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

I researched the model number and several videos on YouTube. There were at least three (3) videos of Samsung customers who had taken the machine apart and found the spider was broken. They all stated that the machine was junk because replacement parts were over $500, and with labor, $800 to repair. The drive motor is warranted for 10 years, and our machine only had 2,296 cycles on it. Before throwing the machine away, I tore it apart. It wasn't too hard to get the machine apart. Most difficult part was getting the springs off that hold the tub assembly to the frame of the machine. That was a two-person job. Once I had it apart, sure enough, the spider was broken. There was a ton of liquid detergent on the back of the machine that I suspected was causing the machine to come out-of-balance. At the speed these machines rotate, any un-intended weight will cause an out-of-balance situation. I checked the bearings that are molded into the rear tub assembly, and they spun freely. Many people on-line state that you shouldn't replace the spider without replacing the bearings, which means you need to replace the entire rear tub. The rear tub is over $250, the spider $100, and the bolts $20. People on-line stated this was the advice from Samsung technical support. While I see Samsung's perspective, check the bearings yourself and decide what to do . My bearings were spinning free and the grease was still in them, so I decided to just replace the spider. The seal between the tub & spider was still good; no defect. I cleaned the entire tub with hot water and soap, cleaned up real easy. I bought some silicone lubricant and re-greased the tub bearings the best I could. I put everything back together, ran a test cycle per manual, it ran perfectly. My wife now calls me the "Washing Machine Whisperer". Thank you AppliancePartsPros.com for your help. 

Luckily happen to be walking by when machine started to make "grinding" noise as washer tub started to hit plastic tub. Assuming by shutting down machine, prevented any more damage. Aside from noise, when we opened door, tub appeared "crooked" tilted back a lot further then normal. When we removed the rubber door seal, could spin drum and hear and see the wobble and grinding. Internet told us the possibilities and so we proceeded to break down the machine. A drill with Philips bit and socket driver adapter makes breaking machine down exponentially faster. (Some good pics as you go and Dixie cups labeled for each all the screws also helps)... Hardest part is getting tub out, it requires two people as one needs to support tube while other undoes support springs. After that unscrewing tub and to get to Spider and shaft was easy. The arm was broken in two places. Also order the six bolts as they also will be destroyed. Part were here in two days (with regular shipping and delivered on a Saturday!!, appliance partpros were amazing). We used water proof grease (found by faucet repair in your box store, get at least 2 containers) to lube new shaft and rubber gasket when putting tub back together, also took opportunity to do complete maintenance, lube shocks, we cleaned out all the drain hoses, sprayed all connections with contact cleaner, etc... (The machine will be stripped down to just the metal frame.) Then two people to put tub back in and then its a one person job after that. Hardest part was actually getting bolt thru shocks lined back up, due to angle inside machine. All in all, about hour and 20 minutes with some time spent figuring out what screws went where.. (you think you will remember, but you won't)... need to label for sure... Machine works like new, no noise, no vibration, perfect... 

