Part
Handle Cap
Product Rating
Customer
GARY from TX
Problem
Broken door handle end caps
Tools
Nut driver/screwdriver
Repair & Advice
You need to remove the door panel to access the handle through bolts. You do this by removing the 6 small screws around the inside door edge. It is very helpful to have either a helper or a support such as a couple pillows or cushions to "catch" the door face as you remove the screws. Notice that the lower four screws near the hinge are a different length from the upper two, so keep them separate,
To get started, I opened the door to it's fully horizontal position, then put the pillows under it so it didn't drop. Once the screws are out you can then control separating the door face from the frame easily. You just lift up and out on the upper plastic control face, and slide the door out from the frame. Watch for the two white plastic door face alignment clips at lower left and right of the frame near the hinge. They can fall off or twist out of alignment when you separate the door faces. They are easy enough to set back in place if they move.
I decided to reinforce the end caps by filling them with clear silicone caulk. You could use almost any none liquid material, but caulk was the simplest and cheapest. I did this the day before i installed them, so the material would have time to set up. The biggest trick is to not have the filler get in the hole for the screw or ooze out the small crescent gap in the cap. Incidentally, if i were guessing, it is this gap at the angle point of the cap that contributes to weaken the cap in general. Overly firm shutting of the door by pushing on the handle to trigger the operation of the washer probably also doesn't help.
Don't over tighten the two handle through bolts - 1/8 turn past snug will do fine. Loctite is probably not recommended.
Reassembly of the door is pretty simple. Since i was working solo, once i got the door back in position on the cushions, it was easy to reset the control panel in place, and put a couple strips of tape to hold the door face, control panel and the door frame in alignment while i put the screws back in. Check screw holes for correct alignment.
Close the repaired door, look for any warning lights and run a short cycle to verify operation and no leaks.
Story submitted on April 4, 2018
Part
Handle Cap
Product Rating
Customer
George from MO
Problem
Broken end cap
Tools
Screwdriver
Repair & Advice
This repair is exceedingly easy. There is a utube video on how to proceed. Total time- 5 min
Story submitted on October 3, 2019
Part
Handle Cap
Product Rating
Customer
Paul from NY
Problem
Dents in stainless steel cover.
Tools
Philips star driver.
Repair & Advice
Easy to remove front panel from washer.
Story submitted on May 24, 2023