How to Troubleshoot & Replace Samsung AP4203183 / DC60-40137A Washer Spider Bolt

Found a repair video on appliance pro. It showed everything from disassembly back to reassembly. Bought the correct part from appliance pro. Felt confident from start to finish. Saved a lot of money. Most repairmen don't work on Samsung washers. Those that do quote $500. I spent about $160 

My wife noticed a knocking noise on our front load Samsung washer. Lucky for me she noticed it before it got to extreme. I looked online and found the video from Appliance Parts Pros which outlined the repair even though it was a different brand. Once disassembled I found what appears to be the common problem, one of the arms was cracked on the drum spider. The drum bearings and seal was still in good condition. After inspection I found several parts needed replaced from the drum rubbing and being out of balance. In addition to the drum spider I replaced the door seal, balancer ring, tub seal and water guide. Parts delivered in a couple days and assembly was non eventful. Everything went well and the only suggestion would be to be sure and order new bolts for the drum bracket. 

The how to video on the website was spot on. Although the video was made for a LG washer and mine was a Samsung, it was very easy to adapt. The step by step process enabled me to fix the machine and save over $700 in repair costs offered by Samsung. I painted the back of the tub and the Flange Shaft assy with epoxy based anti fouling paint to hopefully stop the corrosion that caused it to crack and corrode. Great video and prompt receipt of parts. Definitely will keep Appliance Parts.Com in my favorites list. 

Had to completely disassemble washing machine. Removed drum assembly. Opened drum assembly to gain access to stainless drum. Spider assembly is a cast aluminum bracket with the shaft that mounts to the motor. Since the problem was caught early all that was needed was the part, the screws as they corroded badly, the seal for the bearings and a new seal for the tube clamshell that holds the drum. All other parts can be reused. I also used marine grade grease on the bearings and loctite blue on all metal to metal screws. This repair takes time so be patient. Clean all the drum parts as they will be very dirty. 

I ordered a new flange shaft from Appliance Parts Pros and replaced the defective part. The bolts that hold the flange in place were also corroded. Appliance Parts Pros had them in stock as well. Pretty much had to take everything apart to see/ fix the problem. I reused the original gasket in the plastic tub... it seemed okay and it isn't leaking. I will probably replace the rear section of the tub if the bearings go in the future. Getting the parts could not have been easier. 

Watched APP videos related to Samsung front load washers, ordered all parts I thought I might need, made repair. Took several hours to take apart and several hours to repair but it wasn't very difficult if you are a little bit handy at this sort of thing. Took my time as I only wanted to do this once. Ordered a flange (spider), tub seal, door gasket, "shaft seal", and a couple of flange bolts to replace some I broke removing old flange. Parts arrived quickly and are high quality. I recommend having help removing and installing the tub to the washer frame. My washer had heavy vibration weights on the front and back of the tub. I removed the front weights before removing the tub from the washer frame. Also removed the stator motor the reduce weight of tub. I cleaned out the drain pump and hoses with a shop vac while the washer was apart. Very easy to do with the washer apart and I found coins in the pipe elbow that were blocking the flow. Use a little soapy water to ease install of the gaskets and seal. 

Looked up problem on Appliance Parts. Watched fantastic repair video. Highly recommend as it helps see what parts you need. All seals, bolts replaced. My spider mount bad, rear tub seal, tub seal, door seal, 8 spider bolts. Make sure to order or purchase blue lock tite. Looking back i would have ordered shocks. Made list of parts and ordered. Followed step by step on the fantastic repair video. Took me longer because broken parts and seals were in hoses. Take all apart and clean out. Some minor machine part differences compared to video but expected and very simple to follow. Thank you!!! Saved a lot of money doing myself. You all are amazing. 

I ordered a new flange shaft, spider bolts, and door diaphragm, because the offset close drum damaged the old one, and replaced all the parts 

Stupid flange shaft corroded (as they seem to do) and broke. The washer continued to run with a broken part, and the drum wore a hole thru the front half of the tub so it had to be replaced too. the spider bolts broke getting them out of the flange, so new bolts. Everything went back together great, and it gave me a chance to clean 5 years of dirt, fabric softener, detergent, and other junk out of the tub and shine the drum back up again. Feels like a new washer (minus the front panel that the lettering rubbed off). The tub/drum assembly was pretty heavy. I manged to get it out myself, but was afraid I would have damaged something else trying to get it back in by myself, so I recruited help. Not really a challenging fix, but time consuming. 

After some research, I determined that I had either a bad balancing ring or more likely a bad drive spider. Out of an abundance of caution, I ordered the drive spider, balancing ring, tub seal, driveshaft seal and new screws for the spider assembly. After watching the excellent Appliance Parts Pro's video (which was 42min long) I did the repair pretty much in line with the video. My assumption was correct that the spider assembly had cracked and failed, it was heavily corroded. I was able to remove four of the six screws without issue but had two fail during their removal. I also replaced the driveshaft seal since it was packed in with gunk and gave me some concern. It was nearly a four-hour job all done, and I'm an experienced mechanic/technician. All parts were Samsung OE and were delivered in time in new condition. I did not need the balancing ring, four screws or the tub seal so I will return those items.