Tub I need to get the stainless tub out so I can get to the bearings. The tub will not come out of the plastic outer drum

2 possible problems. On the outside of the tub front and on the top back are cement counter weights that are bolted to the tub. If they are coming loose, they would cause the tub to go off balance and wobble. If just the stainless inner tub is the one that wobbles, that suggests a bad rear drum bearing. The counter weight problem easy to fix once you get the top and back off and just need re-tightened. The back drum bearing is something even trained techs want to avoid. It requires removing the complete tub/drum assembly from the washer----then splitting the outer tub in half to replace the inner drum and bearing assembly. Cost for parts will be excessive and not worth the repair.

All outer tubs on most Washing Machines these days are sealed.
Therefore you cannot split the tub to get inside and change the bearings. instead you have to change the whole tub assembly as a complete unit. Not an easy job.

you better get at this soon,the lip-seal is gone from the outer tub and now water has penetrated the bearings behind this lip-seal,the longer you wait the harder it will be to remove these bearings and if its a plastic outer tub you can destroy this tub when removing the old bearings,the inner tub needs to be removed,the rear access needs to be open the motor pulley removed,the c-clip that secures the outer bearing needs removing then the inner tub can come out the front to access these bearings for replacement

if you contact whirlpool they might help but the bearings that help that stainless steel drum spin smoothly are gone and because its bounced around a bit it shredded the plastic tank its about $400 for the parts to do this job and every single part comes off and back on it takes experienced guys that do them every day about 2 hours of struggle and pain to do it. i would highly reccomend a new machine in this case.not worth it

it sounds like you may have tub bearing issues or your suspension springs or shocks may be missing or broken. The front seal is just there for sealing, thats its sole purpose.
Basically there is two parts, the inner stainless steel drum and the outer plastic tub housing. Reach inside and see if you can move the inner stainless drum up and down any significant amount? If so the bearings are most likely shot. If its pretty solid but the outer plastic tub moves, its most likely a suspension issue. You can take off the top to get a much better view of the components.

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I CALLED THE 800 NUMBER AND HAD WHIRLPOOL SEND ME ALL OF THE PARTS THAT WERE STILL UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT I PURCHASED. WHIRLPOOL SENT ME EVERY PART, INCLUDING THE STAINLESS TUB, THAT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I NOW HAVE REPLACED ALL INTERNAL PARTS EXCLUDING THE MOTOR.

You have a big problem here. It sounds like the bearings on the drum shaft are going. this is over $400 for the back half of the outer drum and you have to be a very good mechanic to get it all apart. I currently have mine apart for the same problem which I verified by opening the door of the washer and lifting the inner stainless steel drum up and down with the machine off, of course. The tub is supported by two large ball bearings on the shaft that is supporting the stainless steel drum, and they don't sell just the bearings and seal, only the back half of the drum. If it has gotten bad enough to rub against the front half of the outer tub, it will probably have to be replaced also, about $120. This was probably caused by overloading the washer or washing something that was unbalanced and heavy; this destroys the seal between the inner drum and the heavy bearings, also not available separately, and lets water into the bearings in the aft outer tub which support the inner tub shaft. If you want to try to take this apart to verify, try looking at Whirlpool consumer services technical education group presents #L-68, Job Aid Part No. 8178076. I found it online. It has detailed instructions how to take this machine apart if you are a technician or a talented amateur, as I am. Good luck.

I can't speak for all, but my GE front loader has a stainless inner and a plastic outer tub. I don't know what the benefit of a all metal would be. The plastic outer tub seems to hold up fine, The only problems I have expereinced with the washer tubs were the bearing going bad after the seal failed, but its 10 years old. I consider that normal wear.

No you do not have problems with your bearings (especially if you can rotate the basket and it rotates nice and smooth).

What has happened to your machine is exactly what happened to mine: One of the three 'legs' on the shaft support attached to the rear or the basket has broken. The reason it broke is because the bracket is made of die-cast aluminum alloy that is being attacked by galvanic corrosion. See attached pictures of the corroded shaft support, including a close-up of the break. This is what you will find when your machine is taken apart.



You can verify this failure mode by slowly rotating the basket and observing the position of the basket at its maximum off-center location. While the basket is at this position look at the back of the basket and you should see one of the three 'indents' located at the 12 o'clock position. While at this position you should be able to move the basket up and down. Now rotate the basket 120 deg so that the next 'indent' is positioned at the 12 o'clock position. The basket will now be more centered in the opening, and you will not be able to move the basket up and down. You have just identified which of the three bracket arms have been broken.

Call Whirlpool warranty service (1-800-253-1301) and tell them about the problem with the basket: believe it or not the basket has a life-time warranty. The shaft support is not available as a seperate item. The basket p/n is 8182232.

I was able to get Whirlpool to send me a replacement basket, but they would not do the same for the front-half of the plastic tub, which was damaged by the basket hitting the front lip, even though the warranty states that the plastic tub is warranteed for ten years. They did however agree to sell me one for 50% off the std cost. The p/n is 285982.

If your washer was purchased less than 5 years ago, best to work with your local Whirlpool authorized service agent to get the machine repaired. My machine is over 5 years old (GHW9100LW1), and I am repairing the machine myself.

I would be interested in hearing how you make out in getting your washer repaired.

Regards,
Bill in Ma.

With a plastic tub (outer drum as you describe it) removal of the old bearings can deform or bruise out the plastic housing a little - you will need to check that the new bearings will be really good fit. You may need to use a retaining compound if not, to ensure that the outer journals of the bearings don't creeping round in the plastic housing and wear it looser.
I did my Hoover Electron 800 bearings (metal tub). As i recall it was fairly straightforward - needed a gasket for the tub backplate on that.
Unbolted tub backplate from tub and withdrew it through rear of chassis along with drum/drum-shaft/bearings assembly, removed pulley, tapped shaft through bearings with softfaced mallet (or hammer & wood), drifted bearings out gently, working evenly around circumference.
For plastic tub some kind of suitable extractor may reduce chances of deforming bearing housing during bearing removal, compared to drifting them out. If it'd serve to ease the new ones in too then that'd be even better.
Don't forget to check/clean the water level pressure sensor path while you're at it - stave off any problems in that area for a while while you have the machine apart. ;o)