Tag: diy

Past the point of no return

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My Kitchenaid mixer lays disemboweled upon the dinning room table

Kitchenaid

I have since cleaned it of nasty grease, installed the new screw-drive gear, repacked it with new nasty grease, and now await the new gasket which arrives this evening.  Bob’s homemade cookie withdrawal symptoms will soon be assuaged!

ON THE VIKING FRONT

The incompetent repairman, after three weeks of unsuccessful attempts to procure the needed circuit board bulb (I called him yesterday and gave him what-for) has admitted defeat.  I advised him that I had located one at ShopJoya out of Oregon.  I asked him if he would like me to order it for him and hand deliver it when it arrived at the end of the week…

Incompetent repairman:  No, no, let me check again!

This morning early…

Incompetent repairman:  Viking still doesn’t have the item and I have searched and searched and can’t find the bulb.  Are you sure you found the correct bulb for your machine?

Me:    Yes. I have.

Incompetent repairman:    Are you sure?   Is the part number 412131201?  (Yes!) Well, if you can get it then order it.

I have and it should arrive this Saturday.

Hm…  Perhaps I should open shop as an appliance part locator and repair person?  Dunno, but it certainly has me thinking.

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NOTES:  If you follow the video on PartSelect for replacing your screw-drive gear, be advised that although it is easy, that little pin in the screw-drive rod is soft and may mushroom when you pound it out with the recommended 3/32 drift punch.  I think this happened because the drift punch from Harbor Freight wasn’t true to size.  Why do I think this?  Because the fleeping thing became wedged into the rod’s pin hole and was heck to get out.

If you should venture into this activity and don’t have a true 3/32 drift punch, then the best bet is not to buy the special drift pins and instead just buy the worm-drive installed at the factory.   (Under $10.00)   This will spare you the aggravation and language, and your heart rate will remain within normal limits.  Just three small screws and you’re home free.

Just my humble opinion.

Photo Friday: I love AutoCAD

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Wanting to make a quilting design I saw today was frustrating when I realized that the pattern was not available.

So, I started a session in Virtual PC, running a seat of WindowsXP, (*edited see explanation below)  and then cranked up an ancient version of AutoCAD.  With a bit of tutoring from Bob (he works with this stuff all the time)  I had my new Foundation Paper Piecing block!

AutoCADI printed it onto freezer paper.

Now I need to choose my fabrics and get sewing!

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*Note:  As the running of the background programs in a PC world is not my thing… Bob has advised me that I was not running DOS, I was running a virtual PC with a “seat of WinXP”.  Clear as mud; Yes?  I have corrected my error in nomenclature above.  😛

Oh dear, she’s doing it again!

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So it’s 4:00 AM on Saturday morning and I am once again unable to sleep.  I go to the kitchen to make coffee and want my favorite coffee mug.  Realizing it is in the dishwasher I reach for the handle and…

snAP, cracKLE, CLICK-rattle, roll…

The handle has broken.  The strange noises I can hear inside the door are the little plastic bits that once held the door latch in place.

Bummer.

You see, without the door handle working properly the door latch won’t let me in.  A broken door latch won’t let the dishwasher run either.  I find a screwdriver, and then carefully wriggle it in between the broken latch and the control panel cover.  Finding the stuck latch I am able to pry it to the open position and retrieve my mug.

I take my hard-earned cup-a-joe to the computer and begin shopping for a new dishwasher. After all, I have grumbled at that dishwasher plenty of times because it doesn’t have all the features my old one had… The one I bought on a teacher’s salary, when I lived in California.  When I could afford it…

HA!  I bought my first car for less than what they want for a decent dishwasher on sale!   Jeezelouize!

Quickly getting over the need to buy a new dishwasher I went to my new, and favorite, online fix it your own self parts dealer.  There I typed in the magic model numbers and

Voila!

My part instantly came into view complete with instructions and a video to show me how to do it myself!  😀

BROKEN PART

NEW PART

The new part complete with handle/latch assembly installed.  Trust me, I appreciated not having to do that myself!

Plugging in the new assembly I then placed it back into the door and screwed down the inside panel.

Now, I walked over to the breaker box (it’s in the wall in my kitchen… don’t know why) and holding my breath I switched on the breaker…  NOTHING.   In other words there were no Frankenstein’s monster, electrical pulsing sounds, with blue flashes and flames coming out of the front panel on the dishwasher!!!

Whew.

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Cost to fix? 

$23.65  

Time to fix?

15 minutes!

Oh yes, and before I post this… Let me introduce you to Steve of PartSelect…

My Hero!   I highly recommend him.

😉

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As per usual, this is not a paid endorsement.  I just appreciate this company and how much time and money they have saved me so far!  They helped me fix my dryer too!  Look HERE!