On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 10:20:49 PM UTC-4, wrote:
> I could not find any description of the problem or a solution, so I thought
> I would post my experience here. I am not cool enough to create an
> Instructable. It is on topic because we bring raw food home in a cooler,
> and take cooked food to friends and picnics in coolers.
>
> The problem is that the lid will suddenly swing open, especially when
> carrying the top-button Playmate cooler. The root cause is a spring
> that has lost its zing.
>
> Carrying produce back from the farmers' market when the lid suddenly
> swings open and dumps its contents on the ground is intolerable.
>
> The lid is held closed by an L-shaped lever that sticks a rectangular
> tab into a vertical groove on one end of the cooler -- the end adjacent
> to the push-button. The lever is kept in place by a compression spring
> between this lever and the lid. The spring fits over a pin on the
> closure lever and fits into a pocket mounted on the lid itself.
>
> When the push-button is depressed, it pushes against the bottom of
> the L-lever, compressing the spring, which makes the rectangular tab
> recede from the groove, allowing the lid to rotate open.
>
> When the push-button is released, when the lid is rotated back to
> vertical the spring presses against the L which forces the tab back
> into the groove.
>
> When the spring has lost its zing, the weight of food in the
> cooler will let the lid open.
>
> To replace the spring, you must pry off the caps on either side of
> the lid, unscrew the screws, and pull off the lid. Then you must
> pry up and rip off the part of the lid foam that covers the mechanism.
>
> From inside, squeeze the sides of the push-button nearest the end of the
> lid, push in, and pull out the push button. Then remove the lever and
> take the spring to a hardware store. You want the same diameter spring
> (so that it will fit over the pin) with a little more oomph. I was
> able to find a spring slightly longer, with a slightly smaller inside
> diameter, that I was still able to twist on the pin with the help of
> pliers.
>
> Then I replaced the L-lever,with the spring between lever pin and
> lid pocket. While holding this in place, I reseated the push-button,
> first at the lid end and then at the far end.
>
> Screwing the lid back in place and popping the endcaps back on, I
> tried it out. It appears to be secure, but I will have to verify
> in actual use.
>
> If this does the trick, I will glue the piece of lid foam I broke off
> with Great Stuff polyurethane foam.

Great post! This was just what my broken cooler needed for another ten years of use.
Thanks,
Matt

Get a bungee cord...they come in "short"....to hold it closed.

N.

I just use a big styrofoam cooler.

