damocles]

To the best of my knowledge and belief, yes, Kawasaki on-board screwdrivers have JIS bits.

 

[Dav466]

Thank you for everybody's input. I have learnt about jis screwdrivers and confirm that the oem tool kit has jis bits. I attempted to loosen but still wouldn't budge but it didn't pull out of the phillips head either. So I decided to go ahead with the heat method and with plastic and rubber I used

my wife's hair dryer. I was successful in removing that little screw and it was very tight.