We have one of those Frigidaire-manufactured Kenmore front-load washers
that is now somewhere around 10 years old. Many of these have, AFAICS,
not lasted this long. I see that by 2007 I was reporting that ours was
already rather noisy (bearing noise), but it has kept going with no
other problems until last week, when white clothes were found to have
brown stains. (Some owners have reported loud banging noises, and
someone even reported that theirs sounds as though it was being pushed
down a flight of stairs -- which probably indicates that the "spider"
that attaches the basket to the shaft had failed.)

The official repair method is to buy a whole new rear half of the tub
complete with bearings and seal for approx $180 (Sears does not sell the
bearings and seals separately), but I have ordered those parts for less
than $30. (I had read somewhere that the whole tub half has to be
replaced because the bearings and seal are molded into the plastic tub,
but this is not so: a steel sleeve is molded into the tub, and the
bearings and seal are pressed into that sleeve.)

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.

The rough patches on the inside of the tub turned out not to be the
result of scuffing by the basket, as I thought, but simply hard
residues, perhaps dating from before we installed a water softener.

The basket seems to be in fine shape, with no sign of the corrosion and
failure of the spider that I have seen in photographs; the latter looked
as though they were made of aluminum alloy, whereas ours seem to be
pressed steel with some kind of coating -- no rust. We hardly ever used
anything but High-Efficiency low-suds detergent; maybe this helped as well.

Here are instructions on pulling the thing apart:

http://www.applianceaid.com/417_Frigidaire_washer.html

and a video showing how to remove and replace the seal and bearings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4AeU...eature=related

Perce

"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.

On 01/14/2012 02:37 PM, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
We have one of those Frigidaire-manufactured Kenmore front-load washers
that is now somewhere around 10 years old. Many of these have, AFAICS,
not lasted this long. I see that by 2007 I was reporting that ours was
already rather noisy (bearing noise), but it has kept going with no
other problems until last week, when white clothes were found to have
brown stains. (Some owners have reported loud banging noises, and
someone even reported that theirs sounds as though it was being pushed
down a flight of stairs -- which probably indicates that the "spider"
that attaches the basket to the shaft had failed.)

The official repair method is to buy a whole new rear half of the tub
complete with bearings and seal for approx $180 (Sears does not sell the
bearings and seals separately), but I have ordered those parts for less
than $30. (I had read somewhere that the whole tub half has to be
replaced because the bearings and seal are molded into the plastic tub,
but this is not so: a steel sleeve is molded into the tub, and the
bearings and seal are pressed into that sleeve.)

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.

The rough patches on the inside of the tub turned out not to be the
result of scuffing by the basket, as I thought, but simply hard
residues, perhaps dating from before we installed a water softener.

The basket seems to be in fine shape, with no sign of the corrosion and
failure of the spider that I have seen in photographs; the latter looked
as though they were made of aluminum alloy, whereas ours seem to be
pressed steel with some kind of coating -- no rust. We hardly ever used
anything but High-Efficiency low-suds detergent; maybe this helped as well.

Here are instructions on pulling the thing apart:

http://www.applianceaid.com/417_Frigidaire_washer.html

and a video showing how to remove and replace the seal and bearings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4AeU...eature=related

Perce



Now please post the model number and other keywords so that it is easier
for others to find your post?

On 01/14/12 05:23 pm, Matt wrote:
On 01/14/2012 02:37 PM, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
We have one of those Frigidaire-manufactured Kenmore front-load
washers that is now somewhere around 10 years old. Many of these have,
AFAICS, not lasted this long. I see that by 2007 I was reporting that
ours was already rather noisy (bearing noise), but it has kept going
with no other problems until last week, when white clothes were found
to have brown stains. (Some owners have reported loud banging noises,
and someone even reported that theirs sounds as though it was being
pushed down a flight of stairs -- which probably indicates that the
"spider" that attaches the basket to the shaft had failed.)

The official repair method is to buy a whole new rear half of the tub
complete with bearings and seal for approx $180 (Sears does not sell
the bearings and seals separately), but I have ordered those parts for
less than $30. (I had read somewhere that the whole tub half has to be
replaced because the bearings and seal are molded into the plastic
tub, but this is not so: a steel sleeve is molded into the tub, and
the bearings and seal are pressed into that sleeve.)

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.

The rough patches on the inside of the tub turned out not to be the
result of scuffing by the basket, as I thought, but simply hard
residues, perhaps dating from before we installed a water softener.

The basket seems to be in fine shape, with no sign of the corrosion
and failure of the spider that I have seen in photographs; the latter
looked as though they were made of aluminum alloy, whereas ours seem
to be pressed steel with some kind of coating -- no rust. We hardly
ever used anything but High-Efficiency low-suds detergent; maybe this
helped as well.

Here are instructions on pulling the thing apart:

http://www.applianceaid.com/417_Frigidaire_washer.html

and a video showing how to remove and replace the seal and bearings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4AeU...eature=related

Now please post the model number and other keywords so that it is easier
for others to find your post?

