Whirlpool 6-2040130 Washer Tub Bearing Kit OEM Part

I ordered the tub seal and stem seal kits along with the much needed spanner wrench. After viewing the video online several times and taking notes along the way I was ready to tackle the repair. After taking everything apart, I cleaned all areas thoroughly then addressed the rusty areas and mineral deposits found in the tub. Soaking the tub in vinegar and baking soda overnight helped loosen the built up deposits enough so I could carefully scrape them off with a spatula. This was very time consuming. Next was to clean off the rust with a wire brush and 3M Scotch pad. Using Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator, I sprayed the treated areas, it acts as a rust inhibitor and top coat in one. Assembling the seals and associated parts was pretty straight forward but I had difficulty positioning the tubs top piece accurately since it was an older design utilizing the rubber seal with a metal band around it. Positioned too high, the top touches the lid, too low, it makes contact with the rotating inner tub. When doing the dry spin for 3 minutes to set the seals. There was a loud banging from the inner tub hitting the outer one. I took everything apart and found the outer tub to be out of round. After pressing and bending on all sides I finally got it as round as I could and reassembled everything. Now was the moment of truth. Now the washer functions as it should, no water leakage or banging noise. For me it was an ordeal as I never attempted this job before (and may never again). Just a word of caution handling the outer tub, be very careful not to bend it out of round otherwise you'll have a lot of anxiety with this job. Now it's martini time!

I ordered the mounting stem repair kit and the tub bearing kit. I watched the appliance parts pros u-tube video. The first problem I encountered was that the mounting stem nut was corroded on. I could not budge it with the spanner wrench (absolutely essential, I had on hand from a previous repair) and the rubber mallet. I had to take a dremel tool with a cutoff wheel and cut a groove in the nut. Then I took a chisel and hammered it into the groove, cracking the nut. I was then able to get the nut to loosen with the spanner wrench and mallet. Everything else came apart as per the video. The bearing was in good condition but I replaced it anyway since I had everything apart. Putting everything back I ran into two problems. First, the paper washers in the tub bearing kit need to be taped to the legs with the holes lined up. This makes installation of the tub mounting bolts much easier. Second, my 1989 vintage Maytag did not have a plastic tub lid as per the video. My tub lid was metal and was held on with a circumferential rubber ring and two piece clamp. There are no marks as to how deep the lid should set in the tub. I ended up getting the lid on too deep and it rested on the top of the inner tub. The agitator would work but the inner tub would not spin. Finally, I loosened the tub lid clamp and slid the lid upwards until about one quarter inch below the top deck of the washer. Now the inner tub was free to spin as normal. I felt this should have been mentioned in the video. Overall, a successful repair and I am pleased.

I initially had two types of knocking sound in our 22-year-old Maytag washer. I didn't distinguish them at first, but one was on the spin cycle and one was when it was agitating, a knock each time the agitator changed direction, maybe two knocks per second. The spin-cycle knocking was the tub hitting the sides of the washer and depending on whether there was some imbalance. I observed it was easy to move the tub side-to-side from the center by pushing by hand on the top of the agitator. Replacing the three tub springs took care of that. I couldn't tell the difference between the old springs and new ones by bending them, they seemed to take a similar amount of pressure to do that and I didn't have a ready setup to test the pulling force. But once replaced, the tub was much more firm against side-to-side pressure applied at the top of the agitator and all spin cycle knocking was gone. What was left was a steady nak-nawk-nak-nawk about 2 Hz (times per second) and only when the machine was agitating in that part of the wash cycle, coinciding exactly with each time the agitator reversed direction. I suspected the tub bearing and that turned out to be correct. The bearing did not appear to be excessively worn, but it was enough to produce just enough play to engender a knock on direction reversal. The procedure was straightforward and every detail was provided in the video for this exact model. I definitely spent 80% of the time cleaning and only 20% of the time on actual wrench-turning and dis- and re-assembly. Soap scum gets on everything over the years and it seemed a shame not to clean things up the one time I'm likely to have it apart this far. The sleeve slid off easy for me. I did notice some evidence of light leakage on the inside floor of the washer, but the bearing area was not corroded. Part of the old stem seal stayed on the agitator shaft when I removed it and I was uncertain whether to take it off or leave it. I took it off after inspecting the old vs. new parts and realizing it was just part of the old one. I did not use any additional lubricant on the bronze bearing as it is Oilite and should work just fine the way it comes. The way I see it, other lubricants like lithium grease can clog the pores and perhaps reduce service life, but that's a personal decision. I did notice the video did not use additional lubrication however, which is consistent with my understanding of how Oilite (sintered bronze) bearings should be installed. I definitely recommend getting the tub bolts in addition to the bearing and stem kits. It's an extra $15 (3 x $5) which seems excessive for what they are, but I definitely wouldn't want to be counting on the old rubber seals would make it another 22 years. The slugging wrench is a good deal for the price and a must have. Works great with a dead-blow hammer, which is what I used. It appears to be cast aluminum, although seems heavier than that somehow. In any case it held up fine in case I need to use it again. I took the opportunity to remove and free up the leveling legs and reinstall them with a little grease on the threads after wire-brushing off the corrosion. Then it was easy to get the washer exactly level and firm-footed, both of which can also contribute to noise and other problems if they're not right. No new parts for that, just some elbow-grease and regular grease. All the parts I got from Appliance Parts Pros were top-notch OEM parts, nothing cheap or substandard in any way; exactly what I hoped for and I expect they'll last as long as the originals did. The washer seems to be working as good as new.

