Duet 9400

[DADoES]

 
It wasn't an eBay transaction but I did pay via PayPal, so contacted them for a dispute.  However, I decided to fix the crack rather than wait for the seller to respond to the dispute, and possibly be stuck having to find another pump.

Waterproof marine epoxy, both outside and inside the motor housing.

Anyone have an opinion on what's the prognosis for long-term integrity?

 

[mark_wpduet]

Wow!

Looks like you're doing a good job. I would never attempt this myself. Sorry to hear about the factoryappliaceparts......Send him a link to this post. LOL

 

[DADoES]

 
Test run.

 

[DADoES]

 
Finished.

Cost of parts & supplies:  Uhhh ....

Going through the experience:  Priceless

LOL.

 

[retropia]

Wow. Looks as good as new! Hope it lasts a long time.

 

[tecnopolis]

"all items are tested & inspected before shipping"

What?, Do the have a duet they installed it on to "test" it?  Smells like BS to me. Let us know what happens.

 

[chestermikeuk]

Whirlpool

Great restoration Glen, like new with the new Drum, bearings and pump system, not had need personally to use the epoxy, its not like its a pressured pump like mains pressure although I wonder how the caustic detergent will affect it?

Whats the water level like? have you tweaked it?

 

[mark_wpduet]

It is impressive Dadoes! Looks shiny & new.......That's one model up from my duet. Mine is the GHW9300 or 9350 (can't remember the exact numbers) but nearing 8 years and still going strong..Still looks new & shiny. I think these are worth restoring because they seem to last. Or just maybe the fact that I'm the only one that has ever used it it's entire life could have something to do with it.

KNOCK ON WOOD!

 

[DADoES]

 
The marine epoxy product I used is suitable for fresh and salt water, temp to 200°F.

The water level is disconcertingly low on Sanitary, Heavy Duty, Whitest Whites ... and likewise alarmingly high on the Delicate/Handwash cycle.  I don't feel a need to adjust it.  Keep in mind the machine is not mine and is destined for a rental property.  I'm concerned that a frontloader isn't the best choice for use by (careless) renters but a stacked set is necessary for the location.

There is a painful squealing noise much of the time, which I have diagnosed to the belt, which I did not (yet) replace.  Is there any recourse to quietening the squeal other than replacement?  Belt dressing?  A dry lubricant such as cornstarch?

Be nice if there were more options for heating, but this model is what it is.  Sanitary cycle, which does seem to reach the target even starting with a cold fill.  Whites and Heavy boosts hot and warm on the normal or heavy soil levels but only as far as the duration of the wash period allows.

 

[logixx]

Belt noise?

Does it sound like this?!? I'm still not sure what it is on my washer - customer service said the noise was "normal"...

Alex

 

[einhorn]

Amazing Job. Wasn't the Inner Tub Covered by Warranty

Hey thats an amazing job, its great to see the machine looking like the day it left the showroom!

I'm particularly interested in this thread because I'm strongly considering embarking on a similar mission. My Duet's bearings are going. The unit isn't in the condition that yours started out in, but then again its also older. So I fear what condition the Spider might be in.

I'm curious, you decided to replace the inner tub once you saw the condition of the Spider arm. You mentioned $$$. But you also mentioned that the unit was only 6 years old. Doesn't the inner tub have a lifetime guarantee? And since the spider only comes as part of the inner tub, couldn't you have gotten a new Spider and Tub under warranty?

Thanks again,

Einhorn

 

[DADoES]

 
Warranty ... I don't know.  I don't have the original paperwork specific to this machine.  A user manual for the model, downloaded from Whirlpool, states one year warranty, nothing extra on the drum.

 

[Iowegian]

@dadoes:

I have found that things like belt dressing just mask the symptom(s) of a bigger problem.

While I'm far from a v-belt expert, in my experience, noise usually comes from misalignment, a low-tension issue or a worn belt that is riding low in the pulleys.

 

[DADoES]

 
It's not a V-belt exactly.  It's a multi-ribbed, stretch belt, similar to a dryer but wider.  The motor pulley has matching grooves.  The drum pulley has a smooth surface, not grooved.  I imagine I'll replace the belt before it's put into service at the rental location.  Still have the matching dryer to get cleaned up.

 

[Iowegian]

My bad on the v-belt comment - I should have known better that it was a ribbed belt. Duh.

I've replaced a couple of those ribbed belts in automotive applications - it seems that the tensioner and/or the idler device wears out before the belt and the smooth side of the belt sometimes wears out before the ribbed side.

Still much better than the days where we had multiple v-belts driving the water pump, alternator, and the optional power steering pump and ac compressor.

OK, have I changed the subject enough?

 

[mattl]

Looks like a great job --well done! You should have many years of use out of the rebuilt unit. Excellent job with the pictures too.

 

[DADoES]

 
Longer story short ... the pump motor source sent a replacement, but it's a different motor.  Looks to be an LG item, has the terminals in a different arrangement.  Duet harness plug won't connect, would have to be split apart and/or the two wires changed to separate spade connectors ... which I suppose can be done, but the LG pump may also be larger, possibly not mount on the pump housing.

 

[DADoES]

 
The LG pump does fit.  Easy enough to rework the wiring harness.

For future reference to perhaps benefit other peeps, LG Part Number 4681EA2001T fits as a replacement pump motor on Duet GHW9400PW4, and presumably other models.

