Washer Repair

Anaka with Pacifier

Me and Victor repaired the washer The washer needed a new door seal. One of the flaws with front loading washers is the door seal. They have the tendency to break; and when they do, water gets everywhere!

Time: Approx. 1 1/2 to 2 hours repair time
Part: Bellows (a.k.a. Door Seal)

It took three weeks for the part to show up. The first time I called Sears, they told me that the technician would show up at my door in 2 weeks. I declined, saying that I can't wait that long and send me the part instead. Well, a week and a half went by. I called Sears again. They said that the part was never shipped and that there was no history of the first call. They apologized and shipped out a seal. This time, the lady gave me a confirmation number. A week later, I got a seal, however, it was the wrong part. They sent me a tiny little seal the size of a pencil erasor. I called Sears AGAIN. Once again, they apologized and reshipped another seal to me. A week later, it showed up. Maybe I should've had the technician come out and fix it for me, it would've been faster.

Instructions for replacing the door seal:

1. Remove the door.
2. Remove the old bellows by taking pliers and taking the retaining ring off the outside seal.
3. With a #2 philips screwdriver, loosen the screw on the retaining ring inside of the washer and remove.
4. Muscle out the door seal.
5. Take a break.
6. Remove the bottom cover. (Three screws)
7. Remove the screws to the lid and slide lid off to reveal the upper screws for the controls.
8. Remove the controls.
9. Carefully remove the front panel. (The door switch has some delicate plastic attached to it. It must be carefully unhooked.)
10. Now there is space to insert the new seal. Start with the bottom part where the drain will connect with the drainage hole. Make sure that the lip is making a proper seal. If you screw this up, you'll get a pretty bad leak.
11. Replace the retaining ring.
12. Replace all body panels in reverse order.
13. Seal the outside lip and put a retaining ring on it.
14. Put the door back on and test it out for leaks.

Removing the Covers