Pilot Light won't stay lit

[nutso]

I have a Whirlpool BFG flame lock water heater. Yes I know one of "those". The problem is that the pilot light won't stay lit. I read through the forum and the owners manual and was going to try a few things on my own to get it going again.

First, I was going to clean the combustion chamber and the flame-trap. I also figured I would replace the thermocouple because it was only a $6 dollar part from Lowes. I have a degree in engineering, so I think I'm a pretty handy guy, and this should be easy.

So I got started on my repair and already ran into problems. Using the manual as a guide I followed the instructions for "Removing the Manifold Assembly". I removed the 2 screws securing the manifold door and disconnected the thermocouple from the thermostat. Then I went to disconnect the manifold tube and the pilot tube. Using a wrench and a decent amount of muscle I couldn't disconnect either from the thermostat. Are these things sealed with epoxy?

Anywho I got frustrated and gave up and was going to called a repair man. I decided to put it back together but now the threads of the 2 manifold screws won't line up. I'm sooo aggravated right now.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

thanks
-nut

[jadnashua]

I seem to remember hearing that they used left-hand threads on the newer versions to preclude you from mixing them up with the older style. You may have ended up in tightening it, rather than loosening it. SOmetimes something like an awl through one set of holes can be used to align and position it to get the other screw started. Once you have one, the other is usually pretty easy.