Rusted igniter bolts in Magic Chef/Maytag gas range

My Magic Chef range model number CGR3760ADW is manufactured by Maytag. The symptom I was encountering was that when starting to bake, the igniter takes a long time to warm up, and thereby there's a delay in the gas being ignited. I have a replacement igniter in my hand and theoretically it should be a simple job There are 2 screws with hex heads securing the old igniter, see first pic below. When I tried removing the first screw with a hex socket, it started off easy and then I encountered resistance. Ultimately, the screw head broke off and it was a pain trying to remove the remaining screw from the part containing the threads, see 2nd pic. I started removing the 2nd screw and I encountered resistance there as well. I'm afraid that will break off as well. Is it safe to spray WD-40 on the threads as the residue may be flammable and reach spots where it shouldn't? Another important question is what kind of replacement screws to get? Home Depot carried 2 types of screws. The stainless steel ones (which I like) but carried Philips head (which I don't like, because removal a few years down the road may be an issue). They did carry hex head zinc screws. However, I don't know the heat resistance of zinc and its ability to withstand temps in the oven. It is not possible to tell the original material of the screws because they've turned brown, being so close to ignited gas. Any suggestions I can get on easy removal of the 2nd screw and types of replacement screws to use will be appreciated.

 

I'm a little late to this party.

Those screws will be basic zinc. They were not chosen with an eye for replacement. I would opt for a stainless steel screw. You'd be better off checking at an Ace or local hardware store for better screw choices.

WD-40...... meh. An actual rust eater would work better. I carry Liquid Wrench in a squirt bottle.
Use what you have. Saturate a q-tip and then just dab it on.

 

PJmax, thanks for the tips. I'll try PB Blaster which might work better than WD-40.

 

Replace with a smaller diameter SS bolts and nuts. Use bolts with hex head.

 

I was able to get stainless steel hex head screws from Ace hardware and I completed the repair. With the new igniter it took only 37 seconds for gas to be ignited. I tried baking a cheesecake and it turned out nice. Thanks for all the replies.

 

Thanks for letting us know how you made out.

We'll be looking for