 

[a440]

Glen,
You did a great job with this machine! Looks new.
Thanks for the information about the LG pump motor. It is a heck of a lot cheaper.
What are you thoughts on it once you gave it a run? Does is appear to have a little more power so to speak. I think the pump that Whirlpool offers is very under rated for this machine.
Also, did you just split the electrical connector in half to make it fit?
Thanks
Brent

 

[a440]

Glen did your motor look like this one in the link that I provided?
The part you supplied brings up two types of motors in the sense that they don't look alike. Both suppliers say they fit either Kenmore or LG.
Brent

http://www.partsdr.com/Parts/pump-motor-493.cfm

 

[DADoES]

 
Brent, yes, the link you posted is the LG pump motor.  LG also lists a recirculation pump that's physically smaller, but it's a different part number.

 

[a440]

Thanks Glen!

 

[einhorn]

Bearing Seal

Hi Glen, up above you showed a closeup of the new seal that you installed (in post 637531). Could you give some pointers towards finding the right oil seal to match the bearings?

My duet uses the 6206 inner bearing. This has an inner diameter of 30 and an outer diameter of 62. The best guess I can make at a correct seal is a 35.62.10TC. This would be 5mm larger than the inner diameter, which looks to be about the same as what you've got there. Not knowing much about seals, I'm just wondering if that 2.5mm of the bearing that would be uncovered would lead to water eventually getting into the seals.

Another option is a 30.62.10TC, which would have the same diameter as the inner diameter. Thus the seal would be rubbing against the shaft and also the part of the bearing that rotates, so I'm guessing that wouldn't be the right size.

Thanks,
Einhorn

 

[DADoES]

 
The inner diameter of the seal must match to the drum shaft, not to the bearing inner diameter. It mates to the shaft as indicated in this picture and must be water-tight there and to the larger outer diameter of the tub housing.

The seal I used is 50mm (inner diameter) x 100mm (outer diameter) x 10mm (thickness).  My original seal is 50mm x 100mm x 13.5mm.  I could not find anything 13.5mm thickness at the required diameters.

All Duet models aren't necessarily the same on seal and bearing sizes.  Duet Sport is different, possibly others.  Your original seal should have the dimensions somewhere on it.

 

[mattl]

As I mentioned earlier I got a seal on ebay from China for $4.30 and it appears to be an almost exact match.  The sizing will depend on the shaft size and the outer bearing size.  You can either track the info down online or get a good caliper.

 

[alr2903]

Very nice results from your restoration Glen.  I was wondering if the new drum has the same spider?  Have the mfr. tried to eliminate the spider failure problem?  To go off topic, do you think the new machines with "fan fresh", is a mechanism to dry off the spider? Thanks, nice work.  arthur

 

[jetcone]

Glen

did you bleach the boot or get a new one?

 

[DADoES]

Same spider/support on the replacement drum.

I tried cleaning the boot but the results weren't happy.

Parts list:
Inner Bearing
Outer Bearing
Bearing Seal
Drum
Boot
Pump Motor
Dispenser Drawer Latch (was missing)
Leveling Legs (unit had been on a pedestal, legs missing)
Thermistor (local Western Auto horked it)
Outer Door Frame (local Western Auto cracked it)
Outer Hinge Trim (local Western Auto cracked it)
Pump Outlet Hose (clogged & nasty, couldn't clean)

Still need to get:
Door Handle (has a crack, won't last under renter usage)
Belt

 

[einhorn]

Best Bearings and Source?

Thanks again Glen.

Where did you source the bearings and seal, or other parts for that matter?

And more importantly, how did you choose the replacement bearings? The bearings that the duet's use are fairly standard 6205, 6206, or 6307, depending on the model. So finding a replacement would be simple. However I'm really interested in what type of bearing might give the machine its longest life.

Even with a seal that doesn't fail, and the mildest HE detergents, I've come to the belief that bearings will always fail on a Front loader due to the cantilever effect from there being no front support. Design, use, and luck can vary the number of years until failure from 1 to 10, but after ten-twelve years, most front loaders are going to need new bearings.

But factors in a bearing design might prolong that? There's normal clearance, C3 clearance, deep groove, single row, double row, double seal...that's just to start.

If I look up 6205 and 6206 bearings I find several different models in top brands from NTN, Nachi, etc.. From each of these, I'm just wondering which might have a longer life. I was hoping that anyone on this forum might chime in with ideas on bearings that would last longer. Nothing is guaranteed, but I believe that some bearings might be better suited to such an application.

Thanks for sharing any thoughts!

 

[DADoES]

 
I don't know a bearing from Bering ... well, maybe a little.  Following MattL's example from January, I used these.  Someone via another venue suggested that they may not be the most durable under the load circumstances that can occur.
   Nachi 6307-2NSE
   Nachi 6206-2NSE

The seal is from an eBay storefront seller UltimateIndSolutions.

The original seal has a 3rd "face" lip that mates to the "collar" flange on the drum shaft.  This is my concern that the replacement seal, which doesn't have the 3rd lip, isn't up to the task.

Other parts were from PartsDr.com, ApplianceZone.com, FactoryApplianceParts.com, and eBay.

Online sources I've used for other projects are SearsPartsDirect.com, PartsTap.com, and RepairClinic.com.