Electrolux produces many front load washers that we see in large home appliance stores, with labels like GE, Gibson, etc.Unfortunately, they use what is commonly called \"pot metal\" to support the basket, which could become a major point of failure.First of all, I would say that in general, I am a real fan of Electrolux products, from vacuum cleaners to their wonderful Wascomat commercial washing machine range.
However, anyone with a small pre-load washing machine is sold in size of 16 to 17 lbs (3 lbs) under the above-mentioned Electrolux brand.1 to 3.5 CF) it should be realized that the pot metal \"Spider\" is likely to fail after 5 years.As a professional repairman and owner of these machines, I noticed that the main support or spider hidden behind that gorgeous stainless steel basket is made of white aluminum, like metal, it will eventually fail with a terrible crash.
Usually, a pint of nasty corrosion is hidden behind the basket, which has been mixed with your clothes all the time.The \"Spider\" or basket holder can be removed or separated from the basket at a cost of about $100.Around 00, but guess what.This is where it gets worse and worse (temporarily forgetting that they shouldn\'t be using \"white metal\" in the first place \").
You see, they don\'t sell axes and spiders themselves, though it\'s easy to unhook it from the basket.Oh no, you have to buy the whole stainless steel basket with the shaft and the spider, so now the price is over $470.about $259.In the exact same part of the Arctic, Gibson and the label!!In addition to this, the labor cost of removing the drum from the cabinet and removing/reassembling the drum may exceed $600.
00!In other words, they have downgraded that $600 unless you go to work on your own.00 to $800.00 washing machine to the dump.No one with a normal mind will spend the money to fix the machines, and they can spend about the same money or another $200 to buy a new machine.It\'s a shame because they were a great machine.
I would love to hear from others who have encountered the same problem.Well, before I threw the spider drum into the dump, I decided to take a few photos of the spider drum stand.The machine for this GE tag belongs to one of my clients who owns it for about 6 years.
She lives alone and uses it rarely and claims that she uses soap as directed.She is a very smart person and I have no reason to doubt her words.When you see these pictures, remember that I had sucked out about a pint of sticky powder corrosion before I took the picture.
As you can see, the spider is divided into 3 pieces in a single extraction process, which leads to an amazing explosion when the high speed is broken.It sounds like a two-car build-up, she said.She ended up spending another $700.00 buy the same basic machine in a slightly larger Frigidaire model.
Since then I checked the manual, which runs the same white metal crappy spider, which is likely to fail in the next 6 years.What\'s really annoying to me about all this is that I have each of these exact same machines.One is five years old, so I think our time on that one is borrowed.
She bought Frigidaire on my recommendation because I haven\'t torn down her old machine yet and found Electrolux\'s little secret.It would be forgiven if they just offer Spider/shaft components at a reasonable cost, rather than forcing you to buy a new, very good stainless steel basket as well.As you can see in the photo, the spider/axis is very easy to remove from the basket.
There are 2 stainless steel bolts at the end of the three blades, a total of 6.Even on this very corroded spider, they are coming right away.Unfortunately, it doesn\'t do you any good because you can\'t order these items separately anyway.
Other maintenance personnel may find this acceptable, but I do not.You can order all the other parts of this machine as a separate part, so why not order the spider/axis?The Ss basket did a good job!These machines are in Electrolux, Wascomat (we-16), Gibson, Tappan, white-Westinghouse, Kenmore, and some general electric companies (machines as shown ).I\'ll try to find out if there\'s anyone else, and for that matter, is there anyone who actually uses stainless steel instead of the dreaded \"white metal\" \"pot metal \".
In my next post, I\'m going to crack down on how to do this fix myself by hitting, as this is the only way that the dollar side might be worth it.Also, I found a better price on the basket/spider/shaft and I will reveal under which brands I can find the best price.I can tell you now that the price of GE is ridiculous (almost $200 ).
00 more) for the exact same part.
I will try to take a lot of photos.
I need to replace the tub bearing in my own Gibson (exactly the same machine as Electrolux GE on the label), which will also be another chance to get some photos.I want to end this section by repeating this outside of this \"pot metal\" issue, and force you to replace a very nice and very expensive SS basket wascomat and Electrolux van on these smaller machinesI have been working on large commercial Wascomats for 20 years and don\'t have enough praise for these great machines.It was made in Sweden after all.This is one of the reasons why I find this problem getting more frustrating.
Looking at the repair manual, I found that the machine below the current \"20 #\" has not changed.They still use pot metal behind the SS basket and still only provide replacement parts for one unit.Even though I don\'t have a photo of the process at the moment, I decided to post this.