On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 6:39:40 PM UTC-10, wrote:
> On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 8:30:26 PM UTC-7, John Kuthe wrote:
> > On Sun, 20 Sep 2015 20:23:26 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > > wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > wrote in message
> > ...
> > >>I could not find any description of the problem or a solution, so I thought
> > >> I would post my experience here. I am not cool enough to create an
> > >> Instructable. It is on topic because we bring raw food home in a cooler,
> > >> and take cooked food to friends and picnics in coolers.
> > >>
> > >> The problem is that the lid will suddenly swing open, especially when
> > >> carrying the top-button Playmate cooler. The root cause is a spring
> > >> that has lost its zing.
> > >>
> > >> Carrying produce back from the farmers' market when the lid suddenly
> > >> swings open and dumps its contents on the ground is intolerable.
> > >>
> > >> The lid is held closed by an L-shaped lever that sticks a rectangular
> > >> tab into a vertical groove on one end of the cooler -- the end adjacent
> > >> to the push-button. The lever is kept in place by a compression spring
> > >> between this lever and the lid. The spring fits over a pin on the
> > >> closure lever and fits into a pocket mounted on the lid itself.
> > >>
> > >> When the push-button is depressed, it pushes against the bottom of
> > >> the L-lever, compressing the spring, which makes the rectangular tab
> > >> recede from the groove, allowing the lid to rotate open.
> > >>
> > >> When the push-button is released, when the lid is rotated back to
> > >> vertical the spring presses against the L which forces the tab back
> > >> into the groove.
> > >>
> > >> When the spring has lost its zing, the weight of food in the
> > >> cooler will let the lid open.
> > >>
> > >> To replace the spring, you must pry off the caps on either side of
> > >> the lid, unscrew the screws, and pull off the lid. Then you must
> > >> pry up and rip off the part of the lid foam that covers the mechanism.
> > >>
> > >> From inside, squeeze the sides of the push-button nearest the end of the
> > >> lid, push in, and pull out the push button. Then remove the lever and
> > >> take the spring to a hardware store. You want the same diameter spring
> > >> (so that it will fit over the pin) with a little more oomph. I was
> > >> able to find a spring slightly longer, with a slightly smaller inside
> > >> diameter, that I was still able to twist on the pin with the help of
> > >> pliers.
> > >>
> > >> Then I replaced the L-lever,with the spring between lever pin and
> > >> lid pocket. While holding this in place, I reseated the push-button,
> > >> first at the lid end and then at the far end.
> > >>
> > >> Screwing the lid back in place and popping the endcaps back on, I
> > >> tried it out. It appears to be secure, but I will have to verify
> > >> in actual use.
> > >>
> > >> If this does the trick, I will glue the piece of lid foam I broke off
> > >> with Great Stuff polyurethane foam.
> > >
> > >Why don't you just buy a new one? They're cheap, especially this time of
> > >the year. Most places have them on clearance. They're not meant to be
> > >repaired. Do they even make that kind any more? I think I had one years
> > >ago. No longer have it. I mostly use soft sided bags now as they take up
> > >less room.
> >
> > Yep, we live in a disposable world anymore. Pretty disgusting! :-(
> >
>
> Igloo makes and sells replacement parts for its other coolers, which
> I have used to keep otherwise perfectly good coolers out of the landfill,
> at a fraction of the price of a new one. Try West Marine for hinges,
> clasps, and drain plugs for their larger coolers.
>
> In fact, they sell replacement springs for their other model Playmate,
> online. This persuaded me that there must be a way to repair it, if
> I could only take it apart.
>
> If I can keep a useful item going for only 75 cents plus a squirt of
> glue, I will.

In a few years, you'll just print yourself a replacement part. My guess is that everybody is going to be making replacement parts for the things they own. They'll be able to modify that cooler to be exactly what they need it to be. Is this a cool world or what?

On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 13:56:15 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 >
wrote:

> On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 6:39:40 PM UTC-10, wrote:
> > On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 8:30:26 PM UTC-7, John Kuthe wrote:
> > > On Sun, 20 Sep 2015 20:23:26 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > > > wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > >>I could not find any description of the problem or a solution, so I thought
> > > >> I would post my experience here. I am not cool enough to create an
> > > >> Instructable. It is on topic because we bring raw food home in a cooler,
> > > >> and take cooked food to friends and picnics in coolers.
> > > >>
> > > >> The problem is that the lid will suddenly swing open, especially when
> > > >> carrying the top-button Playmate cooler. The root cause is a spring
> > > >> that has lost its zing.
> > > >>
> > > >> Carrying produce back from the farmers' market when the lid suddenly
> > > >> swings open and dumps its contents on the ground is intolerable.
> > > >>
> > > >> The lid is held closed by an L-shaped lever that sticks a rectangular
> > > >> tab into a vertical groove on one end of the cooler -- the end adjacent
> > > >> to the push-button. The lever is kept in place by a compression spring
> > > >> between this lever and the lid. The spring fits over a pin on the
> > > >> closure lever and fits into a pocket mounted on the lid itself.
> > > >>
> > > >> When the push-button is depressed, it pushes against the bottom of
> > > >> the L-lever, compressing the spring, which makes the rectangular tab
> > > >> recede from the groove, allowing the lid to rotate open.
> > > >>
> > > >> When the push-button is released, when the lid is rotated back to
> > > >> vertical the spring presses against the L which forces the tab back
> > > >> into the groove.
> > > >>
> > > >> When the spring has lost its zing, the weight of food in the
> > > >> cooler will let the lid open.
> > > >>
> > > >> To replace the spring, you must pry off the caps on either side of
> > > >> the lid, unscrew the screws, and pull off the lid. Then you must
> > > >> pry up and rip off the part of the lid foam that covers the mechanism.
> > > >>
> > > >> From inside, squeeze the sides of the push-button nearest the end of the
> > > >> lid, push in, and pull out the push button. Then remove the lever and
> > > >> take the spring to a hardware store. You want the same diameter spring
> > > >> (so that it will fit over the pin) with a little more oomph. I was
> > > >> able to find a spring slightly longer, with a slightly smaller inside
> > > >> diameter, that I was still able to twist on the pin with the help of
> > > >> pliers.
> > > >>
> > > >> Then I replaced the L-lever,with the spring between lever pin and
> > > >> lid pocket. While holding this in place, I reseated the push-button,
> > > >> first at the lid end and then at the far end.
> > > >>
> > > >> Screwing the lid back in place and popping the endcaps back on, I
> > > >> tried it out. It appears to be secure, but I will have to verify
> > > >> in actual use.
> > > >>
> > > >> If this does the trick, I will glue the piece of lid foam I broke off
> > > >> with Great Stuff polyurethane foam.
> > > >
> > > >Why don't you just buy a new one? They're cheap, especially this time of
> > > >the year. Most places have them on clearance. They're not meant to be
> > > >repaired. Do they even make that kind any more? I think I had one years
> > > >ago. No longer have it. I mostly use soft sided bags now as they take up
> > > >less room.
> > >
> > > Yep, we live in a disposable world anymore. Pretty disgusting! :-(
> > >
> >
> > Igloo makes and sells replacement parts for its other coolers, which
> > I have used to keep otherwise perfectly good coolers out of the landfill,
> > at a fraction of the price of a new one. Try West Marine for hinges,
> > clasps, and drain plugs for their larger coolers.
> >
> > In fact, they sell replacement springs for their other model Playmate,
> > online. This persuaded me that there must be a way to repair it, if
> > I could only take it apart.
> >
> > If I can keep a useful item going for only 75 cents plus a squirt of
> > glue, I will.
>
> In a few years, you'll just print yourself a replacement part. My guess is that everybody is going to be making replacement parts for the things they own. They'll be able to modify that cooler to be exactly what they need it to be. Is this a cool world or what?

