Whirlpool 12002022 Lip Seal Kit OEM Part

I just wanted to put my experience here for all to see. I have a Maytag Neptune, MAH5500BWW, one of the original ones. I bought it back in 2002 and it has done many many loads of wash faithfully. So when the bearings started to get loud I thought it best to replace them, the seal kit and the belt. I did my research as best I could and decided to order the OEM parts from an appliance supplier. If you are replacing the bearings, watch on line videos prior to performing the job. It will definitely let you in on what to expect. Be sure it is within your comfort level. Be prepared for soap scum and sludge. You will spent a lot of your time cleaning up the mess. Save yourself some time and be sure to get or borrow an inside puller as the front bearing is a real PAIN. The basket has movement and as such a puller is definitely the way to go. Well I want to say to all, the OEM belt is very short. I went to replace the belt when I was putting the washer back together and I could not believe just how short the belt really was. My motor has an adjustment slide and it was at the minimum and still guitar string tight. Hence, I decided to put the original back on (as it appeared to be in great shape) and keep the new one as a spare. No use putting undo strain on 15 year old motor bearings.Also the lip seal kit shows the pulley bolt and washer as being replaced with a newer version with 2 washers and a new bolt. My kit only contained the bolt and one washer. I installed the new bolt and washer over the original tabbed washer and torqued to 33 ft/lbs. In all the job took me the better part of a day. I spent about an hour cleaning sludge from the parts. And probably over an hour just getting the bearings out. Most of that spent on that front bearing. In the end, I rigged up a puller using an electric junction box, washers and a big bolt. I used it to apply pressure and then tapped with a drift and hammer. I applied pressure again and then tapped again and repeated. The stubborn bearing came out. My 15 year old bearings did not seem that bad when they were out. However, when I ran the first load the sound was gone. Good Luck and I hope this helps someone out there!

This is not an easy job without the specialized 'Tony Tool' which seemed to me overpriced even to rent. Once I had the unit disassembled the tub was easily removed. Likewise I was able to pull the rear bearing with a pilot bearing puller. The front one however was a bear to get out. I have a decent shop but my pilot bearing puller was not strong enough. I decided to make a puller using a 1/2 inch cap screw about 6 inches long. I plasma cut some steel plate to fit the inside of the bearing and a plate on the tub side spanning the opening drilling a hole in both for the extraction screw.. I then welded a nut to the tub side plate to draw the two together and extract the bearing. I put a huge pressure on the bearing even turned the extraction screw with an impact wrench but it would not move. The 'Tony Tool' guy pushes it out from the back side with a PVC plug.. not this bearing. I used a 4 lb slap hammer, air hammer, and almost anything I could find but the bearing would not move. Finally, I decided to use my dremel tool with a reenforce cutting disk and cut the bearing out. I could have saved a lot of frustration if I had done that earlier, but I was afraid of damaging the seats. Reinstall of the bearings went well, again used a big bolt and a couple of big washers to seat the bearings. I made an alignment tool for the center sleeve out of a rolled up piece of cardboard and pulled it all together. The lip seal went in just like the video with no problem. I have purchased parts from Appliance Parts Pros before and this order was just like the rest, delivered on time with the right parts. This was a good repair and if you like to work on things it most likely can be done with tools in your shop, and a little ingenuity.

I used the instructions from some of your previous customers. When I was ready to pull the inner tub from the outer tub, it pulled very hard. The front bearing had been HOT and really marked the shaft. The SEAL appeared to be almost plastic, not much left. I removed the seal from the Front bearing. This model had the original type seal with the plastic spacer behind the seal and in front of the front bearing.. BE SURE TO NOTE HOW THE PLASTIC SPACER CAME OUT--feet on spacer toward the face of the Front bearing. The seal went and also took the FRONT bearing with it. Next, I removed the rear bearing. You will need heavy duty SNAP RING pliers for the 2 3/4 inch snap ring at the rear of the back bearing. I was able to pull the rear bearing with a slide hammer puller. NOTE- the bearing was seated just at the edge of the SNAP RING groove. I was not lucky on the front bearing-it was taken out by grinding out the inner race and them grinding out the outer race. NOTE- the depth of the front bearing in the housing, just at the outer edge of the alum. housing. In the housing for the front and rear bearings, you will find a metal spacer. THE SPACER HAS A FLAT END ON ONE END AND A TAPERED END ON THE OPPOSITE END--Tapered end goes toward the REAR bearing-because that bearing is smaller. Clean the bearing housings well with emery cloth-so the bearing will go in a little easier than they came out. I also put NEVER -SEEZ on the housing and the outer edge of each bearing ( two unlike materials). Clean everything real well and follow the instructions for the seal. Bearing numbers-Front--WP22002934 and rear WP22003441

Disassembly of washer to the point of removing the inner tub is fairly straightforward. You will need access to front and back of the machine for this repair. Having enough room to work on the machine may be an issue as stacked combo units tend to be used in space-constrained apartments or condos. Removing the old bearings is the challenging part of this job. Most online videos say you can "tap" the old bearings out with a hammer and rod. If your washer is old with failing bearings they will likely be rust/seized in place. Only way they are coming out is with a threaded bearing puller. Once bearings are out, plan on spending time cleaning the tub, front tub cover and the bearing seating surfaces. Pressing the new bearings in is fairly easy once everything is cleaned up if you use a bearing press. Only pain is the center spacer tube. If you press the bearings in too far, center spacer tube can damage the bearings if not aligned correctly. Recommend pressing rear bearing first and retaining with the snap ring. Then press the front bearing until the spacer tube is just snug. If bearings do not turn freely after installation, you likely pressed them in too far and the spacer tube is being pinched and putting too much preload on the bearings. Font bearing seal is easy after bearings installed. Reassembly is not too bad. It helps to have a 2nd person look through the back bearing to help align the inner tub shaft so you don't tear up the new seal. I also replaced the tub drive belt proactively since I had the machine apart to this degree.. If I did this for a living, I would invest in buying or fabricating a specialized bearing puller/press. Since I am a home-gamer and have done this twice in 20yrs I probably spent more time cobbling together a bearing puller and press from an assortment of threaded rods, bolts, etc than necessary. Since the stacked washer/dryer combo is a pain to move, while you have the machine out for repair, it is a good time to chase your dryer vent and check/replace water hoses, etc.

Replaced the front and rear bearing and the seal. It took me five hours to do this, now if you take out the smoke and coffee breaks could have done it in a lot less time, overall it was not to difficult but I am also a diesel mechanic so I am used to beating out and replacing bearings plus I worked at Whirlpool for 30 years. The problem I had at first was finding the parts, our local parts house could only get the complete drum assembly.... But then I found your website, Called, ordered parts and got them in two days.... Thank you very much...