Truss rod cover screw snapped off

thermionic

https://i.imgur.com/IKgRGxx.jpg

Checking the relief on my Taylor and there was a bit too much so gave the truss rod a quarter-turn tweak. When I came to replace the screws I noticed one was shorter than the other. About 3mm of the lower screw has snapped off in the hole. It’s a tiny hole so no chance of getting anything in there to grab it. The stump of the screw is in there now but there’s nothing much holding it in. Not a major problem really, but wondering if there might be a trick to getting the snapped off tip of the screw out?

ICBM

Which one is it? If it's the one nearest the nut you might be seeing the truss rod not the broken end of the screw at the bottom of the hole - they're sometimes intentionally shortened to fit in that position.

thermionic

It is the lower one and I did think (hope) that one of the screws could have been shorter for that very reason, but unfortunately, inspection with a magnifying glass confirms that the pointy tip has snapped off. I tried the other screw in the lower hole but it bottoms out because the hole is now 3mm shallower.

The remains of the snapped screw is in there now as you can see in the photo but there is not enough thread to keep it secure (it turns a bit too freely). I suppose if I could get a similar screw but the same length as the snapped off screw remaining, I could do the matchstick and wood glue trick.

ICBM

thermionic said:

The remains of the snapped screw is in there now as you can see in the photo but there is not enough thread to keep it secure (it turns a bit too freely). I suppose if I could get a similar screw but the same length as the snapped off screw remaining, I could do the matchstick and wood glue trick.

You could do that anyway - the broken screw is actually better than using a shorter one since the thread will go all the way to the end.

thermionic

I think I will try that. It's hardly a load-bearing screw, just annoying! I think I've only had to remove that cover 2 or 3 times in 20 years.

Soupman

As you say, it's not taking any weight. Another alternative to the matchstick could be a couple of turns of PTFE plumber's tape round the thread.