Removing oil cooler duct - problem

[lp2pe]

I'm having great difficulty removing my fan shroud - I've got to the point where I need to remove the oil cooler duct but the screw at the top is seized solid. It's a cheese head screw so I can only get a small rachet-type screwdriver bit in there and it's really starting to make a mess of the head.

Before I destroy it completely are there any tricks-of-the-trade to getting these inaccessible little b*stards out? If I succeed I will definitely replace it with a hex head!

Or is there a way to get the fan shroud off without needing to remove the cooler duct? (I'm restoring my thermostat linkage)

Thanks,

[_monkey_]

Is the engine in or out of the car?

IIRC, the fan shroud is held in by two screws...one on either side over the head sheet metal. And then there's the alternator/generator strap.

Anything having to do with the doghouse shroud will be infinitely easier with the engine out of the car.

[Bill E.]

Use a screwdriver that you can put a wrench on. Alot of the cheap sets you can get at the auto store have this feature. Try some heat from a torch and smack it with a hammer if you could even get it in there.

Try the 25 cent trick even if you need to make a small flat spot on it to make it fit all the way in the slot. Then use a metric adjustable wrench or vice-grip to turn it. Good Luck
_________________
cars come and go, VW's live and breathe!

[ottobahn]

I just went throught the whole thermostat restore process,that oil cooler cover has to come off if you are pulling the shroud with the engine in,I did this whole process without pulling the motor. Once you get the shroud out,check around the base of the oil cooler,there is a vital tin seal that is usually missing,it's called a Hoover Bit,you can find info on this by doing a search on the internet. My engine had this piece missing and it made the motor run hotter.I'm glad I restored my thermostat,it works really well and the engine runs better with it in.

[Dazed42]