How to remove the drum from the washing machine for repair

It is usually necessary to remove the drum from the washing machine if you are going to repair it from the inside or take it apart completely when it is hopelessly broken. In doing so, you want to remove the drum without damage in order to make something useful out of it.

It’s great if you call the master for this painstaking work, but armed with our step-by-step instructions, you can get the drum yourself.

What you need to pull out the drum

Before starting disassembly work, it is worth preparing the tools. Almost everything listed below is in stock for any home craftsman:

  • screwdrivers of various types;
  • passages;
  • spanners;
  • a hammer;
  • hacksaw (for a non-separable drum).

If you have found everything you need, you can get to work.

Washing machine disassembly

In order not to miss anything (especially if you are repairing and planning to collect the machine back), act consistently. Follow instructions:

  1. Remove the cover. To do this, using a Phillips screwdriver, unscrew the screws that hold the panel – usually there are two of them, and they are located behind the case. The cover is removed with a slight push away from you and up.
  2. Remove the control box. To do this, you need to unscrew all the fasteners that hold it to the CMA body. You will find some self-tapping screws under the powder receptacle, so first remove it. When the button block is connected to the SM body with only one wire, carefully lay it on the body or hang it on a service hook (not available on all machine models). You can disconnect the wiring by first marking all the contacts or photographing their connections.
  3. Remove the bottom panel that hides the drain filter. In most models (Ariston, Indesit, Samsung and others), it is held on by plastic latches.
  4. To gain access to the front panel, thread the seal into the drum. To do this, first remove the wire or plastic clamp by picking it up with a screwdriver, after which you can bend the edges of the elastic inward.
  5. Remove the front wall by unscrewing the screws behind the previously removed panels – bottom and front. Lift it up a little and pull it towards you. Set aside.
  6. Disconnect the interlock contacts or remove the UBL completely.
  7. Now remove all the parts that prevent the removal of the drum. All wires connecting the heater, engine, pump and sensors must be disconnected.
  8. Go back to the top of the machine again – here you need to unscrew the fasteners holding the intake solenoid valve. Also pull off the nozzle that feeds the dissolved washing powder from the cuvette to the CMA drum. These parts will be reattached during reassembly, so remove them carefully.
  9. If the pressure sensor, pipes and wiring interfere with you, remove them.
  10. Remove counterweights. In most models, there are two of them, bolted to the top and bottom of the case.

Attention! Unscrew the “stones” carefully so as not to drop them on your leg or on the body of the machine.

  1. Carefully pull off the drain pipe, as well as the pressure switch tube, if not removed earlier (it is necessary to open the clamps and pull the pipes towards you). Inspect the drain pipe at the same time – often it cracks and begins to let water through.
  2. Eliminate shock absorbers (dampers) and springs. The shock absorbers come first: pull out the fasteners that hold the tank. The principle of removing the mounts is the same for both shock absorbers. Removing the tank from the springs is the last step.

Important! Getting the tank alone will not be very convenient, so it would be nice to enlist the support of a friend – one of you neutralizes the springs, the second holds and takes out the tank. Carefully! The tank is heavy, don’t drop it.

  1. After taking out the tank with the motor, lay it so that the pulley remains at the top.
  2. Unscrew the engine by disconnecting the belt.
  3. After removing the electric motor, unscrew the shock absorbers that remained on the tank.

Attention! Remember that such a “major” disassembly of the washing machine is a chance to check the performance of all its parts. If you arm yourself with a tester, you can ring the entire electrician.

Even a visual inspection will be helpful. Take this opportunity to remove the heating element – it may have scale on it, and it needs to be cleaned or replaced.

The “dirty” work has already been done – it remains only to disassemble the tank and pull out the drum.

How to open the washing machine drum

Before you open the tank to gain access to the drum, find out the principle of its connection and the material from which it is made. Most often, the tanks are plastic, and open in one of the following ways:

  • Non-separable tanks (for example, in Hotpoint-Ariston) are sawn with a hacksaw or grinder. The cut is carried out strictly along the gluing seam. To assemble such a tank, then you will need to drill holes for the bolts and carefully process the halves with a moisture-resistant sealant to ensure a reliable connection.
  • Collapsible tanks open simply: to do this, you need to open the brackets that tightly compress the two parts of the plastic tank. The brackets are unclenched with a regular slotted screwdriver.

Next, you have to disassemble the drum, or to be more precise, extract it from the plastic “fetters” of the sawn or disassembled tank.

To open the drum, you need to remove the rest of the plastic from it – to do this, remove the pulley by unscrewing it with a wrench. Replace the bolt that held the pulley. Arm yourself with a hammer and, lightly tapping on the shaft, knock it out.

The work is over.

If your plans are to reassemble the CM, then check the bearings and oil seals. If necessary, replace the grease, seals or the bearings themselves. We wrote earlier about how to replace bearings in an LG or Bosch washing machine.

If you removed the drum from a non-working machine, you can make a brazier or smokehouse out of it with your own hands.

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