Who's going to replace it for them?

--

sf

On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 12:47:31 PM UTC-10, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 13:56:15 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 <dsi1>
> wrote:
>
> > On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 6:39:40 PM UTC-10, wrote:
> > > On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 8:30:26 PM UTC-7, John Kuthe wrote:
> > > > On Sun, 20 Sep 2015 20:23:26 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > wrote in message
> > > > ...
> > > > >>I could not find any description of the problem or a solution, so I thought
> > > > >> I would post my experience here. I am not cool enough to create an
> > > > >> Instructable. It is on topic because we bring raw food home in a cooler,
> > > > >> and take cooked food to friends and picnics in coolers.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> The problem is that the lid will suddenly swing open, especially when
> > > > >> carrying the top-button Playmate cooler. The root cause is a spring
> > > > >> that has lost its zing.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Carrying produce back from the farmers' market when the lid suddenly
> > > > >> swings open and dumps its contents on the ground is intolerable.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> The lid is held closed by an L-shaped lever that sticks a rectangular
> > > > >> tab into a vertical groove on one end of the cooler -- the end adjacent
> > > > >> to the push-button. The lever is kept in place by a compression spring
> > > > >> between this lever and the lid. The spring fits over a pin on the
> > > > >> closure lever and fits into a pocket mounted on the lid itself.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> When the push-button is depressed, it pushes against the bottom of
> > > > >> the L-lever, compressing the spring, which makes the rectangular tab
> > > > >> recede from the groove, allowing the lid to rotate open.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> When the push-button is released, when the lid is rotated back to
> > > > >> vertical the spring presses against the L which forces the tab back
> > > > >> into the groove.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> When the spring has lost its zing, the weight of food in the
> > > > >> cooler will let the lid open.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> To replace the spring, you must pry off the caps on either side of
> > > > >> the lid, unscrew the screws, and pull off the lid. Then you must
> > > > >> pry up and rip off the part of the lid foam that covers the mechanism.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> From inside, squeeze the sides of the push-button nearest the end of the
> > > > >> lid, push in, and pull out the push button. Then remove the lever and
> > > > >> take the spring to a hardware store. You want the same diameter spring
> > > > >> (so that it will fit over the pin) with a little more oomph. I was
> > > > >> able to find a spring slightly longer, with a slightly smaller inside
> > > > >> diameter, that I was still able to twist on the pin with the help of
> > > > >> pliers.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Then I replaced the L-lever,with the spring between lever pin and
> > > > >> lid pocket. While holding this in place, I reseated the push-button,
> > > > >> first at the lid end and then at the far end.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Screwing the lid back in place and popping the endcaps back on, I
> > > > >> tried it out. It appears to be secure, but I will have to verify
> > > > >> in actual use.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> If this does the trick, I will glue the piece of lid foam I broke off
> > > > >> with Great Stuff polyurethane foam.
> > > > >
> > > > >Why don't you just buy a new one? They're cheap, especially this time of
> > > > >the year. Most places have them on clearance. They're not meant to be
> > > > >repaired. Do they even make that kind any more? I think I had one years
> > > > >ago. No longer have it. I mostly use soft sided bags now as they take up
> > > > >less room.
> > > >
> > > > Yep, we live in a disposable world anymore. Pretty disgusting! :-(
> > > >
> > >
> > > Igloo makes and sells replacement parts for its other coolers, which
> > > I have used to keep otherwise perfectly good coolers out of the landfill,
> > > at a fraction of the price of a new one. Try West Marine for hinges,
> > > clasps, and drain plugs for their larger coolers.
> > >
> > > In fact, they sell replacement springs for their other model Playmate,
> > > online. This persuaded me that there must be a way to repair it, if
> > > I could only take it apart.
> > >
> > > If I can keep a useful item going for only 75 cents plus a squirt of
> > > glue, I will.
> >
> > In a few years, you'll just print yourself a replacement part. My guess is that everybody is going to be making replacement parts for the things they own. They'll be able to modify that cooler to be exactly what they need it to be. Is this a cool world or what?
>
> Who's going to replace it for them?
>
> --
>
> sf

