FIXED Speed Queen Washer HA7221 Leak Advice

[capecod41]

Model Number

HA7221

Brand

Speed Queen

Age

More than 10 years

Hi folks, looking for some advice for my old Speed Queen HA7221. The washer has had an intermittent leak from the bottom for maybe a year now. It was only happening with heavy loads so we were just keeping them smaller. Now it has started squealing during spin and is leaking pretty consistently. I took the front cover off today and it helpfully shot some water into my face during spin, so I was able to locate the leak. It looks to be coming from the main bearing (see photo, location of water leak is marked with an arrow), however, looking at the parts diagram there are a LOT of seals in there, some of which are pretty pricey if I were to try to replace them all. Could anyone offer some advice about how likely it is that this is a main bearing seal issue? I think I can get the part for less than $50, which I wouldn't mind if it would definitely fix the problem. However, this also looks like a difficult repair. Is it time to call it a day on the old Speed Queen? Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Jake]

Yes, yours is this one: Tub Seal and Bearing Kit 356P3
But its No Longer Available.

All the appliance stores have a Labor Day Weekend Blowout Sale, it should be starting this week or next week.

The new Speed Queens are good machines, but if you work as a mechanic and your clothes get dirty and greasy, it does not wash/agitate aggressively like your old Speed Queen does. In that case we would recommend Maytag and Whirlpool Washers.

Jake

 

[capecod41]

Thanks for your response and advice, Jake.

It does look like I could pick up the part kit (356P3) on Ebay for about $50. So that was where I was wondering how likely it is that part would fix the issue and whether it would be worthwhile given the complexity of the job. Otherwise the machine works great but it is getting up there in age.

Ben

 

[Jake]

That Tub Seal and Bearing kit should fix the leak, it might be a bear to get access to it, as parts tend to stick in place after 20 years.

You may need to use Liquid Wrench or Rust Buster to lubricate the tub hub nut before it will break free from the transmission shaft.

Jake

 

[capecod41]

Jake, thank you again for the advice. I picked up the kit from Ebay and I'm going to give it a try, figured I don't have much to lose other than some time. I'll report back on how it goes in case anyone else is also considering taking on this repair.

 

[Jake]

Ok, sounds good.

Jake

 

[capecod41]

Alright, so I finally got a weekend I could devote to the washer and, 6 loads of laundry later, feel comfortable saying this repair was - surprisingly - a resounding success. The old Speed Queen is working better than ever. Now that it's able to rotate better it's really agitating and wringing well and, of course, there isn't water all over the floor after every load.

For anyone who attempts this repair, I have a moderate amount of appliance repair experience and I wouldn't consider this repair difficult per say, just time-consuming and involved a lot of uncertainty around whether old parts would actually come apart after ~35 years of water exposure. I spent maybe 12 hours on this but I wasn't rushing and I did take the time to clean all of the pieces since you pretty much take the whole machine apart. I did have some PB Blaster on hand. I wasn't able to find an affordable option for a hub nut wrench so I Dremeled out a shower valve socket to make it slightly larger (the largest one from this set) and went to town with a hammer. I also figured I didn't have much to lose other than the $60 hub and seal kit.

I found these videos helpful:

Neither of them exactly matched my machine (model HA7221), especially when it came to the agitator. If anyone is attempting the repair for this same model I'd be happy to answer questions (my machine actually had the older style agitator assembly). I also don't think I needed to take the outer tub and transmission out of the machine to replace the main seal, as is shown in the videos, however, it did make it possible to clean everything and have easier access for cleaning the tub before applying the new silicone. It also added a lot of time so... there's that.

Interestingly, the new top tub gasket that came with the kit did not fit on my machine. The rest of the parts looked identical to the originals. The old tub gasket was in good shape so I just reused it.

Thank you again, Jake, for the advice. Not sure how many more years we'll get out of the Speed Queen but I'm happy to have it running for now.

 

[Jake]

Excellent @capecod41 glad to hear everything went well.

Yes, its quite a job to do, patience is the key.

Thanks for the update!

Jake

 

[capecod41]

@Jake Well, I could use your advice again. I knew that repair went too smoothly but I think the issue I'm having now may be unrelated. On the off chance it isn't, I thought I would include it in this thread.

The machine is making a loud squeal. Did it a few times at the beginning of agitating and then would go away. Tonight it was making the noise continuously and emitting a burning rubber smell. I found the pump belt was hot so I took that off and no more sound. Agitates fine and belts seem ok other than some minor wear on the pump belt. I can move all of the pulleys under the motor by hand just fine. Can't move the pulley under the pump at all by hand in either direction. So, am I correct that the pump needs to be replaced?

This machine is certainly acting like it wants a trip to the dump

 

[Jake]

Yes, either something is stuck in the pump, or the pump went out. Check for something in it first jamming it up from turning.

Unfortunately, this water pump is No Longer Available.

Washer Pump 31968


Jake