spider assembly

[Kirk]

I have a Kenmore He3t washer and the spider assembly is cracked.  I'm having a difficult time finding one.  It seems Sears and other part stores only want to sell the basket and spider assembly as one unit.  Where can I find just the spider assembly?

 

[amark...@hotmail.com]

Most of the time you can't. Have you check to see if by chance they will warranty the part? And so we can make sure what were the places you have checked?  We do now know that some models they are offering just the spider arm and I celieve sometimes they are calling it something else. I will check on that and let you know. By the way what is your model number, so I can do some looking around too.

[djaynes]

Did you ever find somewhere to buy just the spider?  I have my HE3t apart to put in new bearings/seal only to discover that the shaft is worn at the inner bearing so much that the fit is sloppy and letting the tub rattle when spinning.  Model 110.42924202

[biguggy]

Kirk

Whirlpool, the manufacturer of your washer are now making the spider for some of their machines available separately. Unfortunately as far as I can ascertain yours is not one of them.

The users guide for your machine that 'pulls up' at this site:

http://www.managemylife.com/mmh/lis_pdf/OWNM/L0409348.pdf

indicates, on page 3, that there is a limited lifetime warranty on the stainless steel drum. Now as the drum and spider are not available separately it is my understanding that Sears will replace the drum assembly but you will have to pay for the labor. What they do not tell you is that the labor will have to be provided by a Sears authorized technician.

Similarly there is a limited 10 year warranty on the outer plastic tub which includes the seal and bearings.

You may wish to pursue this avenue but please bear in mind the warranty for your actual machine will be what is in the manual that came with your machine.

Good Luck

Biguggy

[lapoljo]

Kirk,

 

I just posted an update to my saga on another thread. HE3 Duet, just 10 years old. I tore it down and found the spider was cracked and had a hole corroded right through it.

 

Thanks to advice from Biguggy, I called Sears, had a Service Tech come out and inspect the parts. He ordered me a new inner drum with spider at no cost. It should arrive next week. He also ordered me a front outer drum, since mine had gotten wiped out from the wobbling inner drum, and it was still under the 10 year warranty.

 

It cost me $75 for the service call, but was well worth it.

Good luck!

[Jeff Fender]

http://www.repairclinic.com/Kenmore-Washing-Machine-Parts?s=b6a11m&n=3

[Jeff Fender]

http://www.repairclinic.com/Kenmore-Washing-Machine-Parts?s=b6a11m&n=3

On Sunday, November 4, 2012 11:03:22 PM UTC-6, Kirk wrote:

[Eric Wolfe]

Lapoljo,

I am facing the same dilema. I have a service tech coming out here in two days to check out my Kenmore front-loader which I am certain has a broken spider arm and shot rear bearing.

Do you have any advice based on your experience on how I should handle the situation and get the tech to honor the warranty? I realize that they leave it up to their discretion. 

Did you let them know that you were aware of the defective design? Did you show frustration? Anger? Sadness???

Just curious how I should play it.

Thanks,

Eric

[Jerrod Sessler]

A little cash often helps but they will order the parts for you under warranty if you tell them you want to make the repair yourself.

Jerrod

[Rob Lawrence]

Thanks for this post and everyone sharing.  Yes, the stainless tub assembly is covered under a 10 year unconditional warranty. Whirlpool shipped out a brand new tub assembly (which includes the spider assembly.)  I also indicated that the steel on the rear tub assembly (the outer plastic housing with the bearings) was destroyed due to the disintegrated tub assembly.  Because of that they also covered the rear tub assembly (which includes the bearings & seal installed) to my home for free. Not a whole lot of hassle either. :-)

You'll need the model number and serial number of the machine. Also when you call, you need to make sure when they prompt you about the age of the tub (if owned for more or less than 12 months) that you indicate "less than 12 months" in order to get to the right department to handle the claim. If you don't it'll take another 20-30 minutes to get to the right team.

My free parts came this week, so I'm now off to assemble the washing machine.  Wish me luck!

Good luck to you too.  I hope this is helpful. 

