Fitting Tow Eye.. help

[Sargara]

Urgh yet again another simple job complicated on my Clio!

Got my Tow Eye from Si which looks great so figured i would just pop it on and be done with it but it wont screw in! Every time i turn it and it starts biting on the thread after about 1 full turn it tightens towards my foglight and gets stuck as the bumper is now catching stopping it from getting tighter!

My car hasnt been in an accident, or if it has its been professionally repaired outside of the insurance company as everything lines up and all the lines match. The only thing me and Pepsi could think was that its been towed in the past and bent the socket.

How do i go about sorting this. Any ideas?

 

[Lee-182]

coud try running a tap in it? If you can get one big enough? Just incase the thread has been bummed.

Other than that i dont know

 

[Sargara]

The thread doesnt appear to be the problem, its more that i think the whole socket has been bent to the side so its now out of line with the hole in the bumper.

 

[Lee-182]

Take the grille off cut the tow eye down and weld it?

Any pics?

 

[Sargara]

Not really no as i havent had the bumper off and you cant make out the socket through the hole as its too dark to photo.

Pepsis idea was to put in the Renault Tow Eye and bash it to see if it knocks the socket back into the correct position.

 

[Lee-182]

can try that ^ just dont miss and hit the bumper.

 

[Sargara]

Right. Had another bash with the stock Tow Eye but im really stuck on how i can fit this. As you can see from this picture:

After getting about 2 full rotations it sticks and will not tighten. It appears to move towards the upper right corner (which makes me think its out of allignment) and then nothing, no movement at all.

I can only assume that this holder:

Has been bent while being used in the past by previous owner perhaps. But with it being attached to the chassis and in such an awkward position it doesnt appear to be adjustable. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[Bazzon]

Probs got loads of rust and crap in in.

I put the stock one in using a bar to turn it, till it when all the way in. to take some of the crap of the threads.

 

[Cro]

The thread will probably be full of road crap. Use the standard eye, throw on some wd40 and grease and use a bar to twist it as far in as possible. After a couple of times in and out the new one should go in ok i'd say

 

[Sargara]

Ive tried giving it a soak with wd40 and your right loads of crap was in there. But i havent tried the putting a bar through the standard to tighten it. Cheers will give that a bash later

 

[Si]

woop. good luck! only problem with this method is that the std towing eye has a shorter threaded section to one of mine. so if you use the standard one to clear the thread out it'll only clear it up to a certain point

i'd suggest getting a decent length M16 bolt and using that to clear it using a decent socket.

 

[Sym0n]

I'm having the same issue Sargara. Was considering getting a tap and dye to re thread the tow hole as I've already tried using a bar to get it to bite and a s**t load of WD40 and PN66...and still it won't go in far enough for my liking. But I'll get the bumper off and try a long M16 bolt with a socket first like Si suggests.

 

[Si]

you wont be able to re-thread it with a dye

tap is a good idea if you can get hold of one, it'd be a bumper off job though.

hope you have some luck guys

 

[Sym0n]

Pfft meant a set lol.

What's the thread pitch for the tow eyes? 1.5mm or 2mm? Or something completely different?

 

[Sargara]

Sym0n when you do yours, come do mine please. I'll add it to the todo list

 

[Si]

i think it's M16x2. not 100% so check beforehand.

 

[Si]

Sym0n when you do yours, come do mine please. I'll add it to the todo list

i'll come help

 

[TimR26]

My tow eye does exactly the same thing. Did cleaning it out fix it?

 

[Sym0n]

I'm guessing you've already read this thread, seeing as this one was long buried and linked from it, but http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?p=5819616#post5819616

 

[Da]

It's M14 isn't it, not 16?

 

[Sym0n]

M16 on the Ph1 mate fo' sho'. Ph2 is the same I'd guess, actually it must be as Si's tow eye thingys are universal on the Mk2.

 

[Da]

Ah cool, had just read on here somewhere that it might have been M14.