My washing machine was making a loud thumping sound and bouncing around a bit. Research suggested that it could be bearings and/or the spider shaft assembly. After watching the instruction videos to replace the spider or bearings, I seen you need to replace both the shaft seal and tub gasket to get to the spider and bearings. So I ordered both and waited for them to arrive. Plan was to disassemble the washer, determine what was needed, order the additional parts needed, and reassemble after the additional parts arrived. If no parts were needed, I could just reassemble the washer without waiting for the seal and gasket. The gasket and seal arrived about a week later (used the slow shipping). I verified other parts I thought I might need were in stock before disassembling the washing machine. Then I proceeded with the repair so the down time would be minimal. Several things that I found and did that may help others. 1) I moved the washing machine out to my garage where I had room to work all around it and a place for the parts as they were removed. 2) I used my iPad to play the instruction video as I worked, stopping and starting as needed. 3) My model was different than the one in the video but it was easy to work around any differences. 4) I used a magnetic parts tray to place the screws in to keep them separate and in order. I could have used something like an egg carton. It helped a lot for reassembly. 5) When I tried to take the front panel off, I found out there are two additional screws in the bottom tabs the front panel sits on that had to be removed prior to removal. My washing machine sits on a pedestal so they were easy to get to otherwise I would need to tilt the machine to get to them. 6) Getting the tub springs off was a challenge at first. Height, since the washer was on a pedestal and the little loop at the top of the tub allowed only two fingers. I found if I stood on a step stool and used a length of nylon strap (A belt would work) I could loop the strap through the tub loop then lift and pull the tub toward me, the tub would rise and rotate toward the spring making it easy to remove (and to reconnect the springs later). Gently lower the tub. Went to the other side and did the same thing. 7) I used a plastic crate (sort of like a milk crate) to place the tub shaft side down on so I could take the tub apart. The video used wood blocks. 8) The drum came out easily and I placed it on a rubber mat (sort of like a welcome mat) open side down to prevent damage to the tub. 9) The back of the drum was covered with a lot of crud so I cleaned it using water, screwdriver, and a wire brush. Found that my spider and shaft assembly had cracks. Also part of the spider had eroded away. Checked all the other parts and found the bearings were okay and the front shocks appeared iffy. 10) I think the banging and jumping was caused more by the crud buildup and the erosion around the spider causing an out of balance condition. The spider and shaft still felt solid. Since the spider was eroded and cracked, I opted to replace the spider, as it would have failed in the near future. Ordered a new spider, the recommended spider bolts, and front shocks and used 2 day shipping. All arrived 2 days later. 11) I sprayed penetrating lubrication several times on the spider bolts and left it overnight. I used a 12 point box wrench and the bolts started to round off so I used a 6 point socket. I broke 4 of the 6 bolts trying to get them off. So ordering new spider bolts was a great idea. With the bolts out and the broken ones, the spider was easy to remove from the tub. No problem installing the new spider with the new bolts. 12) I ordered the front shocks because there was a 1/4-inch play in them (no resistance). The new ones had the same 1/4-inch play but seem to have slightly more resistance so I used the new ones. 13) The shaft seal was worn so replacing it was needed. The tub seal appeared okay but replaced it as I did not want leak issues. The tub reassembly was easy. Getting the tub into the washer was a bit awkward due to size, weight, and positioning it. Easier with two persons but I was able to do it by myself. Reattaching the springs was easy using the strap through the tub loop method. 14) Reinstalling the door boot seal outer ring was difficult for me using the locking pliers as shown in the video as it kept slipping off. I ended up starting the wire as shown and using a Hunter sprinkler adjustment tool I had. Once I had the wire inserted clockwise up to the 2 o'clock position, I used the plastic side of the sprinkler adjustment tool to hook the wire and just rotate the wire in place while holding the wire at the 6 o’clock with my other hand. It was a lot quicker and easier than using locking pliers. Overall, the repair was not difficult. 

Per google and this site, the symptoms of the machine were identical to what was described for a corroded / broken spider. I followed the instructions from this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFXp2X99mQs and took apart my machine. It wasn't the exact model, but more than 90% of the instructions and parts were the same. If you've done any type of work on cars (changing brakes, oil change), you should be able to do this without any problems. You'll need a ratchet set, screw drivers, and some deep sockets for your ratchet. The hardest part was moving the machine (its heavy) to make space to work. Then getting the tub out and then back in (its the heavy part of the machine). Our machine was 7 years old and was really dirty inside from the mold and apparent usage of too much detergent. Originally we thought we only had to worry about mold on the gray rubber seal / gasket. But the tub was moldy too. For detergent, apparently, you should only use half of what is recommended. So, even if it recommends a full scoop for HE washers, use half of that. If you're using powder, make sure it dissolves well in water. Sometimes it only dissolves well in hot water. Other than the weight, disassembling and reassembling the machine was easy. We spent a good amount of time cleaning the machine, tub, and all hoses which I definitely recommend. Going forward, I will likely use affresh washer cleaner (sold everywhere) once a month, and also install a fan in the vent. There is a company that sells fans for front load washers, but it seems way over priced for what it is. I will likely use a USB computer fan. Also, wipe down the rubber gasket after every load, never leave clothes in the washer (try to take it out right away), leave the door open a bit, and finally, use a small self powered dehumidifier EVA-DRY at home depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Eva-Dry-333-4-6-oz-Mini-Dehumidifier-E-333/202847328 

Googled the problem and found the flange shaft assembly was a likely culprit. I dismantled the washer which was not too difficult. Key steps were Follow the AppliancePartsPro video for shock absorber replacement up until unbolting the shocks. Remove the support bar for the water inlet hosing on the top of the machine (screws are the front, slots in the back) and fold these and the dispenser tray holder back out of the way. Remove the top bracket the holds the control panel. Remove the large red counter weights from the drum Unbolt the front shocks from the plastic drum Unbolt the front half of the plastic drum - the only difficult bit is disengaging the support spring that faces front to back - you have to lift the drum and flex the spring sideways. You need to remove the heater wiring, and a couple of pipes from the front half of the drum then lift the front half off. Lastly remove the drive rotor at the rear by undoing the single large bolt and the inner rotating steel drum should slide out. My flange was in three pieces so had collapsed completely. For the replacement I coated it with four coats of Plasti-Dip a rubberised coating compound and hope this prevents and early repeat. Reassembly was not difficult - one tip is to make sure the heater coil does not get bent during handling the front drum half - it can scrape against the reinstalled inner rotating drum. I replaced nothing else. The main bearing seems fine In defence of Samsung machines, ours had a very heavy load for a large family running several times daily for four and half years before this failure. With this $120 part replace it is back to perfect operation. In all other respects it has been the best washer we have ever owned. 

