Ge WH38X10017 Mode Shifter & Shaft Assembly OEM Part

Motor control board was flashing 4 times, indicating that the mode shifter had an error. I disconnected the mode shifter's wire from the controller and measured the resistance between the 2 leads with an ohmmeter. Since the reading was infinite, that meant that the mode shifter coil or in-line thermal sensor was electrically open, i.e. bad. As this fix is near a complete tear-down of the washing machine, here are a few tips I discovered. 1) the hub nut is difficult to remove and you need a spanner wrench; however, since the mode shifter shaft has 4 flats on it (one on each side, square) - I used a small exacto knife to scrape the gunk out of the small void between the shaft and hub nut. Mine had white/yellow soap scum in all 4 voids and I am sure this would make it much harder to remove the hub nut if not removed as much as possible. When this gunk was removed, I then used some wicking fluid, which worked much more effective now and I only had to let it sit for 20 minutes. I used Tri-Flow, which is similar to WD-40. 2) my tube seal was pretty gunked up and stuck in the tub basket. Thus, I used a small pair of vise-grips to grap it from the inside and then rocked the vise-grips back and down, which popped the old seal right out. Note, the new shaft and mode shifter comes with a new tub seal and it is pre-packed with grease on the inner area that touches the shaft. Note, I used a very tiny bit of this grease to lube the outside of the tube seal when I pushed it down into the plastic tub and I read others who used a touch of dish soap instead. 3) also, my large belt wheel was stuck on the shaft - a quick tap on the end of the shaft with a hammer loosened it right up and no need to worry about damaging the shaft or bearings, as this is being replaced. 4) my tub bearing was also vey tight in the plastic basket. I used a bit of wicking spray here too, and used 2 flathead screwdrivers to pry the bearing up and out. I leveraged against the raised plastic ribs of the tub basket and didn't worry about marking those up a bit, as they are support ribs and away from the main slot/hole that holds the tub bearing. However, I did take care to make sure that my screwdriver tips did not hit or mark-up this slot/hole. 5) since I had everything apart, I took the opportunity to clean the basket, drum, etc. I also marked the motor bracket with respect to the plastic tub as well as anything else that seemed variable and that I could forget when reassembling. I also took pictures as I was disassembling in steps, so that I could ensure everything went back together correctly, etc.

I had never worked on a washing machine before but after watching the online videos I felt like I could do the repair. I was almost positive it was the Mode Shifter and Shaft Assembly that was bad. I could hear the bearing making a grinding noise when I turned the tub by hand. I ordered the part I needed plus additional parts that could be an issue later such as a drive belt, tub bearing, tub seal, tub nut, split ring, etc; Preventive maintenance that would keep from having to tear it all apart again if another part failed. Took photos with my phone and kept the repair video handy while I took everything apart. The only difficulties I had were getting the tub nut off and tub bearing out. After spraying the tub nut with WD40 and letting it soak for approx.. 30 minutes I finally got it broken loose. I used a tub spanner wrench that I ordered with the parts. I would not have been able to get it off without it. Videos showed prying the tub bearing out with two screwdrivers which as hard as I tried I could not do. I turned the tub over and used a socket the same diameter as the tub bearing and had to knock it out with a hammer which worked. I replaced all the parts which went smoothly and put it all back together with the use of the video and photos I took. The final result was the washer worked like a charm and the roaring noise during the spin cycle was now gone. It was a somewhat time consuming project but the outcome made it worthwhile. I would like to say that ordering the parts from AppliancePartsPros was very easy. Just search by model number for parts. I ordered the parts on Tuesday morning and they shipped the same day and arrived Thursday at lunch time. Very quick service. Repair up and running by Friday afternoon.

