Maybe not 100% on topic, but I think there will be people in here who value repairing things and keeping them going longer.
I have a front loading washing machine (clothes) where the inner metal drum that spins is no longer sitting in the right position inside the larger plastic watertight container. It was still being driven to turn, but was rubbing at some point and so struggling to spin, and vibrations were bad. I don’t know how things are connected inside there but I’m imagining a bearing or two inside has failed. I don’t see any sign of other damage to other parts like the motor or the springs.
Is that likely to be something reasonably easy to repair myself? I’m happy enough disconnecting and reconnecting the electrical connections, but would you need any specialist tools for the seals or big springs? Or maybe the whole watertight part is a single piece and not designed to be repaired inside?
Thanks for any advice or info. If i haven’t described it well enough please ask questions…
Cheers!
I used to work as an appliance repair woman. It’s totally doable for the average person. The only specialty tool you may need is a very large pair of snapring/spring pliers. The gasket that seals the front of the machine to the drum uses a large wire loop connected with a 2-3" long spring on the ends to secure it. If the drum is not spinning smoothly then either the spindle bearings have failed or the spider/flange that attaches the drum to the spindle has broken. Either one are fairly simple to replace. What model washing machine do you have?
youtube has tons of bearing replacement videos that show the whole process step by step - definitely check those out before starting, helps to see what you’re getting into befor tearing everything apart.
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look for disassembly videos of your specific washer/model number. You might even find videos with the same symptoms.
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Taake it apart and take lots of pictures of everything as you take it apart so you can put it back together.
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Look for signs of a damaged part.
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Use Google image search or identify product markings/part numbers/model numbers and see if you can buy the part. 3.5) Post pictures asking to identify the part if all else fails.
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Assume and plan that if you take it apart, you might need to buy a replacement washer. Plan accordingly.
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If you can get the part, assuming you can follow instructions, you should be able to repair it but getting repair parts for certain brands is becoming a nightmare even for some repair companies. (Not to mention that repair guides are disappearing and they are not designing them to be repaired but wear out at a target date)
That gets me seething every time….
I don’t know the answer, just commenting for engagement, I hope someone more knowledgeable can chime in with something helpful to get you going in the right direction!
You might also see if there’s an active DIY or repair comm to crosspost to :)
We also have a !diy@slrpnk.net and !fixing@slrpnk.net communities.
To my knowledge, the “spider” that holds the drum in place is the weak point on a washing machine, and this is typical symptom list. As far as I know, they’re not economically viable to replace. But give it a google and see!
After taking my washing machine apart and finding out that the spider had corroded to the point of failure while every single other part was made out of stainless steel and 100% pristine, I will never buy any Samsung product ever again in my life.
