I have a Polaris 280 and one of the two screws that holds one of the wheels on is stripped.
The problem is that the brass grommets eventually loosen from where they are embedded in the frame, likely from galvanic corrosion, especially in a salt pool. The grommets are what the two axle bolts attach to, and the axle is what the single white plastic screw attaches the wheel to.Glue ain't gonna cut it here. So to fix this the right way that will last, first go to your favorite hardware store and buy:1) size 10-32 1.5 (1 1/2) inch long stainless steel bolts, 2 of them2) size 10-32 stainless steel nuts to fit the bolts (2 of these also), and also get 2 stainless steel washers that are about the same size as the nuts, along with 2 #10 stainless steel lock washers.Now loosen the blue top cover, held in place by one single phillips boltTurn the vacuum over and take off the bottom cover, held in place by 2 phillips bolts. The idler wheel will come off with it.If you have already removed the axle, you can see the two divots where the brass grommets were embedded. On the other side of the frame from these divots you can see two blank circles, where the bolts would come through if you poked them through the grommet holes and they were long enough.Use a drill to bore a hole through these two blank circles. Drill bit size is just a scosh larger than the bolts you bought.Now run the new bolts in place of the two old axle bolts, the bolts will go down through the axle flange (don't forget the flat rectangular metal piece) and on the other side of the rectangular black plastic axle flange you will spin the old brass grommets. Tighten until the grommets are good and tight against the axle flange. This step happens before trying to attach the axle flange back to the frame, and the axle flange should now look just like it did when you noticed it had come off in the first place, but now the bolts are longer than they were initially.Put the flange back where it would have attached to the frame before -- the two brass grommets will fit back down inside their holes. Remember that as you put the wheel back in place the drive gear needs to fit against the inner toothed surface of the wheel. But protruding down through the grommets and out the underside of the frame through the holes you drilled will be the ends of the longer bolts that you have replaced for the shorter old ones.To the end of these bolts attach 1) washer, then 2) lock washer, then 3) nut. Finger tighten both, then tighten both down with a size 10 (metric) wrench.Replace the bottom cover. There is enough room inside the bottom cover that the new longer bolt ends won't hit anything even though they protrude. Replace the top cover.Throw the polaris back in the pool and smile as it scampers around, knowing that you spent $5 in bolts to fix it rather than buying a $120 new frame.
7/24/2021 4:27:57 PM •
Pool & Spa
•
Answered
on Jul 24, 2021