Customer Questions and Answers for Bearing, Front by Whirlpool

Hello Scott, Open the door and put one hand inside at the top of the tub. Push up slightly and release several times. If you can feel slack, you will need to replace the outer tub/bearing & seal assembly 22004465 and the spinner support assembly W10181639. If no slack is present, you will need to replace the motor/motor control assembly 12002039. The user manual is correct except that it doesn't mention the spinner support assembly. As an experienced technician, I have tried all of the above. If you don't want to have to do the job again, you will do it correctly the first time. The bearing has to be pressed into the outer tub assembly with a special "jig" at the factory to get it in straight. If it isn't perfectly straight, the new seal will begin seeping soapy water into the new spin bearing and wash the grease out of it. It only takes a few washes before you are back to where you started. Also if you don't put in a new spinner support, the new bearing will have a noticeably shorter lifespan, (less than a year).