Hey guys, so I replaced the hinges on my rear windshield today (2002 Ford Explorer sport).
I went to a junkyard, and found 2 working hinges. HOWEVER, Whatever screw you use the t30 torx bit for is corroded and does not have any threads anymore. Because of that I can’t get the second hinge onto the car! I can’t for the life of me figure out what screw this is.
The ones from the junk yard were bad too? The look like torx. What you need to do is take the good screw to the hardware store and get the size, length and thread count. It’s going to be metric. Then see if they have it in stainless steel. It won’t corrode. Lowes and Ace is where I always have luck.
To be specific, the hinges off the junkyard car didn’t come with either of the screws. I thought I could use the ones I still had off my broken hinges, come to find out soon after the massive amount of corrosion on only one of them. So I’m missing the screw.
Thanks for the reply also Tester!
So if I take the good screw into Ace, they should be able to find exactly what I need?
Screws that pass though tempered glass are specially designed not to put too much pressure on the glass. The head has a large contact area and there is a shoulder depth designed for that application. Use a substitute from the hardware store and you will probably break the glass.
I have a 2000 Explorer with similar hinges. When the screws stripped out, I figured out that I could drill the hole through and secure it with a stainless steel through bolt. Been that way for several years now.
The manager of Ace explained to me Ford holds the intellectual property on the screw. The dealership lucky had one left, for an insane price of $21.08. Also charged me $3.57 for the rubber washer.
Funny, they charged me $7.62 for the same part.
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No, I’m not serious. @it0ken, you can also look at it as a repair that cost less than $25. You aren’t paying for the part alone. You are also paying for a parts department that stocks obscure parts like yours, as well as overhead for 3 or 4 departments. You are also paying for the Ford dealer to keep that part for who knows how many years until you showed up to buy it. Don’t worry, be happy! Or at least not too unhappy. Success for less than 25 bucks. Not bad!
If it makes you feel a my better, I paid $35 each for those plastic washer nozzles that mount on the hood. Fastenal is my next place of choice after Ace. They have tons of specialized fasteners available next day.
