My Kenmore front loading washing machine leaves black stains on my laundry. The inside of the machine is clean and the stainless steel drum is in new condition. I suspect the rubber door seal is starting to rot and is the cause of my problem, but it is supple and I can see no obvious signs of deterioration. Can anyone suggest any other cause and/or a solution? Are these seals available, are they expensive and can a slightly below average handyman remove and replace them?
Bob, if your model starts with 417. this is a mother of all jobs. The black marks are coming from the rear bearing assy. in the tub. I just changed one out and it is misery. I don't believe the boot is causing the black marks. When I tore this one apart I found the tub, tub to drain pump hose, pump itself, contaminated with this black crap. Replaced them all. The tub and bearing comes as one piece and it is no fun to put in. The whole washer has to come apart to do this job and it requires two men to do it. The boot (bellow)itself is a pain to install. You might want to check with Sears and see if this is covered under the 5 year warrany on the bearing and tub, parts only, if not, it's not worth the time or money..Catriver..post back.
MIGHT NOT BE BEARINGS!
Had the same probem with black marks on my laundry. Read on the interent it is the bearings!Machine made no rumbling noises, but I had the marks!
Contacted my landlord, who send a technitian, who confirmed -> bearings = cheaper to replace than to repair.
Landlord bought me a new washingmachine.
To my horror there was more black marks on my white laundry with the brand new machine though! Was it the dryer?
I called the dryer service and the nice lady told me to check if the drain hose from my washing machine might be inserted too far into the drain pipe. Should only be 2-3 inches. If inserted to far into the drain tube, teh hose can supposedly **** waste water back into the machine! I pulled out the hose and it was all mucky and about 6 inches into the tube. Now that I have adjusted the hose and run an empty wash cycle to clear the hose etc, the next white wash came out ex any stains - RESULT!
Just feel sorry that a probably still alright and not so old washing machine has gone to the skip. Wonder if most the black marks = bearing problem posts are facilitated by engineers who just want to sell new machines?!!?
The solution already posted about the bearing on the back of the tub going out is exactly correct. We had the same problem and the washer was under extended warranty so Sears fixed it, 2 men 2 hours both working hard. The only thing I would add is that the high speed spinning sound got very loud at least a couple of months before the grease showed up on the clothes. It's a good warning that unfortunely I didn't pay attention to.
I have twice taken apart this front loader Frigidaire washer (also sold as Kenmore and possibly other names) to replace the rotted out aluminum spider arm supporting the spin-basket (which seems to universally fall apart within 5 years), and now I started observing the described black stain pattern on the clothes. As with the spider arm breakdown, this problem has nothing to do with water hardness, softeners, detergents, or dryers (I line-dry all my clothes), and everything to do with the poor quality design of this machine. While I have not yet positively confirmed the cause of the black stains, I suspect that the bearing seal is breaking down and in the process is releasing greasy particles that mix with the clothes and create the described black stain patterns. Unfortunately the repair would cost more than a new machine for most people, as the spider arm is probably just about gone by this stage. I am lucky to own another junk washer for spare parts and am able to fix it myself. For skilled do-it-yourself mechanics, it is possible to find a generic replacement seal and bearings on the internet (40x80x10DL metric seal, 6307-2RS inboard bearing, 6306-2RS outboard bearing) assuming the spider arm is new (over $200 part), or still in good shape. This is a MAJOR repair undertaking, the entire machine has to come apart. The interior of the machine might also be covered with mold and/or soil and/or water deposits that require laborious scrubbing for removal.
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Yes it's the bearing, and you will have to replace the whole tub inurds. the cause is most likely the deturdgent, you need to use the 1 with HE on the bottle. this is for front loaders. hope this helps.
Hello friend, I appreciate your post!
I see you're getting brown stains on some of your loads of laundry within your Frigidaire washer. I have completed some research in regards to brown stains and that could be iron or manganese in the water supply, water pipes, or water heater. In order to restore discolored loads try a rust remover safe for fabric. Do not use chlorine bleach to remove these stains as it may intensify discoloration. I hope this is helpful. -Matt
your problem may be because you generally use a 'cool' wash ie 30' or 40' Try a really HOT programme or two to see if this will remove the deposits that have built up What happens is that quite a lot of 'undisolved powder' tends to congregate inside the machine because of 'low temperature washes' Its a good idea now & then to use CALGON or some other descaling agent.
Mr CALGON please note my plug but it is good
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We have the same grease stain issue (loud spinning but not horrible as described by others) and were told by Sears it's the bearing(s)?. From the MANY posts from people with corroded "spider" and/or aluminum issue, it sounds like they had to replace the whole assembly which I understand to include the bearings. Posters say they've found this assembly for as little as $150, which is a whole lot less than the $850ish Sears wants to charge for parts and labor. Is the "grease stain issue" caused by the same things that's causing the loud noise, knocking, grinding in so many Kenmore 417 frontloaders?
btw, our water is probably on the soft side and I use little or no softener; a conservative amount of liquid detergent and occasional liquid bleach (I figure if the machine has a dispenser for the stuff, the manufacturer must think it's ok!) Appreciate any input....Thanks!
We have brown stains from our Kenmore front loader, most often on the edges of collars, sleeves, plackets and shirt tails. I have wondered if it is from deeply imbedded dirt coming loose from the deep crevases around the seems of the rubber seal. I have run rags and bottle brushes around the edge, and rund LOTS of soap, bleach, and baking soda through nearly empty washing loads. No success so far.
MIGHT NOT BE BEARINGS! Had the same probem with black marks on my laundry. Read on the interent it is the bearings!Machine made no rumbling noises, but I had the marks! Contacted my landlord, who send a technitian, who confirmed -> bearings = cheaper to replace than to repair. Landlord bought me a new washingmachine. To my horror there was more black marks on my white laundry with the brand new machine though! Was it the dryer? I called the dryer service and the nice lady told me to check if the drain hose from my washing machine might be inserted too far into the drain pipe. Should only be 2-3 inches. If inserted to far into the drain tube, teh hose can supposedly **** waste water back into the machine! I pulled out the hose and it was all mucky and about 6 inches into the tube. Now that I have adjusted the hose and run an empty wash cycle to clear the hose etc, the next white wash came out ex any stains - RESULT! Just feel sorry that a probably still alright and not so old washing machine has gone to the skip. Wonder if most the black marks = bearing problem posts are facilitated by engineers who just want to sell new machines?!!?
MIGHT NOT BE BEARINGS! Had the same probem with black marks on my laundry. Read on the interent it is the bearings!Machine made no rumbling noises, but I had the marks! Contacted my landlord, who send a technitian, who confirmed -> bearings = cheaper to replace than to repair. Landlord bought me a new washingmachine. To my horror there was more black marks on my white laundry with the brand new machine though! Was it the dryer? I called the dryer service and the nice lady told me to check if the drain hose from my washing machine might be inserted too far into the drain pipe. Should only be 2-3 inches. If inserted to far into the drain tube, teh hose can supposedly **** waste water back into the machine! I pulled out the hose and it was all mucky and about 6 inches into the tube. Now that I have adjusted the hose and run an empty wash cycle to clear the hose etc, the next white wash came out ex any stains - RESULT! Just feel sorry that a probably still alright and not so old washing machine has gone to the skip. Wonder if most the black marks = bearing problem posts are facilitated by engineers who just want to sell new machines?!!?
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