Started researching the issues I was having and immediately it seemed that the spider arm was the culprit. While researching I found an excellent video on YouTube from AppliancePartsPros detailing the repair process. I watched it through and realized I could do it myself, and also that calling out a repair person was going to be a waste of money as they would just tell me to replace the unit. Disassembling the unit was straight-forward enough with only some minor differences between my unit and the one depicted in the video. Loosening the bolt on the back of the stator was more difficult than it appeared in the video and I actually ended up breaking some of thin plastic "honeycomb". I managed to get the tub assembly out by myself but I would recommend having a second person to assist. I kept my iPad nearby throughout the process with the video loaded up and started and stopped playback as I went along. When I got the tub disassembled and started inspecting the spider arm it didn't really look that bad, especially compared to the piles of rubble I had seen from others. However I did see some cracks forming and there was a lot of debris lodged in and around it. All 6 of my original spider bolts snapped when trying to remove. Because my spider arm was intact I had to use a hammer to break it apart to remove and then cleaned the area up real well by scrubbing and using some vinegar. I ordered the shock absorbers just in case but after comparing the existing ones to the new ones, mine appear to be ok (I will be returning them). I did however fail to notice a small tear in the diaphragm so I did order that separately (be sure to check yours closely). The tub seal I ordered is not listed for my model, but I gave it a shot to avoid ordering a new back half outer tub assembly after seeing that others have reported success with it elsewhere. It was definitely thicker than the original and may be putting more stress on the tub but oh well, it seems to be fine. Re-assembly went well. I did have a second person help me pop the tub assembly back in. Machine is working great and spins very smoothly! 

First indication something was wrong when the washing drum starting to violently bang against the inside of the washer while in spin cycle. Then, when I opened the washer door, a misty smoke came from the inside. With the video from Appliance Parts Pros, disassembly of the washer was no problem. First, I replaced the four shocks on the washer drum. But, after a test run, determined that it was spider arm assembly. Again, the series of instructions made getting to the part fairly easy. The few things I would advise on is first that the 19mm nut in the back of the washer drum will be extremely difficult to take off. The video instructions say to use a small screwdriver to secure the drum from spinning in the back. But, unless you position the screwdriver exactly right, you run the risk of damaging the plastic housing of the motor. Second, once you replaced the assembly and have the whole thing put back together, run the machine on a rinse and spin cycle. There may be some residue or build up in the drum that may be washed away during the first cycle or two. Be prepared the drain the water pump after the first test run to manually clean out anything the pump cannot handle. When the cycle switches from rinse to spin, just watch the water level in the drum to see if the water is being pumped out. The washer will try to drain a few times. If the water level does not go down, drain the water pump and check for a clog. Other than that, just make sure to follow the sequence of events to disassemble and reassemble the washer. 

Google is your friend. Appliancepartspros is your friend too!! I used the diagnostics to see why my 6 year old Samsung front loader makes a strange noise followed by a bad smell after it attempts the spin cycle. I used the manual that's taped to the back of the unit to put it in service mode, this helped me discover 2 things; My stay-at-home wife is not lying, she does a ton of laundry (over 4000 washes since we got the washer) AND it gets almost up to 700 rpms in the spin cycle and then shuts off and then tries again and again. I found a few videos that described the problem perfectly, the spider arm basically disintegrates and the tub wobbles all over the place. Great design Samsung... Most videos said the washer is now garbage, pro repair was over $400. I knew I could fix it myself and I found the parts on Appliancepartspros.com including a video that showed the entire process. I am very handy and after watching the video, I tore it down in under 45mins, it was like I already did it before and knew exactly what I was doing. Even my wife was impressed, and that is no easy feat. I needed a new spider and 6 new bolts for under $150 shipped. I chose to get a tub washer and seal too, for an extra $20 it was just sensible to get. I used standard tools including a 10mm, 13mm, and 19mm socket plus basic tools. Reassembly was not bad and I didn't even have any extra parts ;-). I spent most of the time cleaning out the nastiness from 6 years of use. It runs like new and we cancelled the order for a new washer and dryer. $2300 back in my pocket !!! You do have to tear the washer all the way down. This was very easy for me, but some people that do not do stuff like this could find it quite challenging. Please check all the hoses and connections after reassembly. I forgot one hose and watched the first cycle clean my floor. Actually, I guess I cleaned it as I sopped up the water... I hope this helps, Happy fixing! Samsung, if you are reading this, please fire the engineer that decided to use that self destructing metal. You should probably fire the engineer that recently designed the latest exploding washer that just got recalled too. 

