Laurie Posted April 26, 2007 Report Share Posted April 26, 2007 You don't know how close I am to screaming...... All I wanted to do was take a look inside so I can see that my wicks are doing what they are supposed to do and maybe to see why I have a weird noise and sometime vibration....... I know the screws are tight.....I took that into consideration before just going at them with a screw driver. I have read the previous posts about stripped screws and the responses. So, now I have a stripped screw. I don't know how to get it out. I don't think that after spending the $$ I spent on this machine that I should now have to run out to Sears to buy a "great set of screw extractors" to take out a screw that shouldn't have been so tight in the first place ~ especially if this is supposed to be a part of our routine maintainence. Rant over. Any help out there for me? Please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted April 26, 2007 Report Share Posted April 26, 2007 I am missing a screw on my cover plate for the exact same reason. Hubby took a small drill bit and just drilled it out of there. What a mess. Now i have an empty hole. Sort of like when you get your tires done and they put the lugnuts back on so tight that there is no way to get one off without breaking it. Husband and son say that is from overtightening, rather than properly using air tools (which they both use) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted April 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2007 The screaming has stopped.......I got out my Dremel tool and cut a groove in the screw head so I could put a flat head screw driver in it. I got the screw out. I think I may replace them all with flat head screws. Sheesh! Sorry for the rant..........sometimes I just get a little testy over things that shouldn't happen in the first place. Now, I'm off to look at the maintenence dvd to see if my insides look like they are supposed to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Stuart - APQS Service Posted April 27, 2007 Report Share Posted April 27, 2007 Just wanted to chime in here on the tight screw issue - the factory doesn't use air-powered screwdrivers on the machines - they just have cordless screwdrivers that have a clutch in them, so they stop when the screws get tight. One thing to keep in mind - for the screws on the covers, a long-handled, #2 bit screwdriver works best - you can get more torque on the screw head than using a short-handled screwdriver. The screws in the needleplate are just tightened by hand using a short #2 phillips screwdriver. I know this info doesn't help much once the screw is stripped - but it might help you to not strip them out... We do have 'tricks' we use at the factory to remove stripped screws - sometimes tapping them with a hammer will help loosen them enough - otherwise, we use a center punch and a hammer...hold the punch as close to the side of the machine as possible on the outer edge of the screw head, tap on the punch with the hammer to put a divot on the screw head, then hold the punch angled off to the right and tap with the hammer again, using the divot to push the screw and knock it loose..... It's much easier to do than it is to explain, so if that doesn't make sense, call us at the factory and we can maybe explain it a bit better!! 800-426-7233 ext 207. I may try to get that on the website sometime soon with pictures...they usually help in figuring things out!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted April 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2007 Amy - thanks for the response and solution! I know this might not make much difference but it would be nice if the screwdriver size was mentioned in the manual or on the dvd. It is very easy to strip the screw if using the wrong size screw driver. Pictures, for me, are always great!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted April 27, 2007 Report Share Posted April 27, 2007 When setting up my machine, we had to turn the machine head upside down and do something with 4 screws on the bottom. One was stripped, then the head twisted off...I left the room...DH finally lost the screw inside the machine. I was petrified to use the machine. But things are fine and no problems. We didn't have a DVD, and manual back then was poopy...At that point I wished I had never seen that machine. But all is well now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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