People with 3D printers will be doing it themselves. My guess is that these printers will be quite popular and they will be in many homes.

On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 16:12:41 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 >
wrote:

> On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 12:47:31 PM UTC-10, sf wrote:
> > On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 13:56:15 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 <dsi1>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > In a few years, you'll just print yourself a replacement part. My guess is that everybody is going to be making replacement parts for the things they own. They'll be able to modify that cooler to be exactly what they need it to be. Is this a cool world or what?
> >
> > Who's going to replace it for them?
> >
>
> People with 3D printers will be doing it themselves. My guess is that these printers will be quite popular and they will be in many homes.

There will be plenty of people who can afford the 3D printer and not
have a clue how to replace the part they reproduce.

--

sf

On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 22:21:13 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 16:12:41 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 >
>wrote:
>
>> On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 12:47:31 PM UTC-10, sf wrote:
>> > On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 13:56:15 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 <dsi1>
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> > >
>> > > In a few years, you'll just print yourself a replacement part. My guess is that everybody is going to be making replacement parts for the things they own. They'll be able to modify that cooler to be exactly what they need it to be. Is this a cool world or what?
>> >
>> > Who's going to replace it for them?
>> >
>>
>> People with 3D printers will be doing it themselves. My guess is that these printers will be quite popular and they will be in many homes.
>
>There will be plenty of people who can afford the 3D printer and not
>have a clue how to replace the part they reproduce.

A 3D printer can cost hundreds of dollars whereas a new small cooler
costs about ten bucks, and will likely well outlast that fercocktah
printer that for the most part will sit unused. It likely costs less
to buy a new small cooler than to repair an old one. I have a small
Thermos cooler that has lived in my vehical for 25 years, I think it
cost like $5.

On 6/13/2016 9:34 AM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>
> A 3D printer can cost hundreds of dollars whereas a new small cooler
> costs about ten bucks, and will likely well outlast that fercocktah
> printer that for the most part will sit unused. It likely costs less
> to buy a new small cooler than to repair an old one. I have a small
> Thermos cooler that has lived in my vehical for 25 years, I think it
> cost like $5.
>
Agreed. dsi1 talks about technology but not about practical use.

