Do-it-yourself lubrication and repair of the washing machine: from shock absorbers to bearings

Very often, noise during spinning and washing is caused not by dramatic breakdowns, but by elementary wear of the lubricant. To renew the layer on the bearing, shock absorbers, drum and pump, you have to completely disassemble the washing machine. This is the main difficulty, the rest of the operations are simple.

What kind of lubricant

First of all, you need to decide on the material. Experts recommend not to combine different types, but to use one lubricant for all parts. Do not rush in the store - carefully read the specifications.

Properties of grease for washing machines:

• moisture resistance
• high viscosity
• heat resistance (some machines have a boiling mode, which means that the grease must hold 90-100 degrees Celsius),
• neutrality.

The latter factor is of great importance, especially when it comes to the bearing. It is covered with a rubber gasket - oil seal. Aggressive grease will turn it into an inelastic disk or into a loose substance. Such an oil seal will not protect the bearing, water will get inside, oxidation will begin, and most likely the part will break, it will have to be replaced with a new one.

WD-40 is commonly used to clean rust, salt deposits (lime) and dirt. This is the most popular household product today, and it is quite coping with its task. An additional plus is a thin proboscis on the sprayer, which feeds the cleaner more accurately.

TOP-5 lubricants for washing machines:

1. Amplifon.
2. Anderoll.
3. Staburags NBU 12.
4. Liqui Moly "Silicon-Fett."
5. Huskey Lube-O-Seal PTFE Grease.

These brands are used in workshops and service centers, convenient for use independently. Liqui the most expensive that pays off with high quality and perfect compatibility with all types of oil seals. Anderoll directly indicated in the instructions for the machines Indesit as recommended.

Algorithm

Modern washing machines are disassembled according to one principle. The main difference is in the design of the tank. For example, LG he is collapsible. Similar ones are installed in Electrolux, Aeg, Sumsung. To remove the drum, release the fixing screws.

In machines such as "Ariston" or "Indesit," the tank is solid. Replacing the entire structure is quite expensive, so experienced craftsmen use several tricks that make it possible to replace or lubricate the bearing and other parts without updating the entire tank.

First stage:

1. First of all, you need to open the door and disconnect the machine from the network.
2. The easiest way in modern devices is to replace pumps. They are located at the bottom of the machine and access is through the bottom. Therefore, the first thing to do is put the car on its side or lean it back and push it against the wall.
3. Remove the front bottom panel.
4. In many models, shock absorbers and other elements are attached to the bottom. If inspection and repair of defenders is not needed, it is better not to touch the bottom, but to remove the face shield. To do this, remove the powder tray (it is attached with self-tapping screws and a water supply valve).
5. Remove the control panel.
6. Unscrew the front shield screws.
7. Gently pry with a screwdriver, so as not to damage the rubber, the clamp that holds the cuff, and remove it.
8. Press the cuff inside the drum and remove the panel.
9. Disconnect the wires and set the shield aside.
10. Now it’s easy to disconnect the pump. The most common failure in this unit is a blockage or a hole in the nozzle (it leaks and water under the machine) and the wear of the armature / motor (it gives vibration during extraction and draining of water).
11. To clear a branch pipe and the filter of the accumulated litter.
12. In case of a gap or defect in the motor, replace the pump parts.

After the first stage, access to shock absorbers / defenders opens. The simplest case is the abrasion of the grease. In order to restore it, you need to unscrew the parts, extend the stem as much as possible, apply a thick, resistant to high temperatures, with high wear resistance grease to its base and fold and decompose the mechanism several times.

After 10 years of operation, depreciation most often fails completely. The drum starts to “beat”, to make noise on the spin, the machine to vibrate and “jump”, leaks are possible. In such cases, experts recommend replacing shock absorbers.

Life hack
Home craftsmen have found a way to restore defenders and shock absorbers. To do this, remove the stem, as well as the o-ring-lock. Pour out the “dust” of the gasket and replace it with a piece of leather belt, 2-3 mm thick and about 21 mm wide. A segment of the ring is inserted into the body of the defender with the necessarily smooth side to the body. Further, the gasket, together with the stem, is treated with a wear-resistant and necessarily viscous lubricant. Engine oil drains and wipes off quickly, such a repair will last only a couple of months.

Second phase:

1. Remove the rear panel.
2. Remove the load - the layer that lies on top of the tank.
3. Next - remove the clamp transmitting rotation to the tank.
4. Using a small screwdriver, squeeze the tabs on the plugs to disconnect the wires from the heater, tank and motor.
5. Unscrew and set aside the motor.
6. Disconnect heating element, water sensors.
7. Release the fasteners of the tank itself and carefully remove it.
8. Remove the remaining load.

After the second stage, the tank opens, in which the drum of the washing machine is enclosed. The detachable can be disassembled in an elementary way, however, in most modern machines the design is solid. It will have to be opened, having previously processed the seam with sandpaper.

The third stage:

1. Cut or unscrew the tank and set aside the upper half.
2. Remove gasket or sealant if this layer was.
3. Turn the structure over and remove the flywheel on the back of the tank.

The bearing finally opened. But to remove it and lubricate or clean it, you need to free the drum. To do this, bait the screw where the flywheel was, and use a hammer to knock the structure out of the "saddle" through the fabric. The pin will exit the tank and the drum will be separated.

Tip
If there is little experience in disassembling washing machines, photograph each significant step, and sort the screws so that they do not subsequently be mixed up. This is especially important when connecting wires.

The fourth stage:

1. Take out oil seal.
2. Pull out the bearing with a suitable diameter pipe.

A broken part is easier to throw out. Collapsible should be washed in oil or gasoline, and then fill with semi-liquid grease. Most often, the bearing is simply replaced.

Important
If you want the work not to be in vain, buy high-quality, German or Polish bearings that are resistant to moisture and high temperature, vibration and wear.

Often a problem is also found in the stuffing box - the gasket remains without lubrication and breaks or is deformed. The defective part must be replaced with a new one. When assembling - it is imperative to apply a moisture-resistant thick grease (it is refilled on the inner diameter, along which the bearing will slide.

After removing everything, you need to carefully inspect the sleeve (a pulley, on which, in fact, the bearing and oil seal are put on). All rust and lime must be wiped off. If scratches open, masking and grinding them is useless - the sleeve will have to be replaced. The same - if the original bearing "stuck". Trying to cut it with a grinder - only risk a drum. Most likely, an attempt to free the sleeve will damage it - it’s easier to put another one.

If the bearing is not separable, it can be washed. To do this, the part is spilled with oil, laying the bag and rotating the disk to select the maximum dirt.

How to assemble a cut tank
The cut tank is cut off with a polyurethane or silicone sealant, and then closed with screw-nuts and self-tapping screws strictly around the entire perimeter.If the mount is unreliable, the tank will disperse during startup!

According to experts, there is nothing complicated in disassembling a car. It is enough to be careful and know exactly what to do. In practice, inexperienced masters often make mistakes due to which the machine crashes. For beginning repairmen, purityis.decorexpro.com/en/ magazine suggests starting with replacing components that are easier to dismantle, such as pumps or shock absorbers, and first try out more complex operations on an old, recyclable machine.

Video: analysis of errors that led to machine breakdown after repair

In general, all operations are available, on the Internet there are enough video tutorials that will help to cope with the repair of the washing machine with your own hands.