Anyone ever change the door gasket on their front loader washer??

[Dumb_Polack]

2 questions, 2 comments: 
Q: any idea how/why the gasket ruptured?
Q: while waiting for the river to deliver, is it worth attempting to reinforce/patch the tear (along the lines of FlexSeal)?
C: shame the gasket can't be rotated so that the tear is at 12, instead of 6...
C: Thank goodness for YT and the myriad of DIY repair videos!

I tried taping the tear just to get us by for a few loads, but the tape didn't stick.


I can't rotate the gasket because the drain port is in front of the tear

Amazon says the gasket got shipped so hopefully it'll be here any day.

[Dumb_Polack]

While you got that thing apart do some more PMCS on that. At least clean out the coin basket in case it's got stuff in it.

Wood?   where's the coin basket?   you mean the drain plug/lint catcher that's below the cylinder?  Yes that's clean.


You're right since I have it apart I'll peak around and clean things that look dirty.

[K. L. McReynolds]

Had a model that had the type of rubber that got mold(permanent). Found out the gasket cost half as much as a new washer($250).

Since that washer was + 8 years old----bought a newer set(stacked) and am much happier. The new set is MUCH nicer and works MUCH better.

[Dumb_Polack]

I changed the gasket over the weekend.  Wasn't too difficult but I'm glad I had SWMBO to hold the wire spring clamp as I worked it around the opening.


I ran a 20 minute cycle and it worked fine.  Later we ran a full cycle and I could smell burnt rubber....ut oh.

I didn't go anywhere near any bushing that could have gone bad.  It would be extremely coincidental if that went at the same time as the door gasket did, right?


So, last night I took the top off and and ran a 50 minute normal cycle with a flashlight peering inside to see if I could detect where the smell was coming from....no dice.


The machine works fine otherwise but I'd like to get this resolved.  Any ideas, short of calling the repairman??

(the gasket doesn't really move much...only when the washer is in spin mode it shakes a little bit because part of it is attached to the front panel and part of it is attached to the drum, that's spinning very quickly.  But the weights on the drum do a good job of counteracting any movement...it just vibrates back and forth a bit which is normal).

[museumguy]

I just had to tear down my Whirlpool Duet front load washer for a broken front half plastic outer drum. Took about 2 hours to tear it down and when I finally got the outer plastic drum separated, the spider arm was disintegrated. Found one on ebay and now the washer runs quieter and doesn't shake like it used to. Common issue with front loads, the spider arm going bad causing more vibrations than supposed to.

As for the door gasket, yes, had to take it completely off. While apart, we cleaned it with white vinegar. Much better than before and didn't have to buy a new one.