"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote in message
...

stuff snipped

One I removed the tub and separated the halves it was easy to see why
clothes had come out dirty: large patches of greasy brown stuff, a
mixture of rust and grease, caused by failure of the seal, allowing
water into the bearings and allowing the mixture of rust, water and
grease to get out again and mingle with the clothes.

Is that a failure mode peculiar to front-loaders? I assume when the same
thing happens with a top loader, the bearings are at the bottom of the tub
and gunk doesn't migrate into the clothes being washed when the bearing
fails. Instead, water leaks all over the floor. If that's the case, it's
another reason to get a top-loader. (-:

I repaired my last top-loader in 1984 when my GF's nylon stocking got into
and wrapped around the pump impeller. It stretched out to almost 20' when
I finally unwrapped it. Fortunately my Sears unit from 1985 has been
running strong (knock on wood!) for over 25 years (fairly light use,
though).

The only trouble so far is that rust spots have appeared inside the drum
because the enameling has failed at the edges of the tub's many drain holes.
That's probably partly my fault because I often leave very heavily soiled
clothes in the machine for half a day. It may also be due to the brass
rivets and snaps on dungarees banging into the drum while washing. FWIW, no
rust stains have shown up on any clothing, so I haven't bothered to try
cleaning them off because I think that would make the problem worse.

--
Bobby G.