I recently bought a shag rug for my living room. Not realizing that the motor/actuator for my electric recliner sat directly over the floor, the fibers got caught in the actuator which is now seized and no longer functions. The motor is still fine, however, so if I could find a way to dissolve the polyester fibers and clean up the actuator I could get it working without having to buy a $170 replacement.
For further clarification, the actuator is a large metal screw with a plastic piece that fits over it like a ring on a finger. The plastic piece gets bolted to the recliner’s internal hardware. The only other way to “fix” it that I can think of is to break off the plastic piece but I am unable to find a replacement part.
Can you reach into it with a sharp tool and physically cut the fibers?
Unfortunately no, the plastic part is very tight around the screw. It’s about three inches long and I’m sure the fibers are stuck across the entire length
Yes but that might not matter. It may only be sticking because the fibers are wrapped tight around the plastic part and the screw creating a lock through that tension. Cut through all the fibers wrapping round the screw and plastic part half way across. So there are fibers running in the gap and out both sides. Then start pulling at them with pliers. Some should come out. They must be able to move within that join or it would have jammed up as soon as the fibers started to enter. Rather than wrapping them round and round and then stopping.
Also unless you know exactly which plastic that ring is made from don’t try chemicals on it. As you’ve no idea of the damage it might do to it.