Battery tray bolt

[Trobert77]

Today my brother and I attemped to remove the battery tray on his 89 in order to make the alternator belt tensioner bolt/hex screw more accessible (which it turns out we didnt really need to do). We got the two side bolts off with no problem, but when we loosened the bolt which sits directly under the battery it backed off to a point and then just kept spinning without coming off. We were also unable to tighten it. Is there a nut on the other side of this bolt, and if so, how do you get to it? I searched the forums but none of the posts made special mention of this procedure being anything other than straightforward. I just assumed it fit into a threaded hole. Looking forward to all replies.

 

[mrecoolgar]

It's a weld nut and intended to stay welded.
But they do break loose.
Remove the plastic wheel liner and get a vice grip on it.

 

[SHOlover1]

mercoolgar ,pretty much explained it all.

 

[Trobert77]

Thanks for the reply Kevin!

What tool do I need to remove the splash shield pins? Also, is there a risk of breakage to the pins holding it in place during removal? If so, is it easy to get replacment pins? Is there any risk of damage to anything else if I do the job myself? Despite a broken weld nut, the car is in beautiful shape and I am scared about messing it up. I'm not mechanically inept but I have never removed one of those before. Some of the forum veterans may remember a long thread on here about a black 89 with 48k going for a pretty high price on Ebay a few years back. That is my bro's car. It is now a nice weather/weekend car that is now at around 52k and still drives fantastic. He has most work on it done professionally but his mechanic was trying to tell him his AC compressor was seizing and making the belt squeal while I suspected it was just a loose belt. It looks like I was right, and these forums were a big help for me when coming to that conclusion. When we tightened the belt the squeal went away. Nevertheless I am probably even more obsessive about the car than he is and it bugs me that the battery is now wiggling around in there as a result of our wrenching.

Any other tips are appreciated!

 

[mrecoolgar]

There may one piece plastic push barb retainers.
Use a door panel remover type tool on those.
If they break or just bend and stretch then cut them off.
Replace them with a two piece retainer.
Most are a two piece plastic retainer.
Use a split head type tool to pry the center pin outwards.
Once the center pin has been retracted enough then the body can be removed.
There are phillips screw securing the liner to the fender lip.
Spray them then use a ratchet 90 degree driver to remove them.
They may be easy to remove but most are a pain and it's easy to ruin the head.
I carry used and new plastic retainers so feel free let me know your needs.

There may also be a two piece plastic retainer with a flush phillips center pin.
When removing the center phillips pin do not push down as you would on a metal screw.
If you do it will not come out.
You'll get a feel for it but again, if it doesn't come out just cut them.