Help! My GE washer is leaking oil on the floor!

[kenmoreguy89]

Hi to everybody! I'm having this problem with my GE washer, i know it could be a problem of the transmission, anyway i just would like to know if someone know how many time i would have before having to replace it definitively.
It would cost to me a lot to get a transmission here in Italy, so i'm also wondering if it is necessary to replace the transmission or if there is something other i can do, and, if i will have to replace it, someone haves an used extra one to sell and ship to me in Italy?
Thanks in advance to everybody for the help.

 

[syndets2000]

..oil leaks...

...mean your transmission is trash, & I would not use it for fear of getting oil on the clothes- its not THAT big of a deal to replace one, it also allows one to tear your GE down & get a good look at other things too! ...um...you're talking about a filter flo thing, right..?

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Yes right, it's a filter-flo, i've not found oil in the tub or chlotes yet, just on the floor leaking from the corners on the bottom, I saw some videos on youtube about how to replace a transmission, but my concern now is about getting a transmission here in Italy and without having to pay a lot of money, i only found one new transmission on eBay, they ask about 300$(+shipping)......
A cost for a new agitator washer in the shops here is 1500euros about 1700$USD..... the mine have been sent to me by my grandmother in the United States when she was still alive (spending 900$ +shipping).
Thank you for replying

 

[kenmoreguy89]

P.S
And quite frankly I really do not want to replace it with a new one is because i'm attached to it and partly because as we all know the things of today are incomparable to those of long ago.

 

[cfz2882]

oil leak

usually filterflo transmissions will leak from the input shaft
seal onto the pulley which slings the oil around underneath
-you could take the tranny out of the washer,take off the
pulley and lower cover and try to identify and replace the
seal-if there is a groove worn in the input shaft,you can
install the new seal in a slightly different position so it
rides on an unworn portion of the shaft.
input shaft leaks seem to be most common with filter flos
from the last few years of this design-1993-95.
I have a corroded 1975 tranny that i could take apart to
identify the seal size if you'd like...
Also if you want a really smooth running filter flo,you can
correct the runout of the clutch on the motor shaft-every
single filterflo i have delt with has had quite a bit of
runout of the clutch shaft-correcting the runout is kinda
complicated but i can describe how it's corrected if anyone
wants to know...

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Thank you very much for replying cfz2882.
I will try to do as you suggested, hoping it's leaking from the shaft seal, I'm wondering if will be necessary to refill the leaked oil and if yes how can i do?
I hope that replacing the seal will be enough, i also hope to be able to find the right seal, if not someone would be so kind to sell and ship one to me?
And yes, if it is not too much trouble you could tell me the size of the seal that you'll take off from your 1975 tranny, so in the meantime i can try to search it and to know how much it would cost....
Thank you very much again for the help!

 

[peterh770]

When I had GE's in my laundromat, they would leak a little oil, but now and then the main seal would break and there would be one SERIOUSLY LARGE oil slick. There is a TON of oil in those transmission and can go for a long, long time with a small leak.

You can theoretically open the transmission up and replace the seals, but no one ever does. A rebuild transmission used to cost about $150. You take the bad trans into the part store and exchange it for the rebuilt. There used to be a couple of places that the parts center would send bad transmission to, but I think those places all stopped rebuilding them.

 

[cfz2882]

seal size

i checked the '75 tranny(checked an '88 too,it was the same)
looks like you should be able to change the input seal by
just taking off the pulley,probably have to take off the motor
or counterweight for working clearance.Took the pulley off the
spare tranny and the seal prys right out with a screwdriver.
The seal has"NOK 717b328"on it and measured out at 1.830 OD,
.315 thick,and the steel-sleeved part of the pulley the seal
rides on is 1.125 dia.
Sometime around 1985 the main housing of the tranny went from
cast aluminum to plastic,but the lower cover plate looks the
same on both.
BTW the seal i took off was worn pretty good,but the pulley
sleeve was in good shape.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Hi cfz 2882 thank you for your help, i tried to search this replacing seal on the net, but without success.....
I wrote to some appliances parts stores.....i'll wait for a reply...
Tomorrow i will check inside my washer to identify where is the leaking and then if i can i'll remove the tranny, (hoping having success and to be able reassemble it then), i really hope to be able to fix it without hassles, it's the only washer i've right now, i've not the intention and the possibility to pay a lot of money for a new washer at the moment, or for a new tranny, nor i've the intention to buy one of that cheap junk of front loader washers they sell here!
Thanks again i'll let you know....
Have a Happy Halloween!

