Appliance Repair Wisdom for the Ages

Sunday, June 06, 2004

Mailbag: Amana Washer Leaks

Start by removing the front panel to see where the leak is coming from. Then, pray to Allah, who is compassionate and merciful, that it's just a leaking hose because if'n it ain't, start practicing yoga so you can kiss your sweet derriere goodbye.

If the tub seal is leaking, you'll need to replace the hub and seal kit on this puppy. I hope you enjoy spending hours on end in a dark, damp basement, breaking apart old parts fused together by years of corrosion while another glorious summer day gallops by outside, leaving you more pallid and one day closer to the bed pan. Time and pain--that's what awaits you in this repair journey to Hell, Budrow. And there's a fair chance that this will be a one-way trip, too, since your hours of weeping and gnashing of teeth may not result in a successful repair. How much time and pain? Let's just say that it's off the scale on the SUDS-o-meter. This is one of those jobs that makes even crusty old appliance warriors wet themselves and pretend they have a bad phone connection when they get a call for one of these jobs.

Ahh, Grasshopper, let this be your wakeup call. But if, after reading my wise admonitions, you think you have the cohonas for this job, then here are a couple resources that'll hepya:

• The Amana factory service manual for this washer.
• Some disassembly tips from American Appliance.

Do you hear your phone ringing yet?

Samurai Appliance Repair Man cast these pearls at 01:43 ET.  [permalink]

What's New at Fixitnow.com | |

14 Comments:

I had the same problem, and you do not exaggerate the nature of the fix. I've got the seal tore out now, but it was far from easy. Things got easier after I found your fixitnow.com site, but getting the nut off the drive shelf took a lot of pounding in tight drum quarters. Getting the hub off was even worse. I tried prying with even pressure on both sides, but ended up cracking a piece off one of the eight year old brittle sides. Next I bought a two arm gear puller at the local Ace for $6.47, and it pulled hard and broke. I refurbished it and tried again but it just stripped the treads on the cheap thing. I came with a lifetime guaranty, so I took it back for the replacement. Using the replacement gear puller produced more cracked of pieces of the hub, until finally all that was left was the solid circle of the middle of the hub. The inexpensive gear puller put this off rather easily.

Now I’m set to buy parts, but when I went to Repairclinic.com, it seems to suggest we pull and other drum and replace the Bearing assembly for tub. Do you deem this necessary for and eight year old machine? Also do I really need to pay $22.70 for a 5 oz. tube of “3M Scotch-Seal 800 Industrial Sealant”, or is there a less expensive sealant that will work as good?

Great Site I will wait for your reply..

Thanks in advance!!

By  Ken, at August 14, 2004 5:42 PM  

Ken, Any luck finding a replacement sealant?
I am at the stage of hub is in many pieces, but still not coming off.

By  Anonymous, at February 15, 2005 5:28 PM  

If I were to walk through the valley of the shadow of death to do this repair, I'll be damned if I'm gonna potentially screw it up because I wanted to save a buck two-eighty on the sealant!

IMO, anything 3M makes is the best stuff available.

Use the good stuff.

By  Samurai Appliance Repair Man, at April 11, 2005 8:57 PM  

I found the 3M 800 Industrial Sealant online at Hillas Packaging, Inc. for $7.40/tube.

http://www.hillas.com/Adwards.asp?Item=5321

Scotty

By  Scotty, at July 08, 2005 11:43 AM  

Amana outer tub manufacturer update?
I have an LWA50AW tall tub purchaced 3-1999, looks like same design as LWA10AW only deeper. Shortly after purchacing it I had a balance problem when it was at high water level. The drum leaned twoard the front. The machine was level and of course the water was level (something I had to explain to the maytag repair man, guess he had been getting a little lazy and forgot some basic physics, not meaning to discredit him but hey! I suspectede something likethe module springs to have been defective.
To my suprise he said that there was an update that needed to be done because there had been problems with the outer steel tub not coated correctly and it may rust inside and cause rust spots on our clothes.
A couple weeks later he showed up with a new outer tub and to my horror I watched while he completley tore down the washer and replaced the tub, I dont remember him replacing gaskets or seals but then I couldnt watch for the full 5 hours he spent on it. I was very glad it worked after all that work. He said he switched the springs and everything was fine, until a week ago and just a few months out of 60 month warranty on most parts, then the MALfunction last weekend, my wife did a small load and upon opening the washer thw whole assembly was leaning to the side. I promptly removed the front cover and the front left spring was broken due to "rust" so I wiggled a the other three front springs noting a "ring of rust" all the way around the outer tub in what looks like a seam 2" up from the bottom of the tub where the springs hook in. Two more springs snapped from rust fatugue just by wiggling them. The base of the washer also is rusting on the inside front and the side panals too. The front panal laso was rusted on the bottom and the bottom left screw was the only place where I saw any damage on the outside. Also there was no visible water inside, just rust. I was wondering if anyone else has heard of this upgrade for the outer tub. I am sad because I have had a real smooth dependable washer and had no idea ehrer was a rust problem with it.
I am going to replace all six Module Springs and see what happens, the single belt is cracked and im reluctant to do even that until I can see a leak or not. I cant see replacing the tub and the panals being cost effective. Could the rust possibly have been caused by condensation soaking clothes obvernight? Thanks in advance and beer to you if you can shed any light on this.

