Thursday, November 28, 2013

Whirlpool Washing Machines Have Guibos



Our Whirlpool washer wouldn't spin anymore. So I tipped it to replace the belt, but alas, there was none. A little digging on the internet showed that this clothes washer had a guibo-style coupler between the motor and the bowl drive system. I've seen these before as vibration isolators on the driveshaft of my old Mercedes 240D (and I've heard they're common on German cars). But I couldn't figure out how to get at the one in my washer until I found a video (which I have since lost).


Instead of tipping the whole unit over, the video showed that you can remove two screws from the base of the control panel. Flip the panel up, pop a couple metal clips loose, and the whole outer shell can simply be tipped forward and pulled off the chassis. It's remarkably easy.



The motor is held in place by a couple large metal band-style clips, which are secured by a couple small bolts. Once you remove the bolts and bands and wiggle the motor loose, you'll find the busted guibo--something you might call an isolating coupler, if you're not talking about automotive driveshafts. This is part number 285753A, which is the updated version with a metal sleeve reinforcing the guibo. You can see the failure point on the original bit; the metal piece should make it much more durable. If memory serves, this replacement was about $8 from some online vendor. The shafts and guibo are a pretty tight fit, so it helps if you apply a little grease when you try to put it all back together.

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