Do-It-Yourself Story

After researching the problem on this site, I realized that the most likely cause was a bad bearing contained in the shaft & tube assembly. Essentially, the tub seal failed & allowed water to travel down the shaft & into the housing containing the bearing. I confirmed this by pulling the front cover off of the unit & noticed some brown water pooled directly under the shaft & tube assembly. I followed the disassembly instructions on this site & it wasn't too bad but did take some time as pretty much the entire machine has to be taken apart. This probably isn't for the beginner so take stock of your mechanical skills before attempting this repair! Once I removed the old shaft & tube assembly, I confirmed that this was in fact the culprit because it was making a grinding noise when turning the shaft. I replaced the tub bearing as well (it's actually a bushing), even though it probably wasn't necessary but I was in there already so what the heck. I also replaced the belt for the same reason. You should note that the shaft & tube assembly also includes a new tub seal (which isn't really made clear in the part description). This part is essential in preventing the water leak that caused the part failure in the first place. After replacing all parts, the machine was reassembled & tested. So far it's quiet during the spin cycle like new & no trace of water leaks. Thanks to this site & it's forums/videos as they were a huge help! The repair cost me $186.00 as opposed to $600 for a new machine so it was worth it.