I bet if the Honda "engineers" worked at it, they could have come up with a worse way to attach the belly pan. The six sheet metal screws that go into speed nuts are bad enough. Those clip-on speed nuts don't stay in position, and I have to manipulate each one to get it to line up with the hole in the pan.

What's even worse, though, are the two rear attaching points. Only one remains on both my car and my son's. When the weather gets a bit better, I'm going to find a better way to attach the rear of the pan. I'm thinking about using fiberglass - or maybe JB Weld - to hold a nut onto the car. I think that would be better than putting a sheet metal screw into the fiberglass.

 

They do suck compared to my other car's lower shroud hardware.
i hated the plastic tabs too.. it took so long just to take them off the car without breaking them.

i might swap the plastic tabs to regular plastic push tabs (push rivets) next time. not sure about the crappy tapping screws. my other cars use j-clips and machine screws. might do something similar.

 

Dzuz fasteners.. I'm headed that way..

 

Let us know if you go that way.

http://smile.amazon.com/Chrome-Faste...=Dzuz+fastener

 

I, too, need something. Was going to do simple zip ties.

 

So how do you disconnect those two rear fasteners? I need to find out so I can change my oil.

 

Your remove a screw, and that loosens the pressure on the plastic fitting that is holding it in place. The fitting has four legs that fit into a hole in the frame. You push that fitting back into the hole and tighten the screw. That spreads the legs and holds the pan in place.

Two problems: the little four-legged thing falls out and disappears; the legs get bent or broken, so it's either hard to put it back in, or a fitting with only two or three legs won't hold.

I like the Dzuz fasteners (pronounced Zeus) with the springs and the screws that stay in the panel. The problem is finding just the right size to hold that panel in place. Those fasteners aren't cheap, so I don't want to keep buying them till I get the right size.

Dzuz with retaining springs.


These fasteners were invented in NY an hour or so north of me in the 1930s. Now the company is owned by an English firm, and the name has been changed.

 

Did you end up getting some of these? I'm curious about what size would fit without modification. My girlfriend's is missing one (Not my fault), and the other is damaged (my fault). Since I'll be doing most of the oil changes, I'm looking for an agreeable solution to the belly pan screw issue.

 

I didn't know what size to get, so I ordered the standard retainer fro Honda. About $1.00 each, and I picked them up the next day. I think I might epoxy them in.

 

The problem with Dzus fasteners is that they need fairly substantial support for the retaining springs, which are riveted at each end. That pop-bottle plastic isn't likely to supply enough support without extensive mods.

The factory "plastic screws" work fine as long as you are very delicate while removing them. Don't push the driver firmly into the screw or it will just stay in!

When reinstalling, you don't need to screw the "plastic screw" in. It was made to be pushed straight in with thumb pressure.

 

Thanks. My son's car will be due for an oil change soon, and I'll replace any broken or missing pieces.