How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP6011740 / WP8181850 Front Bellow Tub Seal

Watched an awesome YouTube video on tear down and was quite easy to replace. Happy wife Thank You 

Replaced Bellow- used the how to video on the website for reference and while not 100% accurate for my machine just a little common sense made the job easy 

Took the washing machine apart and replaced the bellow. The job was relatively simple taking about an hour. Marked screws when removed for easy reinstallation. 

So I thought it was the hinge, so I bought a hinge. Turns out there are little tiny plastic tabs (that the hinge repair video refers to) that were broken off. If I had taken the door off before ordering the part I probably would have figured this out but I didn't want to take the washer 'out of service' while waiting for the part and time to fix it. I will now order an Outer Door Panel. Things I learned: for a better diagnosis, maybe take it all apart before buying the part AND loosen the screws, especially on the hinge with a screwdriver not a screw-gun. Our middle screw was in really really tight and it stripped. Then had to learn how to remove stripped screws. :) It was an easy process (except for the screw) and now needing to reorder the correct part 

Ordered the replacement part from AppliancePartsPros, which arrived in ONE DAY (!!!!), watched their repair video and completed my own repair in under an hour. 

I googled the problem and discovered my front bellow had a large tear. I watched the video on Appliance Parts Pros' website and it convinced me not only that it was worth repairing, it was something I could do myself. The part arrived a few days later and to my pleasant surprise, it went on without a glitch, just like the video described. I was so pleased to have repaired my washer myself and saved a few hundred dollars doing it! And, by-the-way, I'm a 43-year old woman...whoot whoot! 

Replaced it 

Followed directions from Appliance Parts Pros Youtube video. Some things were different. Took some time cleaning the calcification and grime in the washer. The machine is 18 years old. 1. Took off Top (3 screws / Nut Driver) 2. Took off Control Panel (1 screw / Torx Driver) 3. Took off Bottom Front Panel (2 screws / Nut Driver) 4. Disengaged Front Seal of Bellow (Flat screw Driver) 5. Detached Front Door Latch (3 screws / Torx Driver) 6. Took off Front Door (4 screws / Nut Driver) 7. Detached Dispensing Tubes to Bellows (2 Places / One not shown in video) 8. Took off rear Bellow seal (1 screw / Nut Driver) 9. Cleaned tub of calcium deposits and residue (Used a flat screwdriver sharpened to a chisel and vinegar) 10. Put everything back in reverse order. The cleaning took the longest. 

Replaced the front bellow. It was easy to replace and solved the problem. 

Water seemingly leaked from the top left area of the machine... trickling down and gathering in the middle of the front counterweight... then to the bottom chassis eventually to the floor. I thought out of an abundance of caution to replace not only the tub seal (most likely culprit) but also the hose and seal from the detergent compartment while everything was open and exposed. Followed the replacement steps (used a few different videos to get other opinions and tips before I started). Went quite easily actually... was a bit enjoyable actually. One thing most videos don't mention is the tube at the top of the bellows/tub seal (maybe an airline to prevent vacuum? not sure what it's for)... you have to pull the black hose off the white connector, pull off the white plastic washer then the part that is exposed to the inside of the wash area can be removed. No leaks... tub can still shake like a son of a gun depending upon the load but I know I can replace the shocks... adding that to this order would have made the repair price 1/2 the price of a new washer... couldn't bring myself to do it at this stage.