Dryer Door Screws (No Rockets)

[atxcple]

3n1 oil the right driver and a hammer is the best for stuck fasteners. a quick tap as your turning

all of you former military types like me know the perrils of CARC painted screws cant count the number i popped the head off with a chisle on 15 - 60kw gens just becouse the paint would not let go of its death grip

[Ironnerd88]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.... Wait!

I used to actually repair Dyers in a previous life -- and airplanes...[shrug] If you posted something here that is the same as what I post - I am agreeing with you.

1: Reed & Prince screws are pointy, Phillips are kinda blunt.

2: Use the correctly sized Phillips tip. (Vermont American has nice ones that won't cam-out [slip out] of a screw head)

3: Slightly tighten a stuck screw first (so it JUST moves). If you have a speed handle (looks like an auger or brace-and-bit), us it. Wiggle it counter clockwise and clockwise to free up the screw.

4: Stay away from WD-40! It makes the head slippery too.

5: If the head of the screw is getting worn, stuff it with a paste made of scouring powder and water - nice and thick, like toothpaste.

6: An impact hammer on a Dyer door will dent the door. They're pretty thin.

7: You MIGHT try a blow-dryer. Some of the screws have loc-tite and the heat can soften it a little.

8: By two new hinges and two sets of screws and drill the heads off of the old old screws and grind them down flush.

[JAL3]

And now the results of my excursion into the world of ME:

I went out to get a new phillips head screwdriver. It was IDed in the manual as a #1 phillips head. While at Lowes, I also got some "penetratring oil". I don't recall the brand; it was what they had.

While out, my 5 month old car battery failed me. It took a while to get a jump because my cables are short and, without battery power, the hydraulic cylinder from the brake line would not engage and let me put the transmission into neutral. When the guy parked across from me finally came out, I got jumped and started.

While waiting, though, I had a call from SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED (current edition) wondering what was taking so long. I explained the situation to her and her only reply was to warn me not to make noise when I got home because Stacey is taking a nap in the den. I agreed to work on the pool filter first... after I stopped by Auto Zone.

Auto Zone changed my battery, I went home, quietly shot the offending screws with the oil and went out to clean the filter. When I got done, the head drama queen was still ensconced in the arms of Morpheus on the couch so I came back to my office to check bus schedules for tomorrow, an atypical day.

I had gotten most of the schedule figured out when the doorbell rang waking up SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED (in training). It turned out to be my younger nephew. I raised him for 12 years. He just graduated from diesel mechanics school last spring and landed a job that has me envious. He popped in for a visit.

While he was here, he helped me diagnose my brake problem, get the pesky weed eater from hell working again. I thanked him, treated him to a pitcher of tea and listened to him and SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED (current edition) tell each other stories of my past deeds of valor.

While they were talking, I went to see if the new screwdriver and oil had any effect on the dryer door. One screw was marginally looser. The other three seemed hopeless.

My nephew wandered in. I told him what was going on and he said he would be right back. He came back in with an "impact" driver and got the screws out. Upon examination, he said I was lucky they had come out. 3 of the four had been cross threaded and were ruined.

He then helped me finish the job and provided three needed screws from his truck (his company gives him a tool truck with compressor, crane and storage bins full of supplies. he supplies his own tools.)

Of the three kids, he is the one who has actually used his education. The older boy's psychology degree has qualified him to flip burgers for McDonalds. My niece has not managed to complete anything she started and is dangerously close to running out of the money I set aside for her education. Wolfie, though, had a goal and saw it through,. I'm proud of him.

It's hard to believe that he is the same boy who, as a cub scout, managed to do more damage to the USS Lexington than the Imperial Japanese Navy managed in a world war. He's also the kid who broke my organ, my tommy-lift, just about every tool I ever owned etc, etc, etc. He liked to disassemble things but could seldom put them back together. He also never encountered a warning sign of the "do not flip this switch" variety that did not intrigue him to the point of "flipping the switch".

I love all three of the kids and raised them for 12 years. Wolfie did more than his share to give me gray hair and cause the non-gray ones to fall out. Strangely enough, he was the "quiet one".

He was worried when he got out of high school since I was the one who administered the college trusts. He thought that an over-educated bum like me would be mad about his not wanting to go to college and wanting to go to a trade school instead. I told him that was not the case. I wanted him to be educated and able to provide a living for himself and to be happy with whatever calling he followed. He chose diesel mechanics.

It was nice to remind him today that "trade school" diploma certainly seems to be working out better for him than my 8 bachelors and 3 masters are currently working out for me. I asked him to remember me kindly when he and SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED (current edition and designate) get around to choosing my nursing him.

PS: SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED is pleased with the door reversal on the dryer.

[GDJ]

Glad it all worked out in the end. A hell of a job tho'!

[Ironnerd88]

WOW! Awesome story! I have had a few days like that. Glad you got the screws out. STRIPPED SCREWS? That's some serous quality control

About your Nephew:

It's hard to believe that he is the same boy who, as a cub scout, managed to do more damage to the USS Lexington than the Imperial Japanese Navy managed in a world war. He's also the kid who broke my organ, my tommy-lift, just about every tool I ever owned etc, etc, etc. He liked to disassemble things but could seldom put them back together. He also never encountered a warning sign of the "do not flip this switch" variety that did not intrigue him to the point of "flipping the switch".

He sounds like every good mechanic I've ever met. As a Diesel Mechanic, can he work on Railroad Locomotives? That would be a pretty cool gig.

Glad it all managed to work out for you.

[doubletrouble3769]

A snap on posi-drive screwdriver grips the toughest screws. It will also have a hexagon section on the shaft so you can put a wrench on it. WD-40 is great if the screws are rusted in. But, you said this was new and I wouldn't bother with it, it will just be messy. An impact driver could work but, you will have to support the backside really well or you will bend the sheet metal. Good luck.

[JAL3]

WOW! Awesome story! I have had a few days like that. Glad you got the screws out. STRIPPED SCREWS? That's some serous quality control

About your Nephew:


He sounds like every good mechanic I've ever met. As a Diesel Mechanic, can he work on Railroad Locomotives? That would be a pretty cool gig.

Glad it all managed to work out for you.

I don't know what he "can" work on. The company he works for specializes in oil field equipment. Somehow, in that company, they decided to send him to an advanced school next month to learn about fork lifts. I assume they mean the all terrain kind like a Lull.