Bitch Clips

I have tried the snap ring pliers with interchangeable tips, and doing it that way is really hard. If you have good fixed-tip snap ring pliers, that is fine.

Otherwise, I would suggest to just take 2 small screwdrivers. Position them at 10 and 2. Pry the metal arms outward slightly and upward. That should get them loose. The clips can be brittle, but if you are careful, you should be able to reuse them. If not, they may be in the HELP! section at your local parts store.
 
I'm with you.. I hate those things and I'm not sure I've ever figured out a way to pop them loose. I try to pry the "loops" away from the post with a couple of small screwdrivers and then "walk" them upwards. I apply a bit of WD40 to help loosen them. To work it past the lock notch at the very top, I wedge another screwdriver between the clip and the plastic to hold it out and away.
 
The difficulty in removing these is why I try to grab extras every time I go to a wrecking yard.

Oh and I always grab the windshield washer spritzer dealies too since I always end up breaking them too.
 
I've always had trouble getting that bottom clip off......:mad::mad::mad:

Top two are easy.....:p

Like others, I've tried the snap ring pliers....

Sometimes they work, other times they don't.....

I'm sure there is a special size OEM pliers that would work perfect for this application....:rolleyes:

Or you could do like I do at the pull-a-part and take the header panel off....:D
 
They're easy once you find a good way and get some practice. :cool:

I've tried all the ways mentioned, plus the method that I've settled on:

One pair of needle-nose pliers and a small screwdriver. Use the needle-nose to grip the flat upper portion by holding the pliers vertically and inserting one "leg" into the small hole in the clip and grabbing the backside of the slip with the other. Push towards the engine bay lightly to disengage the small clip that is part of the header panel and at the same time, pull upward, lightly on the clip. With the small screwdriver, gently pry the little locking fingers out of the slots (while pulling upwards, rocking left-to-right, and prying inwards with the pliers) It sounds complicated and it's kinda hard to explain, but I rarely break them this way...maybe one clip in 30 or so. Best part is that there's no struggle required. :cool: I'll post a picture if you want to try it.
 
it's a snap ...

I have a good set of snap ring pliers with changeable tips and the pliers are reversible for open/close. But, I still keep an extra supply of those clips on hand in case they become so distorted on removal that they are no longer usable.

eddie
'90 5-speed SC
'97 LX sport
 
in the past i have never had luck pulling those. autozone usually has no problem getting in new clips for me and they are somewhat cheap.
 
Other than using a snap ring plier, I've used a pair of needlenosed and grabbed the 'flat' on the topo fo the clip and used a pick to pull the tabs were the snap rings pliers would go as I slid it off and they come off easily that way I've found...
 
Get a set of these

Other than using a snap ring plier, I've used a pair of needle nosed and grabbed the 'flat' on the topo fo the clip and used a pick to pull the tabs were the snap rings pliers would go as I slid it off and they come off easily that way I've found...

Don't even ask where I got them from but I have a tool that looks like a set of needle nose pliers but the tips are rounded 90 degrees. Apparently they are called Bent Nose Pliers. In my case they were the perfect tool for the job.

Here's a link to a set similar to mine-
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NPUJVW/?tag=picc-20
 

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Oddly enough there is a "special tool" for those clips. I bought mine off the tool truck a few years back. It's difficult to describe, but it works, costed somewhere in the 20 dollar area. If it wasn't in my box at the shop I would post a photo of it. When the original blue headlight craze hit about 5 years ago I was replacing bulbs often enough that buying it was a no brainer.
 
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