Bearing Failure. - collateral damage

[Mark S]

Without having pulled the drum yet I am pretty sure the bearings on my Whirlpool Duet GHW9150PW0 failed. However, I am also concerned about the the damaged the loose spinning basket has caused to the drum. When I removed contents from final unfinished wash cycle there was a significant amount of torn shredded and finely ground plastic all over the clothing. I removed the pump to inspect it and found the impeller housing assembly and hose were packed with the same, Have you observed this before and if so can you please tell me what the prognosis is for salvaging the drum?

[Jerrod Sessler]

There are screws pointed out if the drum. They run on the inside of the tub when bearings fail. Not a big deal unless they dig deep and get close to cutting through the tub. Check the spider also as it could be cracked. We can get you a repair kit in a couple days once you order.

[Jerrod Sessler]

The machine is not terminal until you take it apart to see what you have. I have repaired them with these symptoms and I have had to find a used tub to swap out.
Jerrod

[Mark S]

Thanks for your quick reply and for mentioning spider bracket. Now that I have looked into that it does seems my symptoms are more in line with broken spider. Those symptoms include a.) loud banging sound when it abruptly failed during spin cycle (similar to cadence of thumping with unbalanced load in top loader except much louder), b.) inner basket now wobbles when turned by hand and sounds and feels like basket rubbing against inner surface of outer drum. That said, I am with you on need to tear into it to know for sure.

[Mark S]

Washing machine may not be terminal but the spider bracket is. What I stated earlier was finely ground plastic turned out to be churned up cast aluminum corrosion you see in the picture. It was so soft it felt pasty when it was wet I would have never guess it was metal. Mixed in with this material in pump impeller housing, door seal and all over the final load of laundry were also some strips of plastic. This is from where the basket scored the front of the plastic drum once it broke free of the shaft and continued to spin.

[Jerrod Sessler]

Mark,

Yes, that is about as bad as it gets spider wise.  You will still want to replace the bearings and the seal.  I found a spider on ebay:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Whirlpool-Support-Tri-Arm-Spider-Arm-8182232-W10250573-110-49972602-CSW2709221-/321777762623?hash=item4aeb73013f

It is rare to see just the spider available for these.  The only other option is to purchase the entire assembly which the manufacture part number is:  W10250573  (in case you want to do further searching).

Here are some options for that:  http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Inner-Tub/W10250573/1515048

http://www.appliancepartspros.com/whirlpool-basket-w10250573-ap4410100.html

I would also call the manufacturer as they sometimes will supply a replacement tub assembly for a spider failure.

Of course you also need to look at the tub condition and if it is deeply scored then you will want to find an entire tub assembly with the drum and rebuild that for your machine.

Regards,

Jerrod

[Mark S]

I was one of the four out there watching that spider bracket on eBay but after reading my warranty which states "lifetime warranty on stainless steel wash drum” I called the manufacturer today and told them to send me a new one. I have an order number and they say it should ship tomorrow.  Original bearings were never noisy and upon inspection today seem to show no signs of wear. This is not too surprising since this machine has only averaged 2 or 3 wash loads a week throughout its life. Replacement bearing parts cost is not the issue here.  I am just wondering if my amateur-hour installation of replacement bearings will have a greater life expectancy then "ain't broke" factory sealed originals. Still thinking that one over.

[washerr...@gmail.com]

Mark,
That is great news!  I have heard of others getting that deal and then I have heard of people being rejected and I am not really sure what the criteria is.  Glad you got it.  I would suggest unbolting the spider off the new assembly when you get it.  If you read down in the posts a long ways there is a string / story of a guy that actually bought an extra one and epoxied it before assembly.  Several people have actually bought spare parts.  In this story, I actually think the guy bought a brand new machine and before he ran it, he took it apart and epoxied the spider so it would last longer.  I think that even if you put some good enamel paint on it, it would have to last a lot longer.  I also wonder about grounding the shaft on your machine.  My guess is the original one did not have a ground but I bet the replacement tub (if you were to get that) would because it would help prevent corrosion.

