Pro tip: I tried a new way to get a stuck dryer drum off and it was a joke

Had a stubborn Whirlpool dryer in the shop yesterday, the drum wouldn't budge. I spent about 45 minutes trying to pry it with a flat bar, getting nowhere. My buddy walked over, grabbed a can of penetrating oil and a rubber mallet, tapped the spindle twice, and the whole thing slid right off. It took him maybe 90 seconds. What's your go-to method for a seized drum that actually works?

2 comments

2 Comments

chen.phoenix24d ago

Tell me about it, I've been there. I fought with a drum for an hour once, sweating and swearing, before I gave up and called my uncle. He shows up, heats the spindle with a little propane torch for maybe thirty seconds, gives it a solid tap with a hammer, and it pops free like magic. Sometimes you just need the right trick to break that rust bond loose.

lisak1424d agoTop Commenter

Read a forum post where a guy was stuck on a frozen brake caliper bolt. He soaked it in penetrating oil for two days with no luck. Someone told him to try tightening it just a tiny bit first, to crack the rust seal, before trying to loosen it. He said it worked on the first try. Heat and shock usually do it, but that reverse-tighten trick seems like another good one for the toolbox.