Indesit W113Uk Spider Replacement

[Squelch]

Hello all,

First post, but I've enjoyed reading the forums for some time.

As the title suggests, I have an Indesit W113UK which has just recently developed a fault. A loud clattering noise emanated from the machine at the start of the spin cycle which calmed down once up to speed, and then came back with avengence. Checking the inner drum for movement suggested that either the bearings had disintegrated, or that the spider had broken. I stripped the machine down, and sure enough, the spider has two fractured "legs", suspiciously in identical places.

The spider on this particular model is riveted directly to the rear face of the inner drum. I have been searching for a replacement, but those that I've found are poorly described so it is hard to be sure if they are indeed the correct parts. Some mention "Drum", but fail to say if these are complete assemblies, some mention needing fitting kits (screws) and specify pre SerNo 308010001 models only.This leaves me under the impression that earlier models had the spider bolted to the drum, and that perhaps the spider was then riveted directly to the drum in later models.

Drilling out the large stainless rivets should not be too difficult, and I'm assuming that the mounting holes could then be used for the fitting kit with an earlier model spider. (The mounts are directly to the rear face of the drum and are in the recess formed by the paddles) Sadly all of the pictures of the spiders I have found look nothing like the existing one (dishing appears to be reversed or shallower), and are probably representative only.

The machine appears to be in good overall condition. I have inspected all of the parts as they were removed, and found little to no wear/corrosion/disintegration considering the machines age. A complete drum/spider assembly seems to be prohibitively expensive in comparison to a new machine, especially when I am able to undertake the work myself and the drum is in perfect condition.

My questions to those kind technicians who know these things out there are these:

Will an early model "bolted" spider work as a direct replacement for a riveted one?

Must I replace the whole Drum/spider assembly?

What merit is there in using salvaged parts? Given that there appears to be a design life failure (or perhaps just a design/manufacturing fault) would I be flogging a dead horse by pursuing this path?

Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello there. According to my 4washerhelp spares site the genuine drum spider is no longer available but this alternative part manufactured by an independent spares company should be the drum spider you need -

http://www.4washerhelp.co.uk/drum-spider-only/product.pl?pid=1731196&query=W113UK+spider

I used to have to chisel off the rivets, they are usually far too tough to drill through. The spider should come with fixing kit. Drum spiders should be pretty standard especially if it's from the same drum size, the one I link to fits 88 different models.

[Squelch]

Thanks for the reply Andy,

I went to the linked spider, but telephoned first to make sure it did come with a fixing kit. Unfortunately I was told that the part wouldn't work for me.

Apparently I have a W113UK-B and the spider you link to is for the revision A (pre 308 serNo's) and has a different sized shaft. The one on mine is 20mm, and I should have asked what size the rev A had. I'd have to replace the bearing assy and the pulley at least, as well as forfeit any guarantee because the parts are not compatible.

So I'm faced with buying a complete drum and spider assembly which will cost almost a new machine, or risk buying parts which may or may not work and are not cheap enough to warrant the risk. It's looking like I have to write off what is otherwise a perfectly working machine.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

You highlight how difficult it is to find the right spares, it can be a nightmare. Many manufacturers fit different parts to the same models during different production runs so even having the full model number is no use. Good call to check first.