I have several Igloo and Playmate coolers in my garage. Not one of them
cost near what trying to replace the lid on one of them would.
Fabricating a lid with a 3-D printer? Why? Just ditch it and buy
another cooler. They're dirt cheap, especially this time of year.

Jill

On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 7:21:11 PM UTC-10, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 16:12:41 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 <dsi1>
> wrote:
>
> > On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 12:47:31 PM UTC-10, sf wrote:
> > > On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 13:56:15 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 <dsi1>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > > In a few years, you'll just print yourself a replacement part. My guess is that everybody is going to be making replacement parts for the things they own. They'll be able to modify that cooler to be exactly what they need it to be. Is this a cool world or what?
> > >
> > > Who's going to replace it for them?
> > >
> >
> > People with 3D printers will be doing it themselves. My guess is that these printers will be quite popular and they will be in many homes.
>
> There will be plenty of people who can afford the 3D printer and not
> have a clue how to replace the part they reproduce.
>
> --
>
> sf

That's one way to look at it. Another way to see it is that there's a lot of people that do have a clue and are excited by the technology. The 3D printer will be an important part of the maker movement. It's a facilitating technology.

http://time.com/104210/maker-faire-maker-movement/

On Monday, June 13, 2016 at 3:34:48 AM UTC-10, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 22:21:13 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
> >On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 16:12:41 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 <dsi1>
> >wrote:
> >
> >> On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 12:47:31 PM UTC-10, sf wrote:
> >> > On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 13:56:15 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 <dsi1>
> >> > wrote:
> >> >
> >> > >
> >> > > In a few years, you'll just print yourself a replacement part. My guess is that everybody is going to be making replacement parts for the things they own. They'll be able to modify that cooler to be exactly what they need it to be. Is this a cool world or what?
> >> >
> >> > Who's going to replace it for them?
> >> >
> >>
> >> People with 3D printers will be doing it themselves. My guess is that these printers will be quite popular and they will be in many homes.
> >
> >There will be plenty of people who can afford the 3D printer and not
> >have a clue how to replace the part they reproduce.
>
> A 3D printer can cost hundreds of dollars whereas a new small cooler
> costs about ten bucks, and will likely well outlast that fercocktah
> printer that for the most part will sit unused. It likely costs less
> to buy a new small cooler than to repair an old one. I have a small
> Thermos cooler that has lived in my vehical for 25 years, I think it
> cost like $5.

Most revolutionary technology will have an impractical phase i.e., It'll never fly, Orville.

jmcquown wrote:
>
> I have several Igloo and Playmate coolers in my garage. Not one of them
> cost near what trying to replace the lid on one of them would.
> Fabricating a lid with a 3-D printer? Why? Just ditch it and buy
> another cooler. They're dirt cheap, especially this time of year.

Ah...a touch of reality. How novel here.

On Monday, June 13, 2016 at 7:34:37 AM UTC-10, Gary wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
> >
> > I have several Igloo and Playmate coolers in my garage. Not one of them
> > cost near what trying to replace the lid on one of them would.
> > Fabricating a lid with a 3-D printer? Why? Just ditch it and buy
> > another cooler. They're dirt cheap, especially this time of year.
>
> Ah...a touch of reality. How novel here.

I encourage you to get your catty remarks in while you can. In ten years, yoose mugs are going to look pretty silly. That's the great thing about Google Groups - the naysayers shall have their due. It's a most wonderful thing.