Purchased a tub bearing kit mounting, stem repair kit. I also bought the special tool for removing and assembling these components. However, I had to buy this tool from another supplier because I couldn't find it on Appliance Parts Pro's site. They may sell it but, after wasting a lot of time trying to find it, I went to someone else to purchase this tool. This is a must have tool to perform this service. The videos on Appliance Parts Pro's site are great and easy to understand. Without the videos most people could run into trouble. Many good points. When I went to reassemble the washer I ran into one big problem. The connecter to the drum from the drain pump snapped off. I was surprised to find it wasn't a welded part but, not really sure how it was attached. I went on their site to see if they offered a replacement or retrofit part I could use. I went on their service chat site but after going back and forth for a while I was told I need a new drum. No suggestion on how to fix the connection. I'm an industrial pipe fitter so I knew I could either make up a replacement part or reattach the connecter. I figured it was worth trying to reattach this connector. I went to a local hardware store and purchase some J-B Weld two part epoxy product #50165 steel reinforced epoxy. I cleaned up the surfaces I was joining mixed up enough to join the connector to the drum. Then I carefully joined both together and let it set for at least 4 hours then flip over the drum and coated the connection from the inside to make sure I would get a 100 percent connection. After that I left the drum alone until the next day. I wanted to make sure the epoxy was 100 percent cured before putting the machine back together. Cure time was 15 to 24 hours. DO NOT try to rush this step and think the epoxy has cured long enough. After this assembled the machine and tested the repair, all seems good.

After viewing the repair video several times, I chose to replace the tub mounting stem and tub bearing, since it would be apart anyway. I ordered the parts and they arrived in 2 days. The first challenge was to remove (lift) the agitator out, it is a friction fit (no set screw). After attempting to pull it up by hand (clean and jerk). I ended up using 4 - 24" bar clamps, hooking the end under the agitator's lip (halfway down from the top) and the handle end on a 2x4 that spanned across the top of the washer tightening each clamp successively to lift it out. Next, I had to use a cold chisel to cut the spanner nut, as it was corroded, and once loose, I used the spanner wrench to remove it. After the inner tub was removed, the mounting stem wouldn't budge using the spanner wrench, so I soaked the inside with P-B Blaster overnight. No avail. I then sprayed more Blaster and used a heat gun to try to expand the mounting stem. The Blaster ended up boiling and after several times it started to soak in. Finally, I used a cold chisel to break it loose (hitting it from the side in one of the notches) and finished removal using the spanner wrench. Removed the outer tub and knocked the old bearing out. I found some rust in the tub that we cleaned and sprayed rust converter on. Found a hole that leaked (after completely reinstalling!, I will say that it was a breeze to take it back apart!!) that was repaired with J-B Weld epoxy (24-hour cure). With everything reassembled and after several test runs that had leaks due to rust along the rim of the outer tub where the headcover fits in, I ended up sealing with silicone where it joins, then placed the rubber gasket back in and clamped it. No runs, no drips, …!