I put this repair off for a long time because I knew the machine would have to be completely torn down to fix it. The repair videos give you the impression that this condition is caused by a bad 'Tub Bearing' which takes a long time to replace but only costs about $15. Don't be lulled into thinking you can fix this for $15. The 'Tub Bearing' is really only a bushing. The one I removed from my washer looked fine but I replaced it anyways. The real problem here is GE's poor design which allows a leaky 'Tub Seal', (about $8.) to wash the grease out of the 'Mode Shifter Bearing', causing the 'Mode Shifter Bearing' to fail. The 'Mode Shifter Bearing' is pressed into the 'Mode Shifter Assembly' (about $115.) and cannot be replaced without a bearing press. Furthermore the 'Mode Shifter Bearing' is not sold separately, so you are stuck replacing the entire 'Mode Shifter Assembly'. Fortunately The Appliance Parts Pros had all of the parts that I needed and shipped them out in no time at all. I opted for the 'slightly faster' shipping option, so for about $ 9. in shipping, I had my parts in two days. Amazing! The repair itself went fairly well. If I were to do it again I would probably invest in a 'Tub Wrench' and hope that it could remove the 'Hub Nut'. My 'Hub Nut' was frozen in place and would not come off, even when I tried a 1 11/16" socket, (which was really hard to find in itself). Perhaps if my socket was a 6 point it may have worked and then perhaps not. In the end my 'Hub Nut' was frozen in place. I tried a nut buster and heat, but nether worked. Given that the 'Hub Nut' is not steel, CLR or a Limeaway type product may have helped but in the end I had to cut the 'Hub Nut' off. Once the 'Hub Nut' was off, the rest of the repair went pretty smoothly. The system is now back in operation and running like the day we bought it. Note: The website did not tell me that the 'Mode Shifter Assembly' included a new 'Tub Seal', so I'll need to return the one that I had purchased separately. At this point, I am very satisfied with this repair and with Appliance Parts Pros.

My 9-year-old GE washer, in which I replaced the motor two years ago, developed an extremely loud roaring sound during the spin cycle. After reviewing stories here to pinpoint the problem, I replaced the tub bearing, mode shifter, and tub seal. I also installed a new tub nut, split washer, and belt. This repair involves taking the washer apart in order to get at the tub bearing and mode shifter, which are inconveniently located in the very center of the machine. I bagged labeled all the screws and bolts as I disassembled everything and took lots of pictures using my phone of the "before" condition in case I needed to double-check which way wires were run, etc. I watched the repair video for the mode shifter and read through stories on here so I would be prepared. Almost everybody here had trouble with the tub nut and I was no exception - the tub nut was very corroded. I didn't even bother with the spanner wrench. Instead, I used a Milwaukee cordless impact wrench with a 1-11/16 socket I purchased on Amazon. How hard was the nut stuck on there? Well, I first used the mid-range Milwaukee impact wrench which is good for about 600 ft-lbs of breakaway power. It made a lot of racket but didn't dislodge the nut. I moved up to the big daddy Milwaukee which is good for 1400 ft-lbs of breakaway power. The nut was loosened after 5 or 6 impact blows. To remove the old tub bearing, I found it easiest to turn the tub upside down and drive the bearing out using a 1" socket on an extension. Much easier than trying to pry it out from the top. I think it's odd that no grease is called for on the mode shift shaft as it passes through the bearing. I didn't add any since I didn't see it mentioned. During reassembly, I installed a new belt which should be easier to install since you have access to everything out of the machine. The repair video obviously shows reinstalling the old belt. For the new, unstretched belt I had to use the belt-installation kit which fits on the motor drive shaft and zip tied the belt to the pulley in order to get it installed. Everything else went smoothly as shown in the repair video. It took me substantially longer than two hours, but I wasn't in a rush and I cleaned up all the parts before reassembly. I've run a few loads through and everything is nice and quiet again. Thank you AppliancePartsPros!

This is a well-documented problem. I ordered all the parts suggested by others - customer service assisted me along the way, taking plenty of time to be sure I got the right stuff. The main problem was the failed tub seal which had caused the bearing in the shaft assembly to fail. The videos for completing this repair are really good - you need to watch each one to not miss anything. As others have stated, the worst part is removing the hub nut. In my case the ($60.00) spanner tool probably would not have worked. I tried a short handled pipe wrench and a hammer but it didn't budge. so I simply drilled a hole on each side of the nut, keeping the bit close to the stem of the shaft assembly, then used a short chisel and hammer to split the nut and pop it out. In the later step to remove the tub bearing (really a bushing) I improvised a bearing puller using a 1 3/8in washer, a 3 1/2in bolt and nut through a piece of metal L-channel so no damage was created and old part was pulled cleanly. In putting everything back together, I found I could successfully tighten the new hub nut using a basin wrench (really inexpensive tool) and a hammer. After buttoning everything up, I ran a short water only cycle. There was a very loud screeching noise for a few seconds as the tub rotation began, but it went away and the cycle continued. Later, I ran a light wash and experienced a 2 or 3 second noise again. Subsequent wash cycles, no noise, all good. Customer service had not heard of this, and had no input but suggested I watch it, and let them know if it recurs. I am happy with my interaction with Appliance Parts Pros; not my first experience with them.