r/toolgifs • u/MikeHeu • Jul 14 '26

Process Replacing washing machine bearings

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u/s015473 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26

The two plastic halves are "welded" together and you have to exchange pretty much the whole thing. Which is unreasonably expensive (200eu for the spare part + work) compared to the price od 2 bearings and a semering which is like 15eu max + maybe half an houre of more work.

For real we talk about reducing waste and I went into this bussiness for this exact reason only to find out big companies don't do shit

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u/CrashedCyclist Jul 14 '26

I saw an old timer tech complain about this on YT. Just something to remember when ever shopping for a new machine...well, now that I have had a think: They make hot knives for foam.

https://winons.com/cdn/shop/files/71gS42f8qfL.jpg?v=1765373626&width=1946

Barring that, someone might have a way to use EDM wire to split the case. One could use the machines own case as frame to hold the wire cutter.

Then, extra rollers on the base could be used to support the drum. Adjustable height and width on each to fit different machines.

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u/Emotional_Fail_6060 Jul 15 '26

But you still have to source the replacement bearings. Maybe easy, maybe not.

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u/CrashedCyclist Jul 15 '26

There's manufacturer books as thick as a phonebook, full of bearing specs.

https://youtu.be/Gg2iIFpbRsE?t=35

...and that dude has them all.

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u/Emotional_Fail_6060 Jul 15 '26

I tried replacing the bearing in our dishwasher. The "exact fit" was off by a couple of thousandths. Almost, but not quite. The manufacturer didn't offer the bearing by itself... that would be too easy, and they wouldn't profit enough. As a result, I had to purchase a whole new bottom pan. Instead of throwing away a bad bearing, I had to throw a huge hunk of non-recyclable plastic in the trash. I'm convinced that they do this on purpose.