Fixing Our T-FAL Toaster (Type 87447.7)

Difficulty Level (Easy, Medium, Hard, Insane):
Easy

Process:
My wife told me the other day that our toaster had stopped working. After some investigation I found out that the toaster still did actually work, but the latch that kept the toaster engaged did not. If I pressed down on the lever that turns the toaster on, the heating element would heat up and work as expected, but as soon as I let go it would stop.

Last night I decided to take it apart and have a look at it. I hauled out the security bits I had bought a few years ago on ebay for a couple of bucks, loosened the 6 screws holding the cover together, pried off the darkness adjustment knob as well as the toaster engagement lever with my Swiss Army Knife and what I found absolutely shocked me! There must have been about 2 full cups of crumbs inside of the toaster, some of which ended up getting stuck between the electromagnet that kept the toaster handle engaged.

After cleaning it all out and blowing off the remaining crumbs in my shop with my compressor I tested it and it was back to working order.

Pictures:

The underside of the toaster with 4 of the 6 screws (in each corner) that I had to remove

The inside "mechanics" of the toaster

About a quarter of the crumbs I cleaned out of this beast

Close-up of the switches, the electromagnet and the control board

Close-up of the electromagnet

View of when the toaster is engaged

Security bits I bought on ebay

The fixed toaster

Tools:
Screwdriver
Security bit set
Swiss Army Knife
Compressor

Materials:
N/A

Cost:
$0.00

Time:
30 min

Savings:
$75.00

Conclusion:
It works great. I love being able to fix things. That’s a large part of how we can afford our life style on one income. Wouldn’t want to change a thing!