My Whirlpool washing machine has got incredibly noisy in the last few months at full spin to the point we can barley stay in the kitchen when its at full chat at 1400rpm.
If I manually spin the drum it sounds rough and grindy so I suspect the bearings have gone.
Has anyone replaced the bearings on a washer?
How easy was it and did you need any fancy tools?
A quick Google on spare parts doesnt appear to list anywhere selling bearing kits. Only new motors, pumps, seals etc.
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I did some once on my sister in laws machine. Bought a 'kit' from somewhere (probabaly pre-internet days). I wasn't filled with confidence at the no-name bearings supplied, though. I seem to remember it was a bit of a pig as they were pressed in and the metal flanged over. Washing machines aren't designed to be repaired. The other problem was all the sharp edges and raw steel on all the chassis and most of the parts inside. They worked ok though,
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>> If I manually spin the drum it sounds rough and grindy so I suspect the
>> bearings have gone.
Remove the drive belt, and then turn the drum by hand. If it is the drum bearings - scrap it.
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They are usually a pig to get to, you usually need a puller to get them off.
The outer drum has to be split to enable the inner drum to pulled out. This usually entails removing some of the innards in the casing to gain access to the necessary fasteners. The drive pulley has to come off the back of the drum. It is not particularly difficult but is time consuming. You may find that you will need new seals for the outer drum joint and possibly the door.
The bearings can usually be matched by a bearing and seal supplier if you can't find them on line, take the old bearings as a sample.
The usual cause of failure is the inner seal failing and letting the detergent wash the lubricant away.
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In the run up to Christmas I noticed that the Hotpoint was getting very noisy when the spin built up to full chat. Infact it sounded like it was going to self destruct. Thought I would whip the top off and have a look see. The concrete block counterbalance was loose - not an uncommon problem. Tighten up three bolts, all silky smooth and quiet :)
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Our washer can get noisy and when you go down to the cellar it's moved. But it's level and the drum moves freely and 90% of the times is not a problem. I wonder if it's failing bearings? We've had it a while. Might be time to get a new more efficient one.
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A washing machine repair man told me Whirlpool were notorious for having sub-standard bearings. But if you know how to extract them and have the right tools they work well once you put in proper bearings from a reputable maker.
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The last one I did was on an old Zanussi. The bearing was in a spider bolted to the back of the outside of the drum. Quite easy.
Subsequent machines look like they need the inner and outer drums separating. Often plastic too. I buy new machines.
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After I posted I went trawling on the interweb last night and found a video of some chap from E-Spares changing the bearings on a machine. Although he claimed it was far cheaper to replace parts rather than the whole machine, it looked a hell of a faff when removing most panels, seals, weights, then splitting the drum and having to reseal it afterwards.
Methinks I'll chop it in for a replacement w/machine. Can't be bu...faffed with bits all over the kitchen floor.
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www.washerhelp.co.uk/buying-washing-machines.html
is a great source of advice and help.
We got fed up of crappy quality and bought a Bosch now 12 years old.. Touch wood, still going strong. No repairs. Used twice a day.
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...Used twice a day...
Does taking in the washing for your street pay well?
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>> Does taking in the washing for your street pay well?
You've not got daughters then Iffy?
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...You've not got daughters then Iffy?...
Nope, and it sounds like my threads might not be as clean as madf's.
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Miss B's not back at Uni until next week.
Population up 30% washing machine use doubled. She knows how to use it herself though!
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>> A quick Google on spare parts doesnt appear to list anywhere selling bearing kits. Only
>> new motors, pumps, seals etc.
>>
Just had a look at the Whirlpool site. Spares redirect to some place just doing the obvious bits. Useless.
May I suggest, if you are DIY inclined, that your next machine be from Bosch, Siemens, AEG/Electrolux or similar? All of those have full spares catalogues online, with exploded diagrams showing how it all fits together too.
Then again I just bought a Samsung, so this is out of the "do as I say, not as I do" school of advice.
In my defence, Samsung were giving 50 EUR back on it and the place selling it had simultaneously erred in their pricing, so it was ridiculously cheap. Such a pig's ear that they were undercutting their own online operation by the thick end of 200EUR.
Gift horses and all that.
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My recent experience of Bosch.
Vacuum cleaner - now 4 years old, many plastic parts break and have been replaced.
Fridge 4 years old - Many plastic parts broken or breaking - needing replacement
Washing machine, 2 years old - Plastic control panel cracking at fixing point, will need to be replaced.
Its a good job they they provide excellent on line parts kits and a good spares service - you need them!
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Can anyone on here recommend Candy 1600 spin machines?
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>> My recent experience of Bosch.
>>
>> Vacuum cleaner - now 4 years old, many plastic parts break and have been replaced.
>>
>> Fridge 4 years old - Many plastic parts broken or breaking - needing replacement
>>
>> Washing machine, 2 years old - Plastic control panel cracking at fixing point, will need
>> to be replaced.
>>
>> Its a good job they they provide excellent on line parts kits and a good
>> spares service - you need them!
>>
>>
Breaking things is is usually due to maltreatment and carelessness . What state is the Lancer in?
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>> Breaking things is is usually due to maltreatment and carelessness.
Wrong
>> What state is the Lancer in?
Excellent.
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My (somewhat) historic experience of Bosch:
Fridge freezer. Nearly 10 years old and functioning as well now as when it was new - although I did have to fork out about £20 for two new door handles a while back.
Possibly a tad heavy handed, Z?
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Bosch appliances are now built to a price. For example the dishwasher we had in the old house had metallic parts for the washer rotors. If you look at a new Bosch dishwasher now they will be plastic and look and feel cheap compared to the old one.
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>> Possibly a tad heavy handed, Z?
No not at all. The washing panel has cracked from a screw mounting hole, the panel takes no user pressure at all.
It could be the simple fact that in recent years Bosch standards of manufacture have fallen you think? The evidence certainly suggests so.
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Z you're right about quality. As I said above, when looking at dishwashers for someone I was surprised how cheap in terms of quality a Bosch dishwasher had become. Even models higher up in the range.
I don't think they will last as long as our old one would - admittedly that was a Siemens rather than a Bosch but I looked at the Bosch ones when choosing. I got the Siemens because it was on offer with a 5 year warranty and cheaper than some of the Bosch appliances in the shop.
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Also have experience of the ‘crumbling edge of quality*’ on Bosch.
Fifteen y/o fridge/freezer had needed only a door handle - and that might have ben an accident victim. Three y/o vac already fails to fully retract its cord and the cheapskates have deleted a dusting brush from the ‘toolkit’.
Same observation as above on their new dishwashers. Less steel, more plastic and the former folding racks are now fixed except at top of range – flexibility seriously compromised.
* Zero can probably name the originator of and context for this phrase?
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Yes, it was Peter Parker, chairman of the BR board in the 70s.
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There is no difference between Bosch and Siemens machines, other than the cosmetic ones. They are both manufactured by the same company, BSH (Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH).
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>> What state is the Lancer in?
Last time I saw it, could have done with a wash ;o)
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Only cos it had to drive over those cow sheet covered lanes to your country pile!
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Washing machine bearings - Dave
