Does this look right??

Hi guys,
I have a John Deere Pellet stove which for all purposes is really a St. Croix Prescott and have noticed lately that the shaker plate has been a problem either getting it out or getting it in. For the winter it was easy and sat nicely on top of that rod. Today I couldn't get it to sit on that plate properly and noticed a lot of ash sitting in the pot before I cleaned it. When I opened up the side I saw that the ash grate motor had a screw out and that the motor was sitting crooked. So I screwed it back in place with the cam sitting inside the cage weldment. Talk about a round plug in a square hole!! When I turned the stove back on and watched it I realized that the cam is oval and moves around that square hole moving that rod in and out.

The question I want to know is, was this the correct way to fix it? See photo.

Just had to ask the folks that KNOW!
(Or else there is no sleeping tonight). And don't laugh, we're supposed to get snow this week!

Remove the screws that hold the motor in place (one at a time), and apply a few drops of Loctite Thread Locker Blue 242 to the screw threads, and re assemble. It will hold the screw in place, but will allow disassembly with hand tools.

www.loctiteproducts.com/p/10/15/t_lkr_blue/overview/Loctite-Threadlocker-Blue-242.htm

Is there any carbon on the Versa Grate? Everything will slide easier when cleaned. Also secure all hardware as imacman said. Hopefully someone with a St. Croix that has had this issue, comes along soon.

Thanks for the recommendation & link. I'll check it out.
nancy

Are you asking if I've applied graphite to the rod? I haven't applied anything to anything. Probably some of this is my fault as when the shaker plate has been sticking I've been rather persistent and aggressive in trying to get it out and may have loosened the screw that held the motor. Now that I've had a look at the parts and connections, I'll know what's going on if it happens again. I've had the stove running since my initial post and there doesn't appear to be a problem. There also isn't that ash buildup in the grate that was there before - perhaps because the rod is moving the shaker plate the way it was supposed to.
nancy