But I will provide you with a very good video at the end of this repair section.He is replacing the bearings and seals, but it is almost the same procedure and you need to do the same if your bathtub bearings and seals are not good (noise.Colleagues in the video can provide you with bearings and/or seals, and the dealer will not be able to provide these bearings and/or seals without purchasing the entire rear bath housing.
Replace the drums, spiders and shafts on Electrolux 16 and 17 pound washing machines with any of the following brands: Electrolux, Wascomat (we-16 & 17) Frigidaire 16 & 17 #, Gibson, Tapan, white-Westinghouse, Kenmore and some General Electric are also similar processes.Depending on your skill level, the entire tub extraction time should range from 15 to 30 minutes.The whole repair should take you in 2-4 hrs.
First of all, you need a good Philips 2 screwdriver.I use the Milwaukee 18 v bit drive for speed, but the standard screwdriver is OK.You will also need a channel lock clamp to squeeze the hose clamp, a blade to remove the front door washer, and some wood blocks to help slide out of the drum.
It is highly recommended that the second person provide assistance when sliding out the drum and lifting the drum.I often ask my wife to work at such times.Personally, I put the motor and heavy objects on the tub, unlike other online suggestions I \'ve read.
I have repaired a large rig with 200 (load weight) washers over the years, so it\'s just a baby for me.I realize that it can be scary for people who do this for the first time.Look at this: your choice is to throw it in the dump or separate it on Ebay.
Don\\\'t laugh.
A list of three-phase motors and controllers for about $700.00!The drainage motor is priced at $100.00.You should be able to get something close to 1/3 to 1/2 on Ebay.Personally, I can\'t wait to have time to play with three-phase variable speed motors and controllers on the bench to see what else can be as great as carpentry.
Disconnect the motor harness plug and all hoses first.About 5 -10 Minutes.Next, loosen the front door washer from the cabinet.You may need to scrape some stuck places with a blade.
Be careful not to damage the gasket.
The biggest pain is probably the soap box.I removed the two screws and bounced back a little so I could get the hose clamp.By first releasing the door washer, you can reach the wire clip that connects the soap box to the door washer and slide the fill tube out.
No control panel needs to be removed.
An online account I read lets you remove knobs, weights, control panels, and a lot of stuff you don\'t need.Why waste so much time?The more you do this professionally, the better you are at not dismantling.Next, disconnect the lower impact of the bathtub by squeezing the holder clip and tapping or pulling out the pin.
I found that the pins at the bottom didn\'t work very well, so I put them aside and pushed the impact to the cabinet.Next, undo the upper suspension spring holder and let someone stabilize the drum as you lift one side of the spring from their slot at a time, and re-hang them on the edge of the cabinet, more so.This gives you a little respite when you reposition your big elevator.
When you slide out of the tub, put some pieces of wood under the tub to protect the computer and the motor.Now you are ready to gently lift the tub and keep it upright, take it out of the back and put it on plywood or something like that.I asked my assistant to carry it through the rear pulley while I grabbed it by opening the door during the extraction process.
Let your assistant grab the pulley near the top for balance.Fix the drums on the plywood with wooden blocks.Now you are ready for something more interesting.
Now, I removed the motor when it was easy to get there.1/2 \\ \"(13mm) what the socket should do.Now you\'re ready to pull the back pulley.First extend the Bolt about half an inch with a 9/16 (14mm) wrench or sleeve.I then used a small 3-claw puller to extract the pulley.
It\'s a bit tricky because the pulley isn\'t split into 2 or 3 spoke holes, so you\'ll be a bit biased towards one side or the other, but it works.Now use the long 24 \\ \"x 3/8 \\\" extension, universal joint and 10mm socket (or anything that works for you when I use 3/8 \\ \"air shock) remove all tub fixing bolts and lift from the front half of the tub that exposed the ss basket.The basket should be taken out directly with minimal persuasion.
Now you will see all the corrosion I said.Try not to make any bearings.Vac is near the bearing and anywhere else.If the bearings are noisy with the seals, please replace them.
Keep in mind that the water level is almost never higher than the seal on the pre-load residential machine, so if it looks good, you should give up using it repeatedly.If you want to use it safely, please replace the bearings and seals.Clean and check the center tub seal gasket.
If everything is OK, you are ready to re-assemble the new basket.I wrote this article from memory, so if I\'m missing something, I\'ll add it to the post.All feedback is welcome.Also, there are great charts in the parts warehouse link on this page and the price is high.
I do a lot of business with these people, they are real professionals.The GE owner should use this part number PS418295 for basket assembly and save several hundred dollars.Check it out!Good Luck!