Those darn rusted screws!

Yes, there is better stuff... 'Kroil' is probably the best, but hard to find, and expensive.

Probably it's only real advantage over PB Blaster is that it works a bit faster.

Your PB Blaster is a great product. Keep the bolts wet with it for a few days, and I bet they come loose. If push comes to shove, you may have to drill them out, or bust them off; as with Vise Grip's or the like. Heating with the torch may also help if no plastic is in the area.

Auto parts stores carry nylon bolts & nuts just for license plate use that will always be easy to take apart. If you put them back on with steel/metal bolts, put some antiseize compound on the threads. (A thin coat of grease on the threads would probably be fine for this application.)

Erik

Auto stores also sell stainless steel bolts for license plates. Have used them for years and can recommend them

It always amazes me when I am following some $50,000 and up quality car and you see rusted bolts in plates with rust stains streaming down the plates.

Al.

The best I have found is PB Blaster manufactured by B'Laster Corp in Cleveland OH. You can find it at OReillys.

A while back there was a thread here about the best penetrating rust dissolvers but I can't find it anymore. Could somebody remind me what the concensus was as to the product? In my state we have to install new plates periodically and this time I cannot unscrew the bottom two screws holding the front license plate. They are so rusted in the thread that I am afraid I might ruin the slot on the head of the screws with my flat screwdriver. I tried a product recommended at a local auto part store, called PB Blaster, but that did not help after a couple hours of soaking. Is there something better than that out there?

cameo wrote in news:k4dn85$5ph$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

Do you have access to the rear of the screws?

If so, and if there's no plastic too close by, then heat is your answer. Heat in the form of a propane torch.

My car tag is moounted with a nylon/plastic nut and bolt. I'd think they're readily available in auto or hardware stores

Well, I've figured out how to remove the plate with its holder frame from the front bumper and I left the screws soaked thoroughly overnight, but the screws were still impossible to unscrew this morning. Because I needed to have the new plates on already, I decided to cut off the screws from the back of the license plate with one of those oscillating multi-function power tools which left only about two threads left in the holding clip. After that I was able to unscrew the remaining part of the screw.

Since those clips are attached to the plastic plate frame, heating it would have been out of question. And if we are talking about plastic, I wanted to steer away from those plastic license plate screws because they make it easier for potential plate tiefs to steal. So perhaps I'll look instead for galvanized or stainless steel screws. What do you think about that?

Thanks for that tip, Erik. Is it as stinky as the PB Blaster? Even though I worked with it in the attached garage, its smell penetrated my whole house. Might take a few days to vent it all out. That includes my clothing. :-(

See my other reply to tegger about this.

completely pointless. if they want to steal your plates, rust-free stainless or anything else is just as easy to remove as rust-free plastic. you may as well use what's cheap and guaranteed not to cause problems down the road, and plastic does that job just fine.

and in your case, because you've now used that "blaster" stuff, you /will/ have an accelerated corrosion problem. the chemicals that eat through the rust continue working after you're done and seed a whole new wave of much more aggressive corrosion afterwards. plastic might help you avoid the worst effects if you need to replace the plates again.

Actually, that blaster fluid could only damage the metal clips with the thread inside them as the surrounding area is all plastic. I replaced those clips with new ones without any blaster stuff on them.

You might be right about the plastic screws but what I remember about them is that their thread count is lower than the one in the metal clip and their diameter might also be different. So that would alao make it a no-go. But I'll take another look, just in case.

If you don't care for the smell of PB Blaster, Kroil isn't for you. It works fantastic, but the smell is something else.

I'd go for stainless or brass if using metal, but don't forget a light coat of anti-seize compound worked into the threads. It doesn't take much, and you don't want a mess. Some stainless alloys are notorious about seizing.

Also note that plate thieves won't care about what material you choose, but those fasteners with one way heads (in or around the license plate frame section of parts stores) 'might' marginally slow down the rankest amateurs... but don't count on it.

Erik

ok, good.

if they're being screwed into entirely new material, it's academic. but plastic screws, if you want to go there, are fine. there's no structural load to bear, and they don't need to be tight. the only argument for metal is front plates on bumpers that get continually nudged up against other cars like in cities.

I know. It's the same thing with car alarms. I'm just hoping that would be tieves are more likely to take the path of least resistance if they dont't have a specific target in mind.

cameo wrote in news:k4fv29$h7j$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

Stainless steel is the only metal that should ever be used for license- plate fasteners.

Galvanized is no good: eventually the coating wears out and they rust anyway.

Erik wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.dslextreme.com:

sn't for you.

Never brass!!! Brass corrodes. Stainless steel only.

Generally ,If you want a bolt/nut to never come off, put a drop of battery acid on the threads. If you want to loosen an old bolt. put some old motor oil on it way before you intend to apply the wrench. Let the vibrations of the road work it in. hint; keep it off the rubber parts. and if you are assembling something, a little Never seize compound will prevent rust on the threads. Nice for spark plugs in aluminum heads. and ; Good Luck!

Good point. BTW, as to your earlier warning:

I've noticed the following description on the PB Blaster can:

"... PB also displaces moisture, and DOES NOT EVAPORATE. It remains on the surface as a LUBRICANT and RUST INHIBITOR."

That seems to contradict your warning, doesn't it?

It's an extremely light oil/solvent mixture thats remarkably good at penetrating rust and similar spooge. It will not harm metals.

It 'might' do a number on some paints and plastics. As always, use good judgment & common sense.

Erik

That lightness might explain its persistent smell even days after using it. In a lot of ways it is like WD-40.

Well, that claim might be contested by Jim.

Thanks.