Model# is 417.41142000, but others could be similar.

I assume that they were also sold under the Frigidaire brand (since they
were manufactured by Frigidaire), and the YouTube video mentions Gibson
as well.

Frigidaire is/was owned by Electrolux, a Swedish company, so it would
have had those high-quality Swedish-made SKF bearings, right? No:
bearings marked "China" (and motor made in Hungary).

The bearings are 6306-2RS and 6307-2RS. The seal is 80x40x10DL. "2RS"
indicates "2 rubber seals"; "DL" indicates "double lip." I chose to pay
a little more for EMQ ("Electric Motor Quality") bearings.

Perce

On 1/14/2012 3:37 PM, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
We have one of those Frigidaire-manufactured Kenmore front-load washers
that is now somewhere around 10 years old. Many of these have, AFAICS,
not lasted this long. I see that by 2007 I was reporting that ours was
already rather noisy (bearing noise), but it has kept going with no
other problems until last week, when white clothes were found to have
brown stains. (Some owners have reported loud banging noises, and
someone even reported that theirs sounds as though it was being pushed
down a flight of stairs -- which probably indicates that the "spider"
that attaches the basket to the shaft had failed.)

The official repair method is to buy a whole new rear half of the tub
complete with bearings and seal for approx $180 (Sears does not sell the
bearings and seals separately), but I have ordered those parts for less
than $30. (I had read somewhere that the whole tub half has to be
replaced because the bearings and seal are molded into the plastic tub,
but this is not so: a steel sleeve is molded into the tub, and the
bearings and seal are pressed into that sleeve.)

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.

The rough patches on the inside of the tub turned out not to be the
result of scuffing by the basket, as I thought, but simply hard
residues, perhaps dating from before we installed a water softener.

The basket seems to be in fine shape, with no sign of the corrosion and
failure of the spider that I have seen in photographs; the latter looked
as though they were made of aluminum alloy, whereas ours seem to be
pressed steel with some kind of coating -- no rust. We hardly ever used
anything but High-Efficiency low-suds detergent; maybe this helped as well.

Here are instructions on pulling the thing apart:

http://www.applianceaid.com/417_Frigidaire_washer.html

and a video showing how to remove and replace the seal and bearings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4AeU...eature=related

Perce


Damn, I could have fixed one for a friend but instead of taking it
apart, I listened to the people who said the entire drum needed
replacing. She ended up junking a 4 year old machine.

On 01/14/12 04:18 pm, Robert Green wrote:

Once 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 suppose it is more likely to happen if the seal on a front-loader
gives way, but I don't see that top-loaders would be totally immune from
grease (less dense than water) seeping up into the water if the seal goes.

I don't know if front-loaders in general are more likely to suffer from
seal failure, but this particular model seems to have a very bad bad
reputation.

We chose a front-loader because it uses far less water. And although
stacking the dryer on top of the washer was not seen as an advantage
when we bought them, that is the way we have them in our current home.

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).

How would a stocking get the pump impeller? It should be contained in
the drum.

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.

Our tub is plastic, and the basket is stainless steel, so we won't have
that problem. The basket (approx. $250) has a lifetime warranty, but I
guess one would still be up for about 3hrs labor plus travel time, and
if the bearings were then found to be iffy as well...

Perce

"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote in message
...
On 01/14/12 04:18 pm, Robert Green wrote:

Once 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 suppose it is more likely to happen if the seal on a front-loader
gives way, but I don't see that top-loaders would be totally immune from
grease (less dense than water) seeping up into the water if the seal goes.

I would think the pressure of the water would force it down and out rather
than letting it bubble into the wash load. Here's to hoping I never find
out!

I don't know if front-loaders in general are more likely to suffer from
seal failure, but this particular model seems to have a very bad bad
reputation.

Isn't it great when you find something like that out *after* you've bought
it? (-: I own plenty of stuff like that including a Panasonic pocket
camera that lost all the labeling from its buttons after a few weeks of use.

We chose a front-loader because it uses far less water. And although
stacking the dryer on top of the washer was not seen as an advantage
when we bought them, that is the way we have them in our current home.

I can see the space advantage.

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).

How would a stocking get the pump impeller? It should be contained in
the drum.

It jumped out of the delicates basket and sucked into the drain. Now that I
think about it, it could have been wrapped around the base of the agitator.
It was almost thirty years ago. What I remember clearly was unwinding and
unwinding this long, long piece of nylon that was wrapped tightly around
*something.* It seemed to have no end. It was one of those small "peds"
sort of stocking. The biggest burn was that after spending about 10 hours
pulling it apart, yanking it out and reassembling it she bought a new washer
the next day.

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.

Our tub is plastic, and the basket is stainless steel, so we won't have
that problem. The basket (approx. $250) has a lifetime warranty, but I
guess one would still be up for about 3hrs labor plus travel time, and
if the bearings were then found to be iffy as well...

