I know this probably sounds like a silly question to many of you; but, I have a problem removing the outer fairing on a 2008 Ultra Classic. I have one windshield screw that just spins - will not come out and does not tighten. I recently had it to a dealership for a service that required changing the fork oil - this is a job I'm not ready to tackle. I think that they probably over tightened the screw and now the brass fitting that the screw goes into just spins. I think I can probably get the outer fairing off by removing the other 6 screws and carefully pulling the fairing. I'm guessing (hoping) the remaining screw along with the brass fitting will pull out of the inner fairing. I know I have to do this carefully so I don't cause damage.

Now that I've provided some background, are there any suggestions for mounting the brass fitting back into the inner fairing in a way that will hold it secure (won't spin loose as soon as I put the screw back in)? I was thinking maybe some sort of epoxy; but, thought I would check for recommendations for the best solution.

 

The windshield screws must come completely off before being able to remove the outer fairing. The one screw may be cross-threaded and you may need to use a Dremel tool or a small die grinder to grind the head of the screw off. On the other-hand, the portion of the inner-fairing that retains the brass fitting may be broken.

 

Once you have the outer fairing off, try to remove the brass fitting from the screw.
If the threads aren't 'boogered' too much, you can 'glue' the furrell back into the inner fairing with some two part epoxy and it should hold...just don't over tighten the screw when putting it all back together. I did this on a friend's fairing a couple of years ago and its still holding.

 

I agree that the brass insert is probably spinning. If a little pressure on the fairing doesn't allow it to cone out then you are boing to have to cut the head off the screw, like Bikes said.
They make a replacement insert...PN#16585-96
This was posted by Dawg.......HERE's a thread that should help you.

 

The way the complete fairing is designed, It doesn't look like it was intended to be taken apart very many times after the initial assembly.

 

I beleive your plan of removing the farring cap will work. Will it move when you have the other 6 screws removed? Can you slip the windsheid out, so you can see what your dealing with? I have had success reseating the brass insert using a 2 part epoxy. I used an epoxy from the auto parts store, that looked like a double syringe with 1 plunger. It squirts out equal blobs next to each other on a piece of cardboard or something else non absorbant you can throw away when done. You then mix the 2 blobs of epoxy and use. It sets up quite quickly. On my 01' EGC it worked on 2 of the brass inserts and is still holding. At that time that was what I had on hand. I later learned you can go to the dealer and they have a replacement brass insert that screws into where the old one came out. It's threaded inside and out. Screws right in. I haven't used them but have heard good things. Should I need to again I will look into that fix. It's been about 3 yrs now and I haven't had to yet. One other tip I could give is, if you decide to the epoxy route, when appling the epoxy to the insert and when reseating it, I used a bolt threaded about half way into the insert. This helped handeling the insert and not getting epoxy where you don't want it, fingers, the inside threads, ect. I'll try to find a part # for the threaded insert. Hope this helps

Nate

PS WOW! a lot of quick draws around here. That link shows the part I was thinking of. and a lot of other good info.

 

Thanks all. I will be back in the states later this week and will look for the replacement part. If that don't work, I'll go with my original plan of using epoxy.