Thread: Whirlpool Duet Washer drum knocking - plastic tub shredding

Hi,

The washer has started knocking a bit lately and we've now noticed that the front of the metal drum (basket) appears to be rubbing on the inside of the plastic ''front tub''.

Normally the kiss of death...

...the support strut at the bask of the wash basket may have broken or cracked

jeff.

Originally Posted by jeff1

Hi,



Normally the kiss of death...

...the support strut at the bask of the wash basket may have broken or cracked

jeff.

Oh boy. That's not good at all. I hope that's not it but very well could be. I'll try to take a look at it tonight. Is there an easy way to get to the back of the wash basket to see if that's what it is? If that's it then it's time to order a new washer!! My wife is putting the pressure on big time to get this fixed or to get a new one! Thanks Jeff!

Jeff (or anyone else), it's not the drive pulley from what I can tell. I took the top and back off the washer and it looks fine. I don't see any cracks. The springs look fine, as do the shock absorbers (but I wouldn't know what exactly to look for). The plastic shredding I described is from the inner rim around the plastic tub, which is outside the metal inner tub. I've attached a few pictures below to hopefully help in the diagnosis. I'm going to run the machine again (with nothing in it) to see if I can see/hear anything (while I have the back and top off).

Ok, you have a 10 year warranty on the outer tub assembly which includes the tub bearing, and lifetime warranty on the inner tub. Whirlpool pays for the parts, you pay labor.

Here's your owners manual on your warranty:
https://www.whirlpool.com/digitalass...08182276-W.pdf

Jake

Its definitely the tub bearing thats bad and is causing those plastic shavings.

Jake

Thanks Jake. I cleaned off all the shavings and ran it last night and all it did is create more shavings. I'll go with your diagnosis as I know the pulley at the back isn't broken and the absorbers look ok (plus - that wouldn't account for the inner tub not spinning in a circle). I'm trying to schedule a repair now. It's a catch 22 because all of the repair shops charge a minimum service call fee ($100-$130 it seems). So as long as the parts are covered (and it doesn't take too long) it's worth it to repair it. Too bad you and Jeff aren't closer to me!

Did you contact Whirlpool directly to schedule a service call?


The 2 parts you will need would be about $500 and Whirlpool will pay that.

Tub front:
Manufacturer's Number: 285981

285981



Rear outer tub assembly:
Manufacturer's Number: W10253866


Jake

Thanks Jake. I did contact Whirlpool and have set up a service call. I had one set up for tomorrow but I cancelled it because the service folks wouldn't answer what I thought were pretty reasonable questions. They charge $100 to come out and diagnose but they don't have a set hourly rate and said at that point they could give me an estimate of what the additional labor costs would be. So they could easily pull something like "it costs and additional $250 in labor to fix. We are here, what do you want us to do?" That doesn't work for me. I have another one set up for next week (AE Factory Service) as they are the other service provider for my area. They charge $130 to diagnose and repair. So assuming the parts are covered then I at least have an idea at what I'm looking at.

Thanks again for the help!

Yes, AE Factory Service(Owned by Sears) is the national Whirlpool service provider, They have good relations with Whirlpool. They are good to do this type of job. I worked for Sears/AE in the early 2000's after they bought AE from Montgomery Ward.

Jake