I started the re-re-assembly tonight.
That drive pulley seal from the EBay guy was in today's mail. It didn't look much different from the one I took out and cleaned last week but the new one was a tiny bit thicker. So I went ahead and changed them out. That extra thickness was just enough to make a real project out getting the snap ring back on. Last week that was the hardest part but I only spent about 5 minutes on it. Today's was about 45 minutes getting that sucker back on but I finally got it!
Next part was putting the power unit back in the machine. Another new oil fill and the new gaskets then re-attached the center plate and tightening down the 2 bolts. Very careful not to over or under tighten this time and I think I got it right. I did play around with the raising and lowering of the unit using the adjustment bolt from below. Seems to work fine but I set it at the recommended 1/4". When the tub goes in if I need to adjust up OR down, I will.
Here's a trick I learned when I went to remove the pulley and used it again tonight to tighten the pulley bolt onto the shaft. That locking bolt has a funky square bolt. I couldn't find anything that would fit to remove it. So I took a socket extension. The side that attaches to the ratchet is square also and fit that bolt. So I use the socket extension then tighten or loosed by using a pair of vice grips on the other end. Works like a charm!
Then I got the belt on the motor and pulley and took it for a spin. Even though it's a conventional washer that doesn't spin. Ironic huh? The first test to pass was the agitator activation. It's back to pull for agitation and push to stop. Then I let it run for 30 minutes. Stopped and checked for any oil leaks. There were none. Let it rest and checked again. No leaks. Then let it run another 25 minutes. No leaks from the pulley shaft or anywhere else.
Tomorrow night's project is the re-installation of the pump. So much easier without the tub. I want to make sure I get it lined up so it makes contact and spins when the lever is set to "ON" and stops when moved to "OFF". Then if there's time, the tub!
Speaking of the tub, I noticed over the weekend that the bottom wasn't completely flat. One small area was dented/bowed slightly down. The could have also been a leak path. So I held it to the concrete floor and flattened it with a hammer. It's 100% flat now. I just didn't notice that before. Maybe I had done that by over tightening a bolt? Maybe I got it that way? I do remember it didn't seem to fit flatly on the center plate the first time so I may have discovered why.
So a couple of steps successfully completed, a couple of more to go!
