Went from a 45-minute dryer fix to 3 hours thanks to a stripped screw

I had this dryer in Des Moines, you know the one where the drum belt snapped? Normally those are 45 minutes tops, I've done a hundred of them. But this time, someone before me had stripped out one of the front panel screws (probably used a hex bit on a cross-head, ugh). Spent 2 hours drilling it out and retapping the hole, and then another 30 minutes just to get the new belt on because I was so frustrated. Has anyone else run into a simple job that turned into a nightmare over something stupid like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

amy_martin7d ago

Did you try using a left-handed drill bit first?

ivan_harris7d ago

My buddy runs a machine shop and swore by left-handed bits for years, I always thought he was overcomplicating it. Tried one last week on a snapped bolt in a truck frame and it backed right out without even needing an extractor. Honestly, I was dead wrong about them being useless.