41741122310 Kenmore Washer - Overview

This was one of the simpliest repairs I have ever done taking less than 5 minutes to complete. On the inner door I removed the two screws that hold the plastic catch in place. I then removed the broken catch and put the new catch in place. Finally I replaced the two screws that hold the catch in place and it was done.

Removed the screws holding the door. (One was stuck a little so used an air drill with Phillips head to get the torque needed but someone with a strong grip could have done it as it came out very easily). I removed most of the screws holding the front to back of door to exchange the hinge. There was a problem with the old hinge slopping around and not allowing the door to align properly when shutting it. The new hinge works better. See note*** below on doorframe. I pretty much was able to get the door back together and make it work. I then exchanged the door striker with no problem. It has a built in key so you cannot attach it incorrectly. The next thing was to just reattach the door to the machine and it worked right off the bat. ------------- *** Unfortunately, there were two screw mounts in the Outer Door Frame - Chrome Part Number: PS3495258 that were broken. This doorframe is listed as a $200+ chrome part whereas it is actually a plastic material that is extremely over priced for what it is. Like I mentioned two of the screw mounts had broken off so those screws are just "decoration" now. (These are screws that basically hold the back cover to the front cover). If this becomes a problem, I will simply modify what I have and make the screws fit before I spend $200+ on that part. (It looks like this could be drilled out and a long screw and nut run through to make it work. TELL THE WASHER OPERATOR… just be careful opening and closing the unit (don't slam the door but carefully close it) and it should work a lot longer. I might investigate the make up of a washer the next time I buy one … but the chrome vs. plastic is a hard one to spot. I hope this helps.

The striker is really easy to replace. Remove 2 #3 phillips screws, replace the striker part, and tighten the screws.

It got more complicated when too many striker tips broke off inside the latch assembly and prevented the tip of the new striker from going inside. To get at the latch assembly, I had to remove the big rubber gasket that connects the drum to the frame of the machine. I removed this at the drum end. Big mistake! It took two of us to get the gasket back onto the drum, and I had to take the frame end of the gasket off anyway. That end is a lot easier to put back on. Anyway, I finally got to the latch assembly, which attaches to the machine with two screws. It has 3 connectors and the housing is a grey plastic clamshell that latches in 3 places. It came apart and parts came out. Jamming the latches open and very gently prying the clamshell open may let you escape the small parts barrage. Once I got everything back together, it all worked.

Unfortunately, the story doesn't end there. This machine has broken 4 strikers. They break during the wash cycle. Taking a cue from a previous DIY description on this site, I took the hinge apart. It looks like there is a part missing, because there isn't anything that keeps the door aligned with the rest of the machine. The door drops down as low as it can go on the hinge pin and the plastic of the door frame rides directly on the arm of the hinge part. I've shimmed it up about 3/16" temporarily, and it seems to work, but I can't escape the idea that I shouldn't have to do this...