[Jerrod Sessler]

This is great news!  I have heard of these before but for some reason not everyone is able to get them to approve these free replacements.  I think it depends upon the age of your machine and the model number and maybe even the method or location of purchase.  Bottom line is they are counting on people replacing them and not even calling but I would certainly call and see if you can get free parts first.

Jerrod

[Rob Lawrence]

Eric- 

do you still have the washers manuals/warrantee paperwork? The text of the warrantee is where it states the stainless tub has  lifetime(or maybe it's 10 yrs - I'm not at home to look up the coverage language.) 

Did you register the appliance when you purchased it? If you didn't, that is the only thing I can think of as the only reason they'd decline sending out a replacement. 

I stated that the rear tub assembly broke as a result of the disintegrated spider assembly. They replaced it at no charge as well. 

Good luck. You can use my example if you like. We had a 2005 appliance and registered it. Maybe ask for a supervisor if you are declined again . 

~Rob

On Nov 29, 2013, at 1:09 PM, G Eric Babcock <geri...@gmail.com> wrote:

Who did you call? I've got my machine apart, the middle of the spider has failed - unlike the Tub which looks new, its clearly not stainless and has corroded to nothing in the center.  I have the Kenmore HE3 (110.42822201), called Sears Parts and Repair Center and got nowhere with any warranty.  They want about $450 for the whole tub assembly (part 8181914).  Repair clinic wants $315. The Tub Front has a plastic lip that has basically been rubbed off as a result, but I don't think that is critical.  Then, the bellows has about a 1 inch split in it - judging by the position, I'd say it's a factory original cut.  Other than that, the bellows looks perfect.  I don't see anything wrong with the bearings in the rear tub.  One Shock Absorber has grease at the bottom, but when I push it up and down, it feels the same as the others. 

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[Eric]

Perfect - Now to call them back and see if they will agree it is defective materials or workmanship.
Limited Lifetime Warranty on Stainless Steel Drum: For the lifetime of the washer from the date of purchase, Sears will replace the Stainless Steel wash drum due to defective material or workmanship.  After the first year, you will be charged for labor.

[Eric]

You are completely at the mercy of who they send as a service rep.  And, you cannot send Sears a picture or take the machine or parts to the local repair center (2 miles away).  The service rep I have been put in contact with refuses to order parts for me to fix it myself - he is 'completely by the book'.  So, the warranty is completely meaningless - the 'Fix It' amount is more than the purchase of a new machine (nice LG model 452012 is $599.00 today at Lowes).  I doubt I will be a purchaser of Sears or Kenmore or Whirlpool appliances again.
This is my exact problem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VmU7_wBz0o

[Thierry M.]

Hi Eric, I share your frustration that some people seem to get the outer tub sent to them if the bearings fail, or inner tub if the spider fails, but its luck of the draw and to go strictly by-the-book means about $600 of labor.  When my bearings went, I faced the decision of trying to get them to send parts under warranty ...or just fix it myself.  In the end, I decided not to even try to get the parts sent.  Those type of phone calls, and the ensuing aggravation take so much out of me, especially since I need to squeeze them into business hours when finding a moment for a personal call is difficult...much less a call where I'm arguing heatedly with customer support about why they should do something extraordinary to make up for their design flaw.  

Sears is in a world of pain as a company these days, and they've been cutting costs in the parts and repair business, so I don't expect things to get much better with them.

Luckily for me, my issue was bearings and not the spider.  When I got my machine apart, the bearing job went beautifully.   I began the job with the idea that I'd be restoring the machine back to 'like-new', and it would be good for another 10 years with any luck.  Once I got a good look at my spider, I became resigned to the fact that I'd be lucky if I got another 2-4 years out of it.  It wasn't cracked, but the deep pits and corrosion were evident.

It seems that washing manufacturers might do something for individual cases if you're really really persistent, make a lot of noise to the right people, point out that its a design flaw, and get them to realize that its going to cost them less as a company to send you the part, because you're not going to drop the issue.  It's a huge uphill struggle that can really take a lot of time and energy.  And while you're doing this, the laundry is piling up.