The handle on the oven of my Kenmore 790.94452700 (made by Frigidaire) comes loose every month or so after tightening it. The screw on the left side loosens up, while the right side screw is fine.
I have checked the plastic insert that the screw threads go into, and there are no cracks or damage that I can see.
The handle part number is 316443601.
I have tried putting teflon tape on the threads to enlarge the end, and even put some high temperature glue on the threads to keep the screw from loosening, but to no avail.
My next thoughts are to use a screw that is about 1/4" longer and use a lock washer to get a better grip , or to use the carpenter’s trick of inserting a small toothpick into the plastic screw hole to put more tension on the screw when tightened.
This situation does represent a possible hazard when opening the oven door and the handle comes loose from it.
Any thoughts or previous experience with this issue?
We have experienced the problem with the loose handle on our Kenmore range oven door for the last four years. Tightening it several times a week. Poor engineering seems to be the problem, Metal screws heated by the oven inserted into a plastic screw hole. The forums I visited suggest the problem hasn’t been corrected on replacement handles.
I encountered what seems to be a no cost solution while browsing through an old, old edition of Popular Mechanics Magazine. The writer suggested when dealing with screws that were stripped out to take some braided copper wire from like a 16 gauge extension cord. Strip off the insulation , unbraid the wire, and insert it into the screw hole, then tighten the screw.
I tried this several months ago and to my amazement I have not had to tightened the handle on the oven again in that time.
Seems to be working for me!
