How to remove light fixture?

[RobinKees]

The short story: I need to remove the rear light fixture of my 2014 Trillium but I have never seen the way it is held on before. Not wanting to break it, I need a guiding hand here. How do I remove it?







Long story: So, the rear window of my new-to-me Trillium leaks, even with the cover I bought for the trailer. We have just been through a very major storm here. The gusting winds were blowing right at the back of the trailer. Anyway, I put an extra tarp over the back of the trailer, under the cover ,which kept the water from getting inside the trailer until the storm finally passed.

In the meantime, I watched leaky window repair videos and read posts here, including an awesome one with photos. I decided I could do this. Bought butyl tape, duct tape (to hold the window in place since I'm on my own) and a putty knife. Charged up my electric screwdriver.

Today and tomorrow the weather is good so, here we go. Managed to get the blinds off and started removing screws. Then I realized there is one behind the light fixture I can't get to. Bought a short handled Phillips, but it won't fit in there either. Stuck. Must remove the light fixture. Help!

[Bob Miller]

Those look like aluminum pop rivets and they will have to be drilled out. You will want to have a pair of small pliers or vise grips on hand in case the rivet starts to spin before the head is gone. I'd guess about a 5/32" or 3/16" drill. If there is a piece of metal pin still in the hole, push that into the ceiling before drilling. The left over part of the rivet won't come out and will also have to be pushed up into the ceiling.


You will also need a pop-rivet tool and some new rivets to put it back up. But they aren't expensive and you will find lots of future uses. They are standard hardware store items. Be sure to get aluminum.

[Bob Miller]

One more tip... Did you look into getting a right angle Phillips ratchet screwdriver? it's like a small ratchet with changeable tips. Might not need to remove the light that way.
Looks like this, but less expensive ones are available:
Xcelite XL75 | Ratcheting Screwdriver Sets

[Jay H]

another option is to use a 1/4"ratchet (the tiny one found in most tool kits) with a 1/4" socket on it. A standard phillips bit will chuck right into the 1/4" socket and voila you have a right angle screw driver, maybe you will have enough room to squeeze that set up in... I use this set up pretty frequently.
I would hate to take the rivets out.

[stevebaz]

2014 trailer isn't it under warranty?

[RobinKees]

Ok, never mind about the light fixture. I headed off to the hardware store with the pix I posted, and the smart fella there sold me a right angle screwdriver. That problem solved!

All the screws are out now, but I can't get the window to come out. Still working on it! May have to enlist some help as it I can't push from the inside and catch it on the outside by myself!

About the w arrant, no, because I bought it used. I was told I have no warranty on it.

[Bob Miller]

You won't be able to just "push" it out. Try using a plastic putty knife around the outside edges starting at the center top. A Good trick to prevent an accident is to run some duct tape from the window to the glass with about 2" of slack near the joint. Put back in the same way using tape as a safety belt.

[RobinKees]

Thanks Bob, I'll try that. I do have duct tape on the window already. Will loosen it when I go back to work on it.

I missed lunch so am taking a break to eat and regroup. For now I put a few screws back in, to be safe.

Update: Window is out. Whew. Proceeding with clean up of old putty.

[Raz]

Hello Robin, I have the same trailer and the same window. While the window may need resetting I suspect not. From the outside your rear window will have a jalousie window on the right and an egress on the left. You will notice drain slots at the bottom of the jalousie side but none on the egress side. What happens is water runs down the vertical channel between the two parts and gets in. With a hard wind it can also get in on the vertical edges of the glass. If the trailer is low on the drivers side, water will accumulate in the interior window channel with no place to drain (no drain slots). If you raise the drivers side by parking the wheel on a board, the water will flow to the jalousie side and drain out. Normally I see a little seepage from the jalousies having vertical edges and a small sponge is all that's needed. But in a very hard rain or when I wash the trailer, that rear channel can fill up. Now if you find water in the storage area with none in the channel, you may have a leaking window that needs to be reset. Raz

[RobinKees]

Interesting Raz, thanks. The window is done now anyway, except I still have to put the shade back up. Tomorrow. I'm tired. Sounds like I may have gone thru what for me was a long difficult day for no reason.

Right now my trailer is slightly lower on the driver's side. Not much, but apparently just enough to cause the issue? It is water accumulating in the channel that is the problem I'm having.

I bought some leveling tiles which arrived today. Guess I'll think about hooking up so I can use them to make it level. Or, are you saying the draining works best with this window if it is slightly lower on the passenger side?

[Raz]

Your window may in fact have needed resetting. It would not surprise me. But if not, it's good experience. A garden hose will tell you. Spray the joint between the windows and see what happens. When I got my trailer I too had a leak. I reset all three rear windows. I found one compromised. Unfortunately, that wasn't the last of it. Turns out the belly band on mine had not been properly sealed. Fixing that required removal of the wall covering. Since then the only leaks are the seepage in the channels. The rear is the worst because of the vertical joint between the two windows.

To check the flow, pour a little water in the inside channel. It should flow to the passengers side and out the drain slots. If the trailer is level, that will happen. I only raise the drivers side when I store the trailer for the winter. Good luck, Raz

[RobinKees]

Thank you Raz, great info. Appreciate it!

A check of the weather currently shows no rain coming up before I take the trailer out to a dog agility trial next week-end. So I am leaving it as is, level wise, for now. Will be careful from now on to avoid the driver side being lower!!

Cleaned it up inside and put all the cushions and bedding back in place. Looks like a cute home again instead of one side bare and the other with everything piled on the bunks. Now to work on getting everything set up for our maiden voyage!

This forum with its helpful folks is fabulous!