I have a washer from April 2007. It’s a Frigidaire Affinity ATF6000FSO.
This last week my husband turned it on with something in the door. It errored "LOC" so he opened the door and reshut it without checking for anything in the rim.
When the machine went to spin, it yanked out the rubber bellows/sealing and also pulled free a wire.
Once we untagled the clothing, mangled wire and rubber, I discovered the wire (with a tiny spring, part 49 on parts diagram) a mangled mess that had actually cut into the rubber gasket with the spinning force.
I ordered the parts today, but I’m at a loss on what to do. I have only been inside the machine once, from the back, to clean out clogged tubbing. (Again, husband… washed pants with wads of tissue post funeral).
I’m unsure how to access the area properly or how to go about replacing it. Someone suggested I may need to remove the door. Despite the fact that I’m the woman, I’m the "fixer" here, and I’ve repaired a lot of things, including our dryer and dishwasher. I don’t always have the appropriate terms or vocab, but I get the job done… eventually.
That link is very helpful. I am going to attempt this now, and hope for the best. Otherwise I’m going to need help from a friend who is very handy with appliances.
I just watched the video to dissasemble the affinity washer. It’s for a xxx7000 model.
I also successfully replaced the bellows and here is some info.
I did not have to dissassemble the washer and take off top or front panel.
I removed the bellows by first removing the spring clip holding the bellows with a pair of needle nose pliers and slip the the front of the rubber bellows off so I could access the inner spring of the bellows that is attached to the washer.
I checked to make sure that it was a spring and not a clamp by reaching around to make sure the was no clamp.
Then I pushed down on the front bottom of the bellows to strech the spring over the lip it was being retained in by the spring and pulled forward. Now, removing this is easy part. Keep in mind at the top of bellows is a light and hose at the bellows you need to disconnect.
Reassembly requires two people to stretch the inner spring of the bellows to retain it. Keep in mind that you will have to carefully have to align and install the bellows correctly first and then flip the front edge of the bellows in to access the rear to install the spring. To install spring, you start from the bottom and stretch the spring clockwise. Use a wooden dowel to wedge the spring at the bottom and have helper keep pressure there. Make sure spring is sitting in the rubber slot in the bellows when u start. It will take some muscle and small fingers to stretch the spring over! After this is done, connect light and hose to bellows, then reinstall the front of the bellows…this is the easy part.
Good luck, removal is easy, installing rear spring is tough.
Glad to hear you got it. Well done! We’re always looking for ways to shortcut the job, without diminishing the quality of the work…looks like you found one.
Techi said:
I just watched the video to dissasemble the affinity washer. It’s for a xxx7000 model.
I also successfully replaced the bellows and here is some info.
I did not have to dissassemble the washer and take off top or front panel.
I removed the bellows by first removing the spring clip holding the bellows with a pair of needle nose pliers and slip the the front of the rubber bellows off so I could access the inner spring of the bellows that is attached to the washer.
I checked to make sure that it was a spring and not a clamp by reaching around to make sure the was no clamp.
Then I pushed down on the front bottom of the bellows to strech the spring over the lip it was being retained in by the spring and pulled forward. Now, removing this is easy part. Keep in mind at the top of bellows is a light and hose at the bellows you need to disconnect.
Reassembly requires two people to stretch the inner spring of the bellows to retain it. Keep in mind that you will have to carefully have to align and install the bellows correctly first and then flip the front edge of the bellows in to access the rear to install the spring. To install spring, you start from the bottom and stretch the spring clockwise. Use a wooden dowel to wedge the spring at the bottom and have helper keep pressure there. Make sure spring is sitting in the rubber slot in the bellows when u start. It will take some muscle and small fingers to stretch the spring over! After this is done, connect light and hose to bellows, then reinstall the front of the bellows…this is the easy part.
Good luck, removal is easy, installing rear spring is tough.
I just watched that disassemble the affinity washer video, it some what helps, because they not showed deeply about how to fit rubber bellows. But your info helps me a lot. I tried sometimes to shorten the way, I didn’t get, but you got. Thanks.