GE Top Load Washer Clutch Assembly Replacement

This video provides step-by-step repair instructions for replacing the clutch assembly on a GE top-loading washing machine. The most common reasons for replacing the clutch assembly are when the washer won’t spin, isn’t spinning properly, or won’t agitate.
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All of the information for this clutch assembly replacement video is applicable to the following brands:
GE, Hotpoint, RCA, Americana
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[@force245]

I love how all these DIY videos are all done on clean new machines where everything comes off easy. Not anything like the real disassembly.

[@johndesr]

Overall excellent & detailed video! Really great job of keeping the pace brisk while not losing the viewer. However, it skips one critical detail: change the seal; a new one comes packaged with the mode shifter anyway. This is very important because water (hot, soapy, grease-dissolving water) leaking down the shifter's shaft from the tub seal are what often kills mode shifters and tub bearings to begin with.

[@repairclinic]

+johndesr

[@timowen2307]

Nice video, took 3 hours taking my time. Beware your old washer will be corroded. I used an electric impact wrench and 1-11/16" socket to remove the tub nut with ease. My old tub seal was leaking, rotten and rusted and expanded causing the bearings in mode shifter to go bad. However the seals that i ordered separately and one that came with kit cause the tub to LEAK down the shaft after replacement. My new seal from repair clinic is torn in 2 spots in it even though its new.... Chicom part no doubt. Im not happy.

[@gregoryprice2593]

Just did this job on my old GE washer. It took me about 3.5 hours start to finish. Count on a lot of cleanup work, you're going to find a lot of fabric softener residue and hard water deposits. But a new clutch, belt, tub bushing, tub seal and a lot of cleanup later, my washer is working like new again.

[@repairclinic]

It is definitely an involved repair, but if you are up for it this repair can save you a lot of money.

[@guidolyons4912]

Thanks for the video. Saved me a few hours of head scratching trying to figure out how to get it all apart. Had to use an air chisel to get the drum nut off. 10 year old GE. Replaced the entire clutch assy #WH38X10017 and got it all back together and now it doesn't work at all. Fills with water, but doesn't agitate or spin. *update* Put the old clutch assy back in, and it *works* as in it does what it was doing before, clutch assy is locked and it moves the whole drum with the agitator.

[@RKNG]

In my case, my machine is 7 years old, the seal slot located in the outer drum has already expended. Even with a new seal tub, it will still causes water leakage. To ensure a correct seal tub from any leakage, you have to make sure the new seal tub is sitting correctly and NOT rotating as the rod spin. To do this, I simply use a white Teflon Tape and wrap around the outer seal’s ring until the diameter thicken. With this method, your new seal tub will fit tightly. To ensure it is installed correctly, spin the rod manually to make sure the new seal tub will NOT spin along with the rod before putting the machine back together for a test run. Good Luck! P.S. Great Video btw!

[@timowen2307]

Roger K Ng same happened to mine. Had to tear it down a few times. Still leaks with your method. Too expanded i guess. Good idea though!

[@RKNG]

@@timowen2307 sorry forgot to update, the tape didn't last long. The force is just too great. I end up epoxy the pieces which is more of a permanent step. Good luck!

[@repairclinic]

Thanks! I'm glad we could help you out.

[@repairclinic]

+RaRa Roxy Replace the tub seal to stop the leak. It is not worth taking it all apart again without replacing the seal. Since the clutch is new, just monitor it for a few weeks and see what happens. The noises may stop and the agitation may be normal. The old clutch may have been slipping. The leaking water may also be causing some of the issues.

[@kef103]

This part is pretty expensive considering the cost of it new was under 400. What exactly fails in this part. I know mine is leaking and clicks very loudly ? Is it just the tub seal or another seal in the mode shifter . It sounds like the teeth that engage / disengage are not fully being held up by the magnet and clatter as it spins .

[@GoAskDad]

I'm a big fan of RepairClinic. They're my go-to appliance site for parts and info. But in my experience, 3:10-3:20 in this video is completely unrealistic. Seriously? Just tap the hammer a few times and the tub nut just spins off? Keep it real guys. I just had to do this last week, and it took several evenings of soaking with PB Blaster, applying heat, and banging with a cut off sledge hammer to eventually get the tub nut loose. Getting a tub nut off can be insanely difficult, and I only wish the segment on getting the tub nut loose was a little more real-world (or at least offered a little caveat in the comment or something). Otherwise, an excellent repair clinic video as usual, and I highly recommend RepairClinic.

[@repairclinic]

Thank you for your suggestion. We definitely understand your frustration and we will take your comments into account going forward.

[@GetOffMyIce]

Doing this right now, and I agree. The video has been a great help so far, but getting the nut loose is extremely difficult.

[@milesk5853]

I was having the same difficulty, lucky for me I have a 1 11/16" socket, the only problem is it is for my 1" air impact...spins right off😳 just make sure to remove the nut in the proper direction! Lil nervous on using my impact to tighten it though....

[@tdc1404]

This video is excellent

[@dave3051]

If your tub nut is ceased and won't come off just use a small cold chisel and break it off. I banged on that tub nut for days with chemicals and sledge and wish I just cut it off to save me a lot of time and headache. Hit the chisel staright down on the nut and slowly create a crack. It will losen up before you get all the way through. Use PB blaster and a wrench to help along. If you look close at the shaft there are 4 flat sides. There are no threads on the flat sides of the mode shifter shaft, only the rounded areas. So chisel away on the flat sides only so you don't damage the treads. Ask if you have any questions.

[@audelioespinoza1934]

Super video thanks, very explainable , thx. thx. thx.

[@MrWaterhead50]

Putting back the transmission. the transmission turns like it's in natural ? