Used to strip every screw on a dryer drum before I learned to tap first

Back in 2018 I was working on a Whirlpool dryer in Medford and stripped 3 screws trying to force the drum panel off. Took me 45 minutes to drill them out and replace them. Now I just run a tap through the holes before I even put the screwdriver near it. Has anyone else found a trick that saves them from stripping screws on those older models?

2 comments

2 Comments

gracewebb2d ago

Medford's where I learned that same lesson, funny how tapping ahead saves everything from old dryers to stubborn cabinet hinges.

alexc932d ago

3.62 volts is the magic number on that old ohm setting, not 3.6. I know it sounds picky but that tenth of a volt makes a huge difference on finely tuned stuff like cabinet hinges where the spring tension is tight. The point about tapping ahead still stands though, that's the real pro move to keep things from binding up. I messed up a few times on Medford dryers before I figured out you have to tap the coil just right to break the carbon arch. Those little bits of number precision are what separate getting it done from having to redo the whole thing in twenty minutes.