For the bearings and seal, I would change it just because I would not want to have to rip the thing apart again in the near future.  Stick your finger in and feel the bearings.  They should be ultra smooth.  Feel the rubber lip on the seal.  It should be nice a soft and pliable.  If all that checks out then you can certainly give it a shot with the original bearings and seal.  At least you know the drill now if you do need to tear it apart in the future.  I would also mark the date on the tub so you know when you replaced the tub/spider so you can check in on it in the future.

Jerrod

[Mark S]

Not sure how I lucked into the warranty replacement.  Mine is a Whirlpool. Maybe same unit badged Kenmore et al have different warranties. Or did the warranty maybe devolved over time? The original outer bearing is grounded.  I probably will paint the new spider. I am no metallurgist but it seems likely to me that the aluminum spider (which I have read spends most of its existence partially submerged due to alleged inadequate draining) is the unintended sacrificial anode in an ongoing galvanic reaction between itself, the shaft and the basket. This machine has performed well for me prior to this incident but I do not feel  I am going very far out on a limb in saying the design of this particular series washing machine was not the Whirlpool design team’s  finest hour.  

it seems like you get where I am coming from on the bearing “to replace or not” question even though you lean toward replacing it. If I felt reasonably sure that my diy replacement would last longer than leaving existing factory sealed bearing in service it would be a no brainer to replace it now. I will take your advice on inspecting existing bearing more thoroughly and take it from there.  I am glad to now know how to tear down this machine and complete these major repairs and that is a factor. To be sure though, this is not something I want to have to do more than times then necessary.

Jerrod, once again, thanks for all your help!

[Mark S]

Some follow-up info and tips from my experience with broken spider that others might find helpful:

After attempting to persuade me to hire an authorized repairman, Whirlpool’s rep caved and shipped me a new stainless washdrum with spider at no cost under the terms of my warranty. Once I explained to her that I have been servicing my own appliances for the better part of four decades and I am perfectly capable of reassembling this one that I have already tore down and diagnosed she had the part shipped the same day. Bottom line: If your warranty document states, "lifetime warranty on stainless steel wash drum” then you are entitled to a free replacement of this assembly which includes the spider. The great news for me is that if it happens again in 10 or so Whirlpool is still on the hook for a free replacement. Armed with the knowledge and experience from having performed a complete tear down and re-assembly on this appliance I plan to keep it forever. Thanks again Jerrod!

I considered removing the spider from the new washdrum assembly that Whirlpool furnished and coating it to prevent corrosion. However, after attempting to remove the fastening screws from the old spider (what was left of it!) it seemed as though these screws were never intended to be removed in the field.  I understand that others have done so and are apparently pleased with the results. However, I am concerned that doing so could result in sheared fastened or stripped threads or other damage that would void the lifetime warranty on the entire drum/spider assembly. It would be foolish of me to transfer risk of future spider failure from Whirlpool to myself in hopes of getting a few more years of service from this part that that they are obligated to replace for free as long as I own it. If you obtain a new washdrum assembly free of charge under warranty I strongly suggest you DO NOT disassemble it.

In my case a broken spider did not correspond to a bad bearing or seal. My choice that some may disagree with was to not fix what was not broken. Parts cost for bearing was not a factor. I just feel that the bearing replacement can introduce a whole new set of issues as evidenced by some of the posts from those who have experienced problems with it. For the moment my repaired washing machine seems to run as smooth and quiet and leak-free as ever. If bearing goes I will cross that bridge when I get there. 

This repair would have been difficult if not impossible for me to complete without a second set of hands but for the fact that I removed the weights while the drum was still in the machine. Removing them was not particularly difficult but when unbolting the lower ones take care not to let these weights fall when they are loosened possibly causing them to break or causing personal injury. They are heavier then what they look. 

The reason this took so long to report on is that I had an old Maytag top-loader that I kept as a spare which allowed me to procrastinate until I got tired of looking at the disassembled front loader. If you have access to a working spare washing machine and someplace to store it I recommend keeping one. Especially if you do many loads per week this could make the difference between having the time to complete this low-cost repair or having to but a new machine.to save a marriage or something!