Hotpoint "2 Part" Drum Seals

[Richardx300]

Hi all and many thanks for taking the time to read this.. I just wanted to pick your brains for advice about how to go about changing these.. Have a hotpoint 1600 spin machine which has given years of good service, and so am prepared to spend a little time and money repairing the old girl.. Essentially, the drum bearings have failed. Thing is, I replaced all of these a couple of months ago with a bearing and seal kit off e-bay. Now, research tells me that really, i should have replaced the spider and shaft as well, there was a little wear on it, but I knurled the worn diameter of the shaft to make the front bearing a snug fit again (the bearings were a good interference fit in the rear drum). My question is this, really.. The front seal is in 2 parts, a stainless outer and a rubber inner. Should the rubber inner be "fixed" to the shaft and spin within the stainless outer? Also, the bearings supplied were of the shielded type- should I have fitted them as they were supplied or should I still pack the gap between the bearings with lithium grease, and indeed the small gap between front bearing and seal? My apologies if this sounds like a really stupid question but your help would be really appreciated.. Many thanks, Richard

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Bearings are pre greased so you don't need any more. The seal protecting them needs carefully knocking flush into the outer drum over the front bearing.

[Richardx300]

Thankyou for that Yeah, I did all that, just wondering if the space between the front bearing and the front seal should be packed with grease as well? The present seal has failed very quickly..

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

If the shaft was worn I'd expect water to get past it into the bearings. There's no need for any extra grease.

[Richardx300]

Thanks for the reply.. It kind of brings me back to the first post though. With these seals that come in 2 parts, am I right to assume that the inner part of the seal is fixed to the shaft and spins within the pressed stainless steel outer?

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Sorry Richard, I don't quite follow your question, especially the "front seal" description. I assumed you meant the seal which protects the drum bearings, which usually presses into the drum on top of the bearings. I'd expect any rubber part to face the drum shaft. However, I don't recognise the "two parts" description. Photos?

[Richardx300]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Hotpoint-Indesit-Washing-Machine-Bearing-Kit-35mm-C00202418-/161062937241?pt=UK_Irons_Presses&hash=item2580196299

Hiya, Many thanks for sticking with this!! I dunno if the above link will work on here, but it shows the seal type I am referring to.. I have replaced drum bearings on a number of washing machines before, always with success, but this has me baffled. Current bearings and seal have been in for about a month, now and are starting to get noisy again! You are correct in saying I am referring to the seal that protects the bearings- Essentially, it compromises a rubber inner, and the shiny-looking outer is of a pressed stainless steel nature that the rubber portion sits into. Seems it's fitted to machines with a 35mm inside diameter front bearing (all the ones i have done before have been 30mm with aregular looking seal-no problems encountered- to be honest, when you think of the out-of-balance forces exerted on drum bearings its a miracle that they give so many years of service!). So, I am left wondering if there is a different proceedure to follow for these types? Once again, many thanks for your help!

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

The seal in the photo looks like it's shown the right way up and fits that way over the front bearing. It needs carefully knocking flush into the drum right after the front bearing. The shiny surface should then run against a similar surface on the base of the drum shaft and create the seal.

[Richardx300]

Again, many thanks for your patience! So.. should the steel shaft of the spider assembly spin freely within the rubber portion of the seal? I.E, the rubber portion should NOT be spinning with the shaft and within the pressed outer?

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

That's right. Something needs to rub against something else to keep the seal water tight when the drum is turning. Either the shaft must spin within the seal (which would wear much quicker), or the best method is to have two shiny ceramic surfaces, one on the bearing seal and one at the base of the drum shaft so that when the drum turns the two surfaces remain connected and the drum ceramic part just turns on the corresponding drum seal.

The bearing seal should be fixed in place and not move.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

"The bearing seal should be fixed in place and not move." unless by any chance it does actually move within the rest of it. I have to say I haven't come across a seal like the one in the pic before.

[Richardx300]

Many many many thanks for your help with this. To be honest, Im getting quite adept at changing these things now, so should only take a couple of hours or so to swap out! Seems like I am going to a lot of effort for an old machine that owes me nothing, but it's a cracking old thing with it's heavy load and 1600 spin, so would be quite costly to replace, besides, I love fixing things!. I think perhaps the key here is the understanding that the shaft should spin within the seal, and not WITH the seal.. Im scratching my head really, trying to understand why it the seal is designed in this way, in two parts, and I can only conclude that it may be to allow a little run-out of the shaft as the machine whips up to the full 1600 rpm thrash, without shredding the seal. Ceramic washers, as you suggest, would certainly be superior, but I suppose that manufacturers have to keep costs down in some way, and generally, these things give years of service without trouble. I think therefore, my error, rather than design flaw is the cause of these failures.... Change the spider!!! If you get a chance, have a look at one of these seals (I can send you the old one if you like) and it's odd design might help to explain my confusion! Many thanks, Richard..