Again this is another reason to remove the strings from your instrument. It keep less pressure off the pickguard and trying to clear it from under the strings that are usually not loose enough to begin with. If you need to remove Stratocaster pickguards often, I would suggest putting a fine piece of masking tape around the edge of the flatwork where the magnet wire wraps around the edge of the flatwork. Sometimes these fine wires get broken and cause the pickup to fail. Just take it slow and don’t pry on anything that could damage other parts. I’ve seen bent connections on lever switches that have shorted out with others.