Replacing the drum and spider and shaft on your Electrolux 16 and 17 pound washer. This can be under any of the following brand names: Electrolux, Wascomat (WE-16 & 17) Frigidaire 16 & 17#, Gibson, Tappan, White-Westinghouse, Kenmore and some GE's as well. The whole tub extraction should take from 15 to 30 minutes depending upon your skill level.
First off you will need a good philips #2 screwdriver. I use a Milwaukee 18v drill driver for speed but a standard screwdriver will do. You will also need a channel lock plier to squeeze hose clamps, a razor blade to dislodge the front door gasket, some wood blocks to aid in sliding out the drum. A second person to help when it's time to slide out the drum and lift it is highly recommended. I often put my wife to work at such times.
Personally I leave the motor and weights on the tub unlike some other online advise I have read. I have repaired the BIG rigs up to 200 pound (load weight) washers for years so to me this is just a baby anyway. I realize that for someone doing this kind of work for the first time it can be quite intimidating. Look at it this way: Your alternative is to throw it in the dump or part it out on Ebay. Don't laugh. That 3 phase motor and controller list for about $700.00! and the drain motor lists for $100.00. You should be able to get something near 1/3 to 1/2 that on Ebay. Personally I can't wait to have time to play with that 3 phase variable speed motor and controller on the bench and see what else it would be great on like a wood joiner. Having said that "Let's get er done"
First disconnect the motor wire harness plugs and all the hoses. About 5 - 10 Minutes. Next undo the front door gasket from the cabinet. You will probably need to scrape some stuck spots with the razor blade. Be careful not to damage the gasket.
The biggest pain is probably the soap box. I remove the 2 screws and pop it back a bit so I can get to the hose clamps. By getting the door gasket loose first you can get to the wire clamp that attaches the soap box to the door gasket and slide the filler tube out.
There is NO need to remove any of the control panel. One on line account I read had you removing knobs, weights, control panel and lots of stuff that you didn't have to. Why waste all that time. The more you do this kind of stuff professionally the better you get at NOT disassembling any more than necessary.
Next disconnect the lower shocks at the tub by squeezing the retainer clip and tapping or pulling out the pins. I found the bottom pins to be far less cooperative so I leave those alone and just push the shocks toward the cabinet out of the way. Next undo the upper suspension spring retainers and have someone steady the drum while you lift the springs one side at a time out of their slots and rehang them on the edge of the cabinet more toward the rear. This gives you a little breather while you reposition yourself for the big lift. Place some wood scraps beneath the tub to protect the computer and motor as you slide out the tub.
Now you're ready to gently lift the tub and keeping it upright, work it out the back and set it down on plywood or the like. I have my helper carry it by the rear pulley while I grab it by the door opening during the extraction process. Have your helper grab the pulley near the top for balance. Use wood blocks to steady the drum un the plywood.Now you're ready for the more fun stuff.
Now I remove the motor while it is easy to get to. 1/2" (13mm) socket should do the job. Now you are ready pull the rear pulley. Start by running the bolt out about a half inch with a 9/16 (14mm) wrench or socket. I then use a small 3 jaw puller to extract the pulley. This is a bit tricky as the pulley is not divided into 2 or 3 spoke holes so you will be a bit to one side or the other but it works. Now using a LONG 24" x 3/8" extension, a universal joint and a 10mm socket (or whatever works for you as I use a 3/8" air impact) remove all the tub retainer bolts and lift off the front half of the tub exposing the ss basket. The basket should lift right out with a minimum of persuasion. Now you will see all the corrosion I am talking about. Try not to get any in the bearings. Vac it right out near the bearings and any where else.
Replace the bearings if they were noisy along with the seal. Keep in mind that the water level is almost never above the seal on a front load residential machine so if the looks good you should get away with reusing it. If you want to play it safe replace bearings and seals. Clean and inspect the center tub seal gasket. If all that is ok you are ready to put in the new basket and reassemble. I am writing this from memory so if I have left anything out I will add it to the post. All feedback is welcome. Also, great diagrams are available at the parts warehouse link on this page as well as great prices. I have done lots of business with these people and they are real pros. GE owners should use this part number: Enter part # AP2107258 (copy #, click on the ad at left and paste in the part # for the very best price) for the basket assembly and save a couple hundred bucks. Check it out! Good Luck!