By  DesertRat, at August 28, 2005 8:30 PM  

I too have an LWA50AW that has rust damage. It broke a spring and the extended service contract wont pay for repairs on the cabinet or springs. I paid $200 for the extended warrenty. Do you think it would be worth $150 to buy a new base and cabinet to replace hte rusted out ones?

By  Steven G, at January 27, 2006 8:36 AM  

Hi,
I just had a belt go on my Amana washer. After much fun disassembling and reassembling, now the water level is not functioning (filling to top).
Where is the water level sensor located, and how do I test it (and how do I get to it!)

Thanks,

Jim
jrh4004@yahoo.com

By  Anonymous, at February 15, 2006 5:04 PM  

The water level sensor is the control that has a knob attached to it that's marked "Water Level High Med Low." Open the panel and you'll see an air tube attached to it. the contacts inside the sensor switch when the pressure in the tube increases-- you can simulate this by applying some good old fashioned blow hard to the tube and using your meter to check continuity at the appropriate contacts on the pressure sensor. The wiring diagram is essential for this.

By  Samurai Appliance Repair Man, at February 19, 2006 7:30 PM  

We have same Amana washer and recently had belt to break. Since repair, washer is leaking 1-2 cups of water. Could this be related? Recommendations on repair vs. replacement. Loved washer until this month.

By  preppygirl, at September 06, 2006 10:36 PM  

Probably not related but probably IS a leaking hub seal-- very difficult repair on this washer.

I would absolutely NOT recommend putting anymore time or money into this machine... or ANY conventional top-loader with a transmission-- they really are yesterday's technology.

Do yourself a favor and move into the high efiiciency (HE) washer market. An excellent HE washer which is very user-friendly and designed to be serviceable by the user is the Staber washer.

By  Samurai Appliance Repair Man, at September 10, 2006 4:57 PM  

I'm having problems with our LWA50AW washer. It appears to be leaking only on the spin cycle out of the bottom of the tub. How hard is it to change this seal and is it worth the time?

By  livnlif, at October 01, 2006 2:13 PM  

To livnlif
YOu might get lucky on this one since it seems to match what happened on my Amana Lw82xx model. The biggest problem was the hose clamp on the black hose which drains the tub via the impeller pump. Check the hose for crack and other leaks, and if the hose is solid, just tight that clamp. If it has cracks, it looks quite simple to replace it: one standard hose clamp on each end. That hose is under high pressure when the tub drains via the spin cycle. I also had a small leak around the shaft seal in the impeller pump but it wasn't yet worth the hassle to replace it. Sooner or later I will, but it's got to be a heck of a lot easier to replace the impeller pump since it's right at the front of the base. UNPLUG THE WASHER before you take off the cover because the motor with a lot of exposed wire sits right on top of the impeller pump.
Good luck.

By  Rank Amateur, at October 05, 2006 6:05 PM  

Are these really not worth repair? I bought the Amana because of the stainless steel tubs, and really like the matching washer and dryer. Mine is 15 years old, and maybe is starting to leak? Is there a reapir shop out there that would fix this? Thanks, Bill

By  billccm, at April 12, 2007 11:31 PM  

Helpful site. Looks like I have a leaking tub seal. My Amana LWA80AW started leaking a little sometime within the first 4 years because when I moved there were rust stains on the floor. The next house the leaking was intermittent but gradually worsened. Now in the third house (washer is now 9 years old) it leaks like a sieve. I am single so don't have tons of laundry with which to abuse the washer. I had hoped this washer would serve me better than it did.

By  Erica, at May 23, 2007 4:37 PM  

Post a Comment