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OK, found Milliput and of course no one sells it near me. I’ll order it on the internet. Thanks for the recommendation (and hope!!)
I found a tube of Stix All in my cabinet. What do you think?? The area of the gashes are really hard to get to…they are right at the top of the suspension unit, to the side of it. It’s impossible to get a putty knife or anything like that in there. And impossible to see without a mirror. I’ll check out the stuff your recommend, although I question that caveat of ‘if you are lucky’. I’m not feeling too lucky right now….lol
I decided today to do a load of wash and try to find out where this leak is coming from. I let the machine go through the fill and soap cycle. Having put newspaper under the machine, I found that the leak was coming from the left side of the machine, but when I opened the machine up, I saw that it was not coming from the top. I flipped the machine on its side, and found that the new shock absorber was wet. Unable to see anything further, I dismantled the machine and, using a small mirror, found 3 small gashes, about 1/2 inch long, in the plastic outer tub, just around where the new shock absorber was installed. It seems that when the old shock broke, during those few spins that continued before I could stop the machine, the old shock cut into the plastic tub. Frankly, I cannot tell if the gashes go all the way through, but I cannot find anything else that remotely looks out of place. The machine didn’t leak until the shock absorber incident.
So, now my question. I really can’t imagine having to go through the whole scenario again as I did once, to replace the bearing…..trying to remove the spider was a nightmare, and doing the bearings was just as bad. The thought of replacing the outer, plastic tub is perhaps just that step beyond my threshold of fixing this machine. Is there anyway to repair these little gashes in situ, so that, if my issue is with the outer drum, it no longer leaks? Something like silicone sealant or something similar? Anything? I’m starting to feel defeated…..:(
Just curious, what is the purpose of the air break?? I’m on a well, so while I wouldn’t expect that I have great water pressure, but I do know that when using the machine for the first time after putting in the new inlet valves and suspension rod, I was very aware that the water was coming in to the soap dispenser at a far greater rate (and much louder) than it had done with the original valves. I had replaced both the single hot water valve, and the double inlet valve. After doing the load (and then finding water under the machine, I pulled out the machine and found that the cold water hose (from the machine to my plumbing) was damp. That could possibly be because the new cold water attachment didn’t seem to screw in nearly as far in as my original. I then opened the top of the washer and found that only the cold water hose, closest to the suppressor, was wet. That circuit is compromises of 2 hoses. One hose from the valve to the rectangular box (air break) and one hose from the air break forward. Both those sections of hose were wet….mostly on the tops of the hose. I put back my original double cold water inlet valve, to see if this will make a difference.
I will say I’m a bit nervous about taking the top off, and then starting the machine up to see where the leak is, as a few sites warn about ‘experienced servicemen being electrocuted and killed’ when doing this…lol. Not particularly comforting, but if my old inlet valve (which didn’t leak before, but was part of the issue of the drum filling with water when the machine was off) doesn’t ‘fix’ this new leak issue, I’ll make sure I’m really vigilant about electricity, etc., and try this. Hopefully, I won’t have to….;)I’m not sure I understand. I set my timer for a regular wash (no pre wash, etc.). So the hot valve (hot water) does the main wash. Now I get 2 rinses. Is what I’m thinking as the 2nd rinse actually a cycle for fabric conditioner (which I never use). I always wondered why the machine rinses twice.
I guess I’ll take the lid off, and watch what’s going on. I was actually afraid to do that, as all the videos I’m watching, when they take the lid off to show you what’s going on, always say ‘Don’t do this at home!!!! This should only be done by a professional!!’ That scared me…..:)Considering that I have an ‘economy wash’, I have two hoses that come in through the back. The hot water hose goes to a single inlet valve. The cold water goes to a double inlet valve. What is the different between the two sides of the double inlet valve? I assume that the solenoid allows only on side of the valve to operate for it’s function. As my leak was on the hose on the right side (closest to the suppressor) do you know what the function of that hose is? I noticed the water during the first rinse cycle…..
By the way, there are two hoses that go from one of the cold water inlet valves. One piece goes from the valve to some connector on top of the soap dispenser, and then from that connector forward, there is another hose. Both those hoses were wet on top….???
