What have I been doing? I’ll tell you what I’ve been doing. I’m locked in mortal combat with my washing machine.
And combat is definitely the word for it. I have two big ouchies on my hands, and about ten small ones.
See, the washer leaks. But it doesn’t leak somewhere easy, like the water inlet or the drain pump. No, it’s leaking from the bottom of the tub.
So I got my parts from RepairClinic.com (a site I recommend without reservation, incidentally). New tub seal and bearing. The seal is not so bad because you can get to it from the top, but to replace the bearing requires that you take the washing machine apart as far as it goes, pretty much. The video at RepairClinic.com is twelve minutes long.
It took me, uh, longer.
I started some time after church yesterday. I did spend about three hours getting the tub nut off, because the wrench that I bought wasn’t budging it. I finally cold-chiseled it in half. (I had the foresight to purchase another tub nut when I bought the seal and bearing.)
The repair was smooth, pretty much, except for that. I had all of the tools I needed, I had enough room to work, and so forth. It was just about 8:00 last night when I got it all back together to test it.
And it leaked worse than it did before I started. Awesome. With whom do I speak to get my afternoon back?
After confirming with RepairClinic.com that I could return an electrical part even if it had been installed and then removed (told you these people rocked!), I ordered a clutch assembly for it. Best I can tell, that’s about all it can be at this point. It will be here Wednesday when I get home from work, and as I’m now a seasoned traveler down to the molecular level of this washing machine, I’ll install it Wednesday night.
If it’s fixed, then kudos to me for staying with it. If it’s not, then I cut my losses. Back goes the clutch assembly, and we get a new washer.
In the meantime, I washed some clothes at Dad’s today, like a college student.
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