[wildrnesxperienc]

Anybody know how to remove the whole assembly? I'm installing an aux tranny cooler through the headlight opening and want to make sure I remove it all correctly so I can reinstall it correctly! The heads of the bolts that hold it on are deep down inside their plastic tunnels and look like Mr. Pacman from what I can tell. The nuts are on the back, inside the engine bay. Any help here?

 

[TJ4Jim]

To remove the entire headlight bucket you will need to remove the nuts from the 3 studs that protrude out the back of the housing in the engine compartment. There should be a male torx on the end of each stud and you need to hold back with a torx socket and not let the studs spin while you remove the 3 nuts. I found the real small torx socket at Harbor Freight. Major PITA.

 

[wildrnesxperienc]

Thanks for the reply but on mine, a 2004 LJ, I just figured out the studs are permanently mounted to the headlight housing. So you can remove the nuts that are on them where they protrude into the engine bay without the bolt/stud spinning. Thankfully! Went ahead and tried one and sure enough that's what I discovered. FYI if anyone else ever wonders.

 

[Holton345]

The stud is screwed into the plastic. It is like a corkscrew blade rather than a normal screw, super fine like a knife, widely spaced. When I swapped out my buckets I had one come loose from the plastic on each side. No plastic was damaged, no cracks or chipping (unlike on the aiming screws, which had cracked and made it necessary for me to change them out). I used blue Loctite on the blade-like threads when I reinstalled them.

Removal normally is just the three nuts on the inside face of the grille assembly. It is a very fiddly job. Prepare to swear a lot. ;-)