This drum is grey enamel with flecks. I have plenty of stainless steel
items that have managed to corrode for one reason or another. Surgical
scissors from Pakistan, flatware from Korea and a stainless steel sink
that's developed tiny corrosion pock marks. On the other had, some
stainless flatware I have from my parents made in the 50's is still as good
as new.

--
Bobby G.

On Jan 15, 12:52*am, "Robert Green"
wrote:
"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote in ...





On 01/14/12 04:18 pm, Robert Green wrote:

Once 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 suppose it is more likely to happen if the seal on a front-loader
gives way, but I don't see that top-loaders would be totally immune from
grease (less dense than water) seeping up into the water if the seal goes.

I would think the pressure of the water would force it down and out rather
than letting it bubble into the wash load. *Here's to hoping I never find
out!

I don't know if front-loaders in general are more likely to suffer from
seal failure, but this particular model seems to have a very bad bad
reputation.

Isn't it great when you find something like that out *after* you've bought
it? *(-: *I own plenty of stuff like that including a Panasonic pocket
camera that lost all the labeling from its buttons after a few weeks of use.

We chose a front-loader because it uses far less water. And although
stacking the dryer on top of the washer was not seen as an advantage
when we bought them, that is the way we have them in our current home.

I can see the space advantage.



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).

How would a stocking get the pump impeller? It should be contained in
the drum.

It jumped out of the delicates basket and sucked into the drain. *Now that I
think about it, it could have been wrapped around the base of the agitator.

On 1/15/2012 5:56 AM, bob haller wrote:
On Jan 15, 12:52 am, "Robert
wrote:
"Percival P. wrote in ...





On 01/14/12 04:18 pm, Robert Green wrote:

Once 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 suppose it is more likely to happen if the seal on a front-loader
gives way, but I don't see that top-loaders would be totally immune from
grease (less dense than water) seeping up into the water if the seal goes.

I would think the pressure of the water would force it down and out rather
than letting it bubble into the wash load. Here's to hoping I never find
out!

I don't know if front-loaders in general are more likely to suffer from
seal failure, but this particular model seems to have a very bad bad
reputation.

Isn't it great when you find something like that out *after* you've bought
it? (-: I own plenty of stuff like that including a Panasonic pocket
camera that lost all the labeling from its buttons after a few weeks of use.

We chose a front-loader because it uses far less water. And although
stacking the dryer on top of the washer was not seen as an advantage
when we bought them, that is the way we have them in our current home.

I can see the space advantage.



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).

How would a stocking get the pump impeller? It should be contained in
the drum.

It jumped out of the delicates basket and sucked into the drain. Now that I
think about it, it could have been wrapped around the base of the agitator.
It was almost thirty years ago. What I remember clearly was unwinding and
unwinding this long, long piece of nylon that was wrapped tightly around
*something.* It seemed to have no end. It was one of those small "peds"
sort of stocking. The biggest burn was that after spending about 10 hours
pulling it apart, yanking it out and reassembling it she bought a new washer
the next day.



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.

Our tub is plastic, and the basket is stainless steel, so we won't have
that problem. The basket (approx. $250) has a lifetime warranty, but I
guess one would still be up for about 3hrs labor plus travel time, and
if the bearings were then found to be iffy as well...

This drum is grey enamel with flecks. I have plenty of stainless steel
items that have managed to corrode for one reason or another. Surgical
scissors from Pakistan, flatware from Korea and a stainless steel sink
that's developed tiny corrosion pock marks. On the other had, some
stainless flatware I have from my parents made in the 50's is still as good
as new.

--
Bobby G.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

the rusting stainless is no doubt magnetic

the non rustingh stanless non magnetic

it's stainLess, not stainNever. stainless anything can eventually rust
in the right conditions.

On Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:52:49 -0500, "Robert Green"
wrote:

This drum is grey enamel with flecks. I have plenty of stainless steel
items that have managed to corrode for one reason or another. Surgical
scissors from Pakistan, flatware from Korea and a stainless steel sink
that's developed tiny corrosion pock marks. On the other had, some
stainless flatware I have from my parents made in the 50's is still as good
as new.

There are many alloys of "stainless steel", with varying
levels of corrosion resistance. Purity is variable, as
well.

--
croy

"chaniarts" wrote in message
...
On 1/15/2012 5:56 AM, bob haller wrote:
On Jan 15, 12:52 am, "Robert
wrote:
"Percival P. wrote in
...

stuff snipped

This drum is grey enamel with flecks. I have plenty of stainless steel
items that have managed to corrode for one reason or another. Surgical
scissors from Pakistan, flatware from Korea and a stainless steel sink
that's developed tiny corrosion pock marks. On the other had, some
stainless flatware I have from my parents made in the 50's is still as
good
as new.

--
Bobby G.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

the rusting stainless is no doubt magnetic

the non rustingh stanless non magnetic

it's stainLess, not stainNever. stainless anything can eventually rust
in the right conditions.

I agree. The Oneida flatware that's never rusted is magnetic. So is the
Korean stuff that pitted away. I recall that I did manage to damage an
Oneida tablespoon with my chemistry set when I was a kid. (-:

--
Bobby G.