At the time of repair this machine had been in service for 7 years supporting a family of 5. For the past year or two there was increasing slapping/banging during ramp up of the spin cycle. The smell of the machine had progressively gotten worse as well. After watching videos on the site I suspected the spider/tub flange was failing. I also ordered new dampers, bearing seal, and tub seal since I figured the time had come to replace the suspension. Followed the awesome video for replacing the spider and it was pretty straightforward. My model (2009) has different weights but otherwise the step-by-step is well documented. I used muffin pans to keep track of all the various screws and bolts and tagged each to the video to keep track of the various parts. Matt makes it look really easy, but it took me closer to 4 hours to break it down and then reassemble -- I'm a reasonably handy person but this isn't what I do for a living. When I opened the outer tub I discovered the source of the odor was caked on detergent. In fact, the spider was actually in good shape despite the many years of service. I am sure the caked on sludge was not helping the balance of the spin. Since I had the new part I figured I would replace it and hope for many more good years. It also meant I didn't need to clean the old one! This proved to be the hard part. Five of the six spider bolts snapped off -- which is good. The sixth wouldn't budge. This is where a more skilled person would drill out the bolt or take some other approach. I tried but ultimately resorted to brute force. This wasted a couple hours. I also gave the tub a good washing before reassembling. Don't forget to remove the half-dollar sized bearing washer from the old spider. Matt mentions it quickly but I forgot and had to dis-assemble the tub and then reassemble (wasted time). I also swapped out the dampers while the tub was removed. The hardest part of this job was extracting the tub from the washer. Matt does it by himself, but my unit has an extra weight on the side of the tub which I could not get a wrench on to remove. This made the tub really heavy and required two men to extract. I have to commend the online support team who quickly addressed a question I had when putting the machine back together. They also furnished a service manual upon request. First rate support. I replaced all four dampers. One appeared to actually have failed but figured they had to be getting near end of service. The machine is back together and good as new. I couple things we plan to do to avoid the smell problem 1) put the HE pod in the washer BEFORE the clothes and 2) make use of the extra rinse cycle whenever we can remember to set it to help rinse the machine. While I still have some slapping/banging it is noticeably better now and I know nothing is actually wrong. I think maybe some work on leveling the machine may improve the problem so I will try that next. I seem to be about 1/8" out of level. 

I went online to see how to replace the belt in my washer using my model number as a search. After some research, I found that this model does not have a belt. It's driven by something called a stater and a spider arm assembly. I watched a video on my exact model repairing the spider assembly which was posted through appliancepartspros.com. I'm not sure why I chose this video, but so happy I did...dumb luck I guess! Once I took the back of the machine off, one of the first steps was to remove the locking bolt. This was my first hurdle. The model in the video had a nut, mine had a bolt. (So the model was very close, but not exact) When I tried to remove the bolt, it would not budge. I called a technician on this website looking for some suggestions. She was great and gave me some troubleshooting tips on how to check to see if the spider arm was broken without having to remove it, but unfortunately couldn't help me get the bolt out. She did offer that the schematic she was looking at couldn't show if maybe it was reversed threaded, and that gave me something to think about. While I had the back open, I noticed a shock had come apart, and given the difficulty of removing the bolt, I fixed the shock and hoped that was my culprit. After running a light load I still had a serious wobble in the drum, plus the drum was rubbing against the rubber door boot pretty bad. We called it a day, I watched the video again, and the next day we decided to see if we could see anything else, so we began again. This time I tried to remove the bolt going reverse, and actually got it to move a little, then after working it back and forth for a while, I was able to get it out. It was not reverse threaded. I had sprayed a little PB Blaster on the bolt the day before and maybe letting it sit overnight wound up helping. After getting the bolt out, we were able to remove the drum by following the video step by step. The video steps were great! Once the drum was out, we separated it, removed the tub, and the spider arm assembly. As I suspected, one of the spider arms was broken. Along with the arm, the inside of the tub and outside of the drum was coated with crud. After talking again to a technician, she told me that as a result of either too much detergent, the wrong detergent, or too much fabric softener. I was able to get it all cleaned with my garden hose and a scrub brush. It was nasty! While I had it apart, we decided to replace the tub seal and the rear drum seal. I ordered both seals, the spider arm assembly and some bolts online from Appliancepartspros.com at 3:00 pm central time one day, and they were delivered to my house by 2:00 pm ct the next day. We began the re-assembly that day. Again the videos to do this were easy to follow and spot on. I had a question while installing the rear tub seal but again called a technician and she was able to help me. To ensure the proper fit, she asked me to send her photos, which I did. After confirmation we were good, we put things back together, again following the video step by step. The re-assembly took around 2 hours but If I were to have tackled this job without appliancepartspros.com helping me along the way, I'm sure I would not have been able to get my problem corrected. I used their videos, their phone help, and their online chat. Wait time was always minimal and always outstanding. I can't say how happy I was to be able to get this washer repaired. I may never do it again, but at least did it successfully once. Can't say enough good things about appliancepartspros.com and their support staff.