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Hi to everybody! I checked inside my washer and seems that the leaking is from the shaft seal, i tried to search the seal on the web but without success......
I'm wondering if someone would be so kind to help me to find a website where i can find this seal.....or maybe sell and ship one to me here in Italy.
I would pay a commission if needed, with paypal....
I'm pretty desperate....
I'm also wondering if i will have to refill the oil before to put the new seal..... it's losing a TON of oil on the floor and the bottom was completely covered by oil....

I tried to run it, the motor is making an unusual intermittent "grrrrrr" every 10 seconds during washing cycle.....
Thanks for the help!

 

[cfz2882]

you will have to add oil back after the seal repair is complete
not sure of the viscosity or amount of oil,but the spare
tranny i checked looked like it had at least 2 QTs of oil..
since the input seal is at the very bottom of the tranny and
the spring clutch for spin is right above,tiny metal particles
can collect around the seal and wear on it-found some in the
examined tranny.
My filter flo went through a short period of making"grrr"
noises from the motor-as far as i could tell the noise was
from the motor's rotor "floating"from the magnetic field of
the stator-the intermittant noise stopped and hasn't came
back.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Hi i've not found a seal or a transmission, i just moved the washer and cleaned under it.
Today when I returned home I found this pool.....it's leaking very much now!
I'm so worried!

 

[kenmoreguy89]

This is the leak

 

[kenmoreguy89]

.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Please someone could help me finding a seal or a transmission for this poor GE? Tomorrow i will move it again and i will take some pics of the transmission, just to be sure on what kind of transmission i will have to continue to search, any help about the model, how to replace, links of websites or simply someone that would be so kind to search sell& ship to me even an used (Good) transmission would be infinitely appreciated!
In the meantime i thanks everyone is replying and helping me with what for me is an HUGE problem!

 

[cfz2882]

looks like your filter flo is from the last few years that
this style was produced,around 1992-95,for some reason seal
leakage is more common with these later machines...
i will try to find a seal suitable for filter flo trannys-
hopefully something you can get over there in italy...
I'd like to know anyway incase my '81 filter flow or '80
hotpoint rim flo desides to spring a leak.
i have a couple spare trannys i could check out if you need
to get a whole tranny sent to you,but before that i will try
to ID as changing the seal and refilling oil would be much
easier...

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Yes replacing the whole transmission would be the last chance, anyway i will try again to find a suitable seal here, as you understand I do not mean very good about mechanics on washers,I think that for putting the seals on the tranny I'll ask to someone more practical about these things like a friend of mine who is a kind of mechanical handyman, in the meantime I thank you again very much for your patience, your time and your kindness, if I will be able to find the seal here or somewhere i'll let you know.
I will wait news from you ..... I also hope that if I will need more technical explanations I can count on you .......
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

 

[eddy1210]

You can replace the seal from the bottom of the machine without taking the whole assembly out. Just make sure you lay the machine on it's side and raise the bottom part of the machine with a towel or something to make sure the oil (what's left) stays in. You can add some fresh tranny oil in by using a large syringe and squirting it in. But like Peter said there A LOT of oil in there and you may not need to add any. If anyone else can't get you a seal, email me and I have a couple of them here at home.
Eddy

 

[tomturbomatic]

You are extremely fortunate that it was the lower seal that went and not the upper one that would let oil come in contact with the clothes. Our V-12's seal went and the oil removed the nice green paint we had on the basement floor and the machine was only about 2 years old. My parents sent it back to Rich's for a full refund and then we started through a really magical run of washers. The GE was our third automatic, but after it we had 7 others including the 1-18 bought in the early 70s.