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Thread Number: 19463
Changing a GE FF Clutch. |
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Post# 313118 11/4/2008 at 16:56 (5,650 days old) by volvoguy87  (Cincinnati, OH) |
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Post# 313160 , Reply# 2 11/4/2008 at 21:32 (5,650 days old) by volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH) |
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Thanks. | ||
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Post# 313365 , Reply# 3 11/5/2008 at 21:52 (5,649 days old) by volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH) |
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Any other thoughts?
I can't budge the pin with a flat tip punch. 5/32 is too big, the smaller sizes do nothing, until you get to the small one which just slides down the middle of the pin. The new clutch has a pin on each side with a ring, bent over the top of the clutch. The old one lacks these pins. They are retaining pins for the slip shoes. Should I remove them when I install the new clutch or leave them in place? I am hating this thing! Thank you, Dave | ||
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Post# 313416 , Reply# 4 11/6/2008 at 07:20 (5,649 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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Post# 313547 , Reply# 5 11/6/2008 at 21:22 (5,648 days old) by volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH) |
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Failure.
Nothing seems to be able to budge the pin. For whatever its worth, the pump failed last year and dumped a LOT of water through the clutch and may have rusted the pin in place. I have been soaking it liberally with penetrating oil for 2 days and it will not move. I will take it to an appliance repair shop and have them give it a try. If they can't budge it, I'll try drilling. If that won't work, I'll likely end up sawing through the shaft atop the old clutch and buying a new pump drive wheel and pin. Why did GE put the water-containing pump on top of the clutch and motor? This is the only arrangement that will ensure the failure of the pump sends water through these two other components! I miss my Maytag, Dave | ||
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Post# 313661 , Reply# 6 11/7/2008 at 15:13 (5,647 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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Dave,
I have been able to get similar pins to budge (sometimes) by cold-shocking them. If you have access to a cold spray (if it's explosive, careful where you use it!), try spraying it through the rolled pin. It might shrink just enough. Second possibility, a very thin reversing tap (sorry, I only know that word in German,hope this is clear), to get the pin turning. Once it turns a bit, the rust bond will be broken. Third possibility is counter-intuitive, but warm the pin (tip of a soldiering iron). Its expansion and then shrinkage might break the bond. I have seen GE motors (other applications) which used pins with tapered shafts. If someone used such a beast here at some point, you may be hitting the wrong side? | ||
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Post# 313781 , Reply# 8 11/8/2008 at 14:54 (5,647 days old) by volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH) |
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Update.
The pin is in a very tight location. There is a drum which sits right atop the clutch. This drum is what drives the pump via a flexable coupling (The motor and clutch are hung from the suspension, the pump is attached to the stationary outer tub). There is a hole on either side of the pump drive drum and the pin is down in the hole. I took the motor and clutch out of the washer and took them to a local Maytag shop and they have a special tool to drive out the pin. I'll know next week. I will try to fire up my camera and post some pictures too so you can see this horrid thing. The design works well on paper, but it's a different thing entirely in practice! Thank you for all your suggestions, Dave | ||
| Post# 313841 , Reply# 11 11/9/2008 at 07:05 (5,646 days old) by filterflo (Chicago Area) | ||
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Pin insertion tool, Pin removal tool, extra drive pin, and extra removal pins.....with hex wrench. 
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| Post# 313842 , Reply# 12 11/9/2008 at 07:06 (5,646 days old) by filterflo (Chicago Area) | ||
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Close Up........... 
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Post# 315151 , Reply# 13 11/14/2008 at 22:53 (5,640 days old) by volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH) |
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Oh darn it all to heck!
I took the motor and clutch assembly to the best local appliance repair shop here. They have been unable to budge the pin and it has been so long since they have had to do it that they can't find their special tool for the job. The special tool is mentioned in the 1958 GE repair manual Robert scanned. It is referenced on page 59 and there is a picture on page 60 of it in use. Does the special GE tool WH50X55 really do something special? Is the clutch punch set pictured above a special order item or can I buy one locally? I WILL replace the clutch on this washer, and yes, I am stubborn, Dave | ||
| Post# 315472 , Reply# 14 11/17/2008 at 05:23 (5,638 days old) by saltysam () | ||
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DAVEY Mark | ||
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Post# 315496 , Reply# 15 11/17/2008 at 09:59 (5,638 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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Dave,
Would it be possible for you to post a shot or two for us, one of each side of the shaft, one showing us the relatively limited access, etc? I ask because there is a small machine shop at our university, the man who runs it is absolutely brilliant. Maybe, if he saw the pictures, something would occur to him. | ||
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Post# 315580 , Reply# 16 11/17/2008 at 20:04 (5,637 days old) by volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH) |
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Great News!!
The local appliance shop was able to remove that damned pin! The guy said he had a special tool for just that application but it has been about 10 years since he has had to remove a GE FF clutch so it took him several days to find the tool. With the proper tool, liberal amounts of WD-40, and possibly some very creative and enthusiastic use of profanity, he was able to drive it out. With the pin removed, I was able to remove the clutch and see just what went wrong. I showed the repairman AW.org and he became a bit of a fan. I will post pictures later, (camera has a dead battery) but for now, here's a description of what I found in the old clutch: 1. The shoes (there are 8 of them) had uneven wear. 2. The shoes had cracks in them, indicating that they had overheated. 3. the rubber pad at the bottom of the clutch was totally shot. 4. The bearing on the outer clutch drum was shot. I thought a bad bearing would have made a roaring sound, not a grinding sound. 5. The bad outer clutch drum bearing caused a pretty deep groove to be worn into the solid steel extension shaft. The old clutch was so loud, the noise of the washer drowned out any conversation in the next room, especially on low speed. With the new clutch installed, I never knew a GE could be so pleasntly quiet. No more grinding, clunking, and banging. For the first time I can recall, I can actually hear the water flowing from the flume into the filter pan. I can also hear the agitator sloshing and splashing (4 straight vanes, but I am keeping my eyes out for a ramp activator). I can see why the earlier design with the motor in the middle of the back of the machine would be easier to service. Accessing the motor and changing the belt on this one was unpleasnt to say the least. Tensioning the belt was the worst. I really should have put the washer on its front or side to better access the bottom. Now I want to change the belt on a WP/KM machine for comparison. It's not that it was impossible to do, it's that it was very very difficult to access, involving reaching across sharp edges in awkward positions. A flashlight that I could strap to my head was very helpful. To compare my old Maytag A208 to this, I think the folks at Maytag took a GE and told their dsesigners, "This is how we do not want to design our washers." Extra bonus points to Maytag for ease of service. For all the difficulties, the Filter Flo is back in daily operation, and is purring like a kitten. Thanks for your tips, Dave | ||
| Post# 315595 , Reply# 17 11/17/2008 at 20:38 (5,637 days old) by classiccaprice (Hampton, Virginia) | ||
Yay Dave! | ||
| Post# 315598 , Reply# 18 11/17/2008 at 20:40 (5,637 days old) by saltysam () | ||
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ALRIGHT DAVE!!!! I knew you would finally get that pin out! Great job! Can't wait for the pics. mark | ||
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Post# 316028 , Reply# 19 11/19/2008 at 15:24 (5,635 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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You da man, Dave | ||
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Post# 316090 , Reply# 20 11/19/2008 at 22:55 (5,635 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA) |
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Awesome!!! | ||
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