Harmon Advance baffle center lock stud broken

[flashbang]

Any advice how to fix? Is it a bolt or a welded stud?

 

[crausch]

I am not completely sure but I think it is a bolt. The reason I say this is mine seemed to be loose. I tried to tighten the nut with some pliers and the whole thing turned. That leads me to believe that it is not a welded stud. I have not tried to get to the back side of it yet.

Are those pics from your stove? Man...that is one clean stove. Looks brand new.

 

[flashbang]

No, not my stove. Good info that sounds promising. I think one would have to remove the hopper to get to the back of the bolt, but maybe not.

 

[crausch]

As much as I like my stove, I find it strange the way those top panels just kind of sit there, only held back by that swivel latch. The reason I tried to tighten mine is when I last cleaned the stove and replaced the panel, it seemed to be sitting in place very loose and kept rattling. I thought that if I tightened the swivel latch it would hold it in place better. But as I mentioned, the entire screw/stud turned and I was unable to tighten it. It is not rattling now but if it starts I will contact the dealer about how to tighten the nut. In the mean time I guess I could put a quarter bewtween it and the panel to snug it up.

 

[Bxpellet]

Mine broke off last winter, same problem I thought if I tighten it the panels would stop rattling, It broke in half, so I took the piece that swings put it on a grinder and made the top section thinner, Then I was able to put the nut back on and get a few turns out of it, Now when I remove the panels I losing it 1 turn just enough to let it swing, so far so good!

 

[flashbang]

Fixed it myself. Harmon will not repair the broken stud as they claim the nut should not be turned, just the center lock should be moved. My take is that it is impossible to remove the stud being it is behind a welded plate which is part of the stove and after the plate is welded during the manufacturing process the game is over. Bad engineering on this idea.
This is what I did to fix my $3500.00 Gold warranty stove. Grind what is left of the stud flush with a dremel moto tool. Drill a new hole directly beneath the stud. Tap with a 1/4"X20 tap, cut a 1/4" bolt with 1 1" threads off, used a locking nut (one that is crimped,not nylon),thread nut on till 1/8" or so threads go past the nut and thread the stud through the center lock. It looks like the factory stud and this will not void the super dupper Harmon Gold warranty should you need it for anything other then a broken center lock stud.

This whole thing left a bad taste for me and I will never by a Harmon product again.
Hope that this can help someone.

 

[crausch]

I am glad to hear you got it fixed. Given how easy it must be to break these things, I have elected to leave mine alone for right now. I currently have a piece of metal bracket wedged in behind mine to keep it tight. I might be trying your method of repair soon if the heat keeps causing the lock to loosen.

Thanks for the update and info.!

 

[namz111]

Kinda glad my advance1 dont have that setup looks like a problem just waiting to happen.. I would rather just brush behind it.