On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 10:20:49 PM UTC-4, wrote:
> I could not find any description of the problem or a solution, so I thought
> I would post my experience here. I am not cool enough to create an
> Instructable. It is on topic because we bring raw food home in a cooler,
> and take cooked food to friends and picnics in coolers.
>
> The problem is that the lid will suddenly swing open, especially when
> carrying the top-button Playmate cooler. The root cause is a spring
> that has lost its zing.
>
> Carrying produce back from the farmers' market when the lid suddenly
> swings open and dumps its contents on the ground is intolerable.
>
> The lid is held closed by an L-shaped lever that sticks a rectangular
> tab into a vertical groove on one end of the cooler -- the end adjacent
> to the push-button. The lever is kept in place by a compression spring
> between this lever and the lid. The spring fits over a pin on the
> closure lever and fits into a pocket mounted on the lid itself.
>
> When the push-button is depressed, it pushes against the bottom of
> the L-lever, compressing the spring, which makes the rectangular tab
> recede from the groove, allowing the lid to rotate open.
>
> When the push-button is released, when the lid is rotated back to
> vertical the spring presses against the L which forces the tab back
> into the groove.
>
> When the spring has lost its zing, the weight of food in the
> cooler will let the lid open.
>
> To replace the spring, you must pry off the caps on either side of
> the lid, unscrew the screws, and pull off the lid. Then you must
> pry up and rip off the part of the lid foam that covers the mechanism.
>
> From inside, squeeze the sides of the push-button nearest the end of the
> lid, push in, and pull out the push button. Then remove the lever and
> take the spring to a hardware store. You want the same diameter spring
> (so that it will fit over the pin) with a little more oomph. I was
> able to find a spring slightly longer, with a slightly smaller inside
> diameter, that I was still able to twist on the pin with the help of
> pliers.
>
> Then I replaced the L-lever,with the spring between lever pin and
> lid pocket. While holding this in place, I reseated the push-button,
> first at the lid end and then at the far end.
>
> Screwing the lid back in place and popping the endcaps back on, I
> tried it out. It appears to be secure, but I will have to verify
> in actual use.
>
> If this does the trick, I will glue the piece of lid foam I broke off
> with Great Stuff polyurethane foam.

On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 7:20:49 PM UTC-7, wrote:
> I could not find any description of the problem or a solution, so I thought
> I would post my experience here. I am not cool enough to create an
> Instructable. It is on topic because we bring raw food home in a cooler,
> and take cooked food to friends and picnics in coolers.
>
> The problem is that the lid will suddenly swing open, especially when
> carrying the top-button Playmate cooler. The root cause is a spring
> that has lost its zing.
>
> Carrying produce back from the farmers' market when the lid suddenly
> swings open and dumps its contents on the ground is intolerable.
>
> The lid is held closed by an L-shaped lever that sticks a rectangular
> tab into a vertical groove on one end of the cooler -- the end adjacent
> to the push-button. The lever is kept in place by a compression spring
> between this lever and the lid. The spring fits over a pin on the
> closure lever and fits into a pocket mounted on the lid itself.
>
> When the push-button is depressed, it pushes against the bottom of
> the L-lever, compressing the spring, which makes the rectangular tab
> recede from the groove, allowing the lid to rotate open.
>
> When the push-button is released, when the lid is rotated back to
> vertical the spring presses against the L which forces the tab back
> into the groove.
>
> When the spring has lost its zing, the weight of food in the
> cooler will let the lid open.
>
> To replace the spring, you must pry off the caps on either side of
> the lid, unscrew the screws, and pull off the lid. Then you must
> pry up and rip off the part of the lid foam that covers the mechanism.
>
> From inside, squeeze the sides of the push-button nearest the end of the
> lid, push in, and pull out the push button. Then remove the lever and
> take the spring to a hardware store. You want the same diameter spring
> (so that it will fit over the pin) with a little more oomph. I was
> able to find a spring slightly longer, with a slightly smaller inside
> diameter, that I was still able to twist on the pin with the help of
> pliers.
>
> Then I replaced the L-lever,with the spring between lever pin and
> lid pocket. While holding this in place, I reseated the push-button,
> first at the lid end and then at the far end.
>
> Screwing the lid back in place and popping the endcaps back on, I
> tried it out. It appears to be secure, but I will have to verify
> in actual use.
>
> If this does the trick, I will glue the piece of lid foam I broke off
> with Great Stuff polyurethane foam.

So my Igloo Playmate Elite button and fastener broke. Unfortunately, I am outside of any warranty period, but I wanted to reach out to Igloo and see what my options for purchasing replacement parts or sending it in to be serviced.

I called them at : 1-866-509-3503, and I was informed that on this Igloo type of cooler, the company will replace defective unit rather than repair the broken parts. I wanted to know where I could purchase the replacement components for the Playmate and I was told they no longer sell the parts or advise their customers on any repairs.

I think I'm going to go with another cooler that has a better warranty and doesn't encourage throwing away all this plastic without any solutions for replacement or repurposing for another use.