Strangely, the hoses from the inlet valve to the soap dispenser were wet on top of the hoses…..I can’t figure out why that would be. ??? Thanks for the tip about the non gen fill valves filling faster. I can reduce the pressure. I’ll have to pull the lid off and watch while the machine is filling with water. By the time I’m finished with this, I’ll be able to put ‘washing machine repairman’ on my CV….lol
Just to add, I’ve put the original cold inlet valve back on the machine, and just turned the water off to the machine so the machine doesn’t fill. I’ll be able to tell if this has ‘repaired’ the machine when I do the next load, but was just curious as to what might be the cause of this….???
My adventure with this machine continues….lol. Just a fast question here. I replaced the hot and cold water valves, while I was waiting for my suspension kit to arrive (as in another delightful thread…..). If you recall from this thread, one of the original valves appeared to be leaking when the machine was turned off. I believe it was the cold water valve. Anyway, after I did the suspension repair, I did a load of wash. Initially, it sounded like a lot more water than usual was coming in through the soap dispenser drawer. The wash went well, but when all was finished, I noticed some water on the floor. Ugh. The hose in the back of the machine, going to the cold water valve, was wet, and, when opening up the machine, I saw that one of the hoses on the double cold water valve (the on the right, as I face the machine, going to the soap dispenser, was wet….strangely, on the top of the hose??? Neither this hose, nor the inlet hose at the back of the machine, was wet prior to the replacement. The hoses were secured properly, as far as I can tell. Would a faulty inlet valve cause this?
Done. The guy came this morning. (And I made him watch the video…lol). I had the machine dismantled down to the point where all he had to do was tip the machine over and deal with the shock absorber. The top rod had already fallen out, and the bottom portion was easy to remove from the bottom of the machine. The kit I got was somewhat different than the factory set up. The bottom shock absorber actually sat on 2 of the square bushings from the video…one on the inside and one outside. But the new kit worked a treat. Frankly, the only part that I probably wouldn’t have been able to do myself, was push the shock absorber into the rod. It wasn’t that easy for him to do, either. Anyway, all is now put back, and ready to do a load of laundry.
Thank you both so much for all the info and advice. It would have been far more difficult to figure this out (or maybe impossible) without you. I’m sure I’ll be back again, in my effort to keep this 40 year old machine running. Until then, thank you.
So, in studying this further, it appears that something has been leaking on this side of the machine for some time. The suspension on the opposite side of the machine, the base, etc., looks brand new. On the side of the machine with the problem the suspension rod that came out is rusty, as is the base of the machine. When the rod first broke (while the machine was on) the inlet hose to the tub disconnected. I thought that it was because the machine was wildly off balance. Perhaps, or perhaps there has been a slight leak there for some time? There is nothing else on the side that would leak, other than perhaps a pinhole in the inlet hose? I never noticed any water on the floor, but apparently this is the reason why the connection at the suspension rod finally broke. It rusted through……
The guy who is coming to help me will be here in the morning, so in the interim, to save time, I took off the front of the machine. The suspension rod, while intact, came out where it fits into the ‘shock absorber’…..that piece where it goes into the shock absorber split in half, for some reason. The plastic part of the drum where the rod portion attaches to the machine, is ok without damage. The suspension kit that I got is somewhat similar to what is on the machine, although (if by ay chance you watched the video linked) the square rubber piece with the metal cover on it is actually at the bottom of the ‘shock absorber’ (whereas in the video, this is what he uses on the rod portion, to attach to the plastic drum.). The top of the rod (that broke) on my machine has a rubber bushing and a washer (whereas on the video, this is what he uses under the shock absorber). We have all the different parts that are needed from the kit, although potentially they will not be put on the machine in the same order as in the video, But this, so far, seems very doable. I haven’t tipped the machine over yet to see how it is bolted to the bottom frame, and will wait until I have help tomorrow, to do this. Perhaps the worst part of all will be to get the bolt off that holds the entire suspension to the bottom of the frame, as I assume that that’s been untouched since 1982. We’ll see. We’ll also be dislodging a few spiders that, once upon a time, called the innards of this machine home, but have left for the great beyond…..:)
OK, I think I follow you. Initially, if found a metal shim (the metal piece that the plastic domes fit into), with the center hole all torn up, on the floor, where it would have been obvious that it no longer could hold the plastic domes. Then, in investigation further (a couple of weeks later, after ordering and receiving the kit), I found the upper rod with the bolt and bushing attached, in the machine attached to nothing. I haven’t found any indication of the plastic domes (of course, not looking for them either), but what you’re advising makes sense. So, fingers crossed that this is what happened, and I get away with some luck.
