Anyone here replace their front loader's ball bearings?

[kenny]

Our Kenmore front loader clothes washer is 15 years old.
The spin cycle now sounds like a jet taking off.
This happens when the ball bearings supporting the tub are worn out.

My friend bought the exact same machine when I did and had the exact same symptoms last year.
The repair folks said it would cost too much to fix and she should just buy a new machine, which she did.
I can usually fix my own appliances and found a great Youtube video.
"How To Bob" walks you through every step, and what other parts to check for wear/replacement while you're in there.

Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKR5FjOZA64
Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3X50VbfQX0

Here is a new bearing.
Sealed between those two rings are several steel balls packed in grease.



All the work is in the disassembly and reassembly.
Looks like a substantial Saturday project for patient and handy Kenny. :hi:
Tedious and messy perhaps, but not rocket science.

It will be nice to save the money but frankly the main attraction is it is much greener to keep the old one going than send it out for scrap or to a landfill.

Monday I'll see if Sears still sells these bearings.
If not I'll search for a third-party maker.

Am I crazy?
Any experienced words of wisdom from y'all?

 

[lyra]

I'm surprised they told your friend to just replace her machine. My husband has repaired both of ours himself. He's actually become quite enthralled with DIY tutorials on YouTube, and has done things with the cars as well. Saved thousands of dollars probably. I don't think it's crazy to work on your appliances. If parts and tools are available, why not? Definitely not crazy.

 

[makemepretty]

After 15 years, I'd say you got your moneys worth. Plus, I'm not sure it's greener to use an old machine. Newer machines use less water and less detergent, most likely less electricity too.

 

[arkieb1]

I also agree new machines use way way less water and are generally greener in that respect (both less water and less power). Having said that I don't think some of the new machines wash nearly as well as the old ones did.

 

[Karl_K]

My brother used to fix them for a living so he does it.
I will let you in on a secret if the delivery guy had taken the old one when delivering a new one they would have replaced the bearings and sold it as used after it got back to the shop.
They make a lot of money that way.
The biggest risk is cracking the tub when removing the old bearing.

 

[TooPatient]

After 15 years, I'd say you got your moneys worth. Plus, I'm not sure it's greener to use an old machine. Newer machines use less water and less detergent, most likely less electricity too.

This was what I was wondering too. Our new machine (well 4 or 5 years?) uses the tiniest dab of soap and just a tiny amount of water. I was worried that it had no load size selection, but it uses so little water that I don't see how you could reduce it any more.

We were also shocked to find that the old machine wasn't really getting stuff clean any more. We thought it was until we tried the new one!

Our new one is an Electrolux. LOVE it!

You could always look around your area for a place to donate the old machine. Some places have people volunteer their time and skills to repair them and then give the machines to families who need them. I couldn't find one locally, but I did find a guy who picked it up and took it to a recycling center that made monetary donations to a good charity.

 

[momhappy]

After 15 years, I'd say you got your moneys worth. Plus, I'm not sure it's greener to use an old machine. Newer machines use less water and less detergent, most likely less electricity too.

I agree. I believe that the average life span of a large appliance is about 10 years, so you're lucky to have gotten 15. New machines have much better technology in terms of being green, so trying to save your old one is not necessarily being environmentally-friendly.

 

[mwilliamanderson]

The new machines (front loaders anyway) hold a lot more laundry as well. I went from doing 10 loads a week down to 5, and the clothes get spun very dry so they don't spend as much time in the dryer!

 

[kenny]

About extending appliance life ...