Do-It-Yourself Story

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.