"New" GE Filter Flo owner here :) Questions and strange noises . . .

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I seem to remember that seal just presses in (and out) and is relatively easy to replace. No glue needed. Congrats on attempting a job that not many techs today will or can do!

RCD
 
eBay find

Thank you, RCD! I'm enjoying it. Wish I had more free time. :)

Found this transmission on ebay, but I don't know how to tell if it's compatible. Is there a model number somewhere on the transmission? I thought maybe I could use it, and keep mine as a spare, as it may take me a while to find a seal. Not sure yet.

 
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You guys are amazing!! Tec, the chart helped me find exactly what belt I needed, and RCD, I just purchased the seal you linked to. Now I can relax. Ha. :)

So, the shaft on my trans is 15&1/4", does that mean that I could exchange it, if I have need, for one that has the same length of shaft?
 
GE Transmission on Ebay

Is the last style that GE used, it will fit either the standard or extra large tub washers. It would fit in your washer but you would have to use a different agitator from one of these last GE washers.

 

If I were you I would consider getting either a factory rebuilt transmission or a good used one, a new one should be around $100, used 1/2 as much. If you want to fix yours I would flush out all the old oil and metal particles before refilling and replacing the bottom seal. GE transmissions were notorious for leaking oil either at the bottom seal or the top seal into the clothing load  so the condition of the top seal should also be considered when refurbishing these transmissions, Good Luck  John.
 
I've replaced the lower seal on my 1960 GE transmission, not a bad job at all. John is right though, replacing the entire transmission is so easy since they are still around.

I saw more than a few of these GE washers in scrap piles that had a plastic drop cloth (for painting) fashioned into a diaper under the machine to catch the oil, I can't imagine the mess they left in owner's homes. Yours could have been much worse!
 
Thanks combo. I've got the belt and seal on order, so I guess I will see how long my "home refurbished" unit will last. :)

So apparently, there are several different model numbers for transmissions that would work. The one on eBay is WH28X53, the chart that tecnopolis posted shows WH38X39. And there's another place that said WH38X39 was replaced by WH38M38.
 
gansky, I assume that fixed the problem? How long did it last? Judging by the mess that was inside mine, I can imagine the original owner had a mess as well!
 
I did that on my '60 about five or six years ago and it's still holding fine. That was on a metal case tranny, haven't done it on the plastic case.

This was a machine I rebuilt, large capacity a year or so ago. The outer tub was in pretty rough shape and required a lot of patching of rust holes and beginning rust spots. It was pretty far gone all in all and only lasted about a year before developing more leaks. It would be wise to check that outer tub in your machine while you have the machine apart, just to be sure all this mechanical work doesn't get doused with a frustrating water leak. An ounce of prevention...

gansky1++10-16-2012-08-21-42.jpg
 
Looks nice! Or at least the transmission does. Is that a new one or did you just do a stellar job of cleaning it up?

My tub is in pretty good shape, but it does have a few small rust spots towards the top. I was thinking of sanding those down and painting the entire tub with some sort of sealant (any ideas?).

On a side note, got some "Simple Green" to clean up the grease. Works alright, but I think they should have named it "Simple Sneeze" or "Instant Asthma". Whew!
 
Did you paint it? Do you know what metal the outer tub is? I'm thinking of a primer/metal conditioner before I paint a sealer on.
 
it is porcelain coated steel-the quality and thickness of the porcelain coating can vary quite a bit,even among washers of around the same era-no rust with the tub of my very"high miles"'81 filterflo while my much lower miles'80 hotpoint rimflo version had a few holes i had to fix.Of course water and other usage factors have an effect on rust too.
 
That pics is like was my Ge after it's oil leak! your one  got a massive oil leak ! This  is a link I always post when someone talks about transmission or seals replacing, that is very simple and helped me alot while I had to change my lower oil seal, as said I learned GE FF  sooner or later tends to leak oil when seals get worn, it does not necessarily means that your tranny is getting trash unless it is the tub seal (not the boot) that went, that would let water getting in the transmission and ruin it...
From what you're describing looks like you might have a belt or  clutch issue but not exclude that tranny is a little  stuck  someway and motor is on effort, also  to do not exclude that maybe is stuck cuz  it got water inside and gears got rusted! Surely is  the fact it got an evident  oil leak!

Replacing a transmission on a filter is harder to expalin rather than do it actually but I know it sounds so at start, what you might meet during replacing would  be stuck basket  bolts from lime etc... as happened to me, it kept 3 days of continuos torching and pounding and a good amount of Wd 40 and Pb Blaster....but I managed, harder part will also be finding a good GE tranny and figure out the exact one you'll need for your model including spline for actiavtor spiral agitator and size, I found  some on ebay time ago but they all were not for my model (it was when I thought I had to replace it, I didn't have need luckily)......

A kind member now became a very good friend, Eddy, helped me alot and also sent me the spare seal I needed, I will never stop thanking him!

The  link I mentioned that helped me alot  also is about a Beaumark canadian washer which internally is exactly the same as a Ge Filter-flo as it was made by them.....

To note that if your washer will work with a new belt and you'll discover your tranny it is still good, you might also replace the seal from the bottom it will be more easy on a side but harder from another as it is very close in there, all you need is to remove pulley unscrewing the bolt, tear out oil seal and replenish with oil enough thick with a syringue or by pouring it very slowly,  dont remeber the right thicness needed but I fill rescue the info if you need it, I anyway suggest you to follow the way in the link so you will see how many oil it lost and it's left (it must not be completely full, little more than half gearbox), If you decide to do that from bottom be sure you'll have your machine on it's side with the bottow facing a little upwards

Good luck!

[this post was last edited: 10/17/2012-16:19]

 
Update

I got the new belt and seal installed yesterday, and everything seems to be working just great! The banging/clicking noise has stopped too. Agitation seems much more vigorous than it was (tempted to actually use the "gentle" setting!). Yay!

One thing I noticed is that the tub is slightly unbalanced when it spins (without anything in it). Is there a quick fix for this?
 
Yay for fixing it yourself!

Congrats! Now we need pics (and video, if possible) of your handy work. The trans lower seal really wasn't that bad after all, was it? Not sure about the slight imbalance. Did you check the snubber pads where the suspension comes in contact with the washer frame to make sure they were not contaminated with oil?

RCD
 
Unbalanced Spinning With No Load

There is no easy fix for this on a GE FF washer, but you may find it spins well with a load.

On WP built DD washers with the water filled balance ring the machine usually will vibrate with nothing in the tub but is actually smother with a load. In any case it is really not important if the washer is smooth without a load.
 

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