replacing tail light bulbs

Hi folks -

How can I remove the tail light assembly to replace a turn signal lamp on my wife's 1999 Escort?

I have read answers to this question on other threads.
Everyone says to take out the 2 screws and JUST pull out the tail light assembly. Sounds simple.
I referenced the manual on this and it said to remove the screws and hit the light assembly by hand up against the side of the car because there are hidden clips holding it on. This didn't work. While trying to pry it off by hand it looks like the backup lamp is protruding down beneath the bumper area and stopping it from coming out.

How can I do this? None of the tips are working at sliding the light out.
I really want to avoid a repair shop for something so simple. We couldn't figure out how to replace the headlight, after buying the replacement bulbs... ended up paying $30 for this simple procedure.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Mark

Take out the 2 screws. Hit the back of the lens with the palm of your hand in a motion towards the side of the car as you are hitting it. You don't hit it on the side of the lens. You hit it in the back with a motion towards the side. The reason for this is that there is a pin that is tapered towards the rear of the light on the side. That's why you can't simply pull out the side of the lens to disconnect it. If it doesn't pop off the first time hit it again with a little more force. It should pop right off.
The backup light isn't connected to it in any way .

Thanks Davescort97,
I tried that many times on Sunday. The exact motion you describe. It just won't come out. I'm no weekling and I understand brute force isn't needed here but I tried so many times that my hand hurts. I'm wondering if the clip is kind of crusted up and not releasing properly.

Well, I'll keep trying before I give Joe at the gas station 30 bucks.

Thanks

Take the carpet loose on the sides of the trunk and see if you can get the clip off of the pin holding the brake light assembly on. Like you say, it may be corroded.

Davescort97 -

I have peeled the carpet and other liner back and I saw 2 nylon pins coming through the body. No clips on the pins, they look like
cone shaped - "force fit expanders". I guess I could smack them back through, but I am afraid of breaking them. Maybe I'll try squeezing them with pliers and see if they push through.

However; these "pins" can in no way be what the manual and you refer to as a fastener that only needs a smack backwards against the body to release. These things are really forced through the body.
This is a real pisser. It should be so easy. My crappy '97 KIA Sportage has a better manual than Ford gave us with this Escort.

Thanks for your continued attention to my post.

Mark

Thanks for coming back on it. I'm wondering if maybe the car has been wrecked and had the funny fasteners put on by a body shop. Have you owned it since it was new? Squeeze the little rascals with a pair of needle nose pliers and see if they will tap back out with a hammer and punch. Gee! This is the wierdest thing I've heard of in a long time. Dave

Davescort97 -

We bought the car used 2 years ago. I'm no body shop guy, but judging from the interior of the trunk space under the carpet it looks like factory paint. It's too good to be from a body shop.

I call upon past experience when my insurance took the only quote out of 5 shops that said my 3 week old Porche914 was totaled. When I got the car back 6 months later one of the many things wrong with it was the trunk and storage compartment paint job. I had originally paid $600 more for orange peel black and the inside was a joke.

So the sign of body work would be evident to me.

I wish I had a digital camera to show these pins... because I just cannot believe that this whacking of the light lense could release them.

Later on,
Mark

Davescort97 -

Just to let you know...
I was able to replace the tail light by using a bent needle nose on the nylon fasteners; sqeezed them down and hammered them through and out poped the tail light assembly. Switched out bulbs and viola!

The Ford manual is way off base on this year's model. There is no way what I did could be accomplished by a smack of the hand on the outside of the lense.

Thanks for your concern Dave.

Mark

I'm glad you got them off. All's well that ends well.

I am having the same problem on my 98 escort. The manual is no help what so ever. They make it sound like you just remove the lens. It says nothing about those retarded plastic pins. Why didn't they make the bulb accessible from the hole in the body of the car? My old thunderbird was that way and it was really convenient.

I just did what you said and (once I figured out what motion and direction you meant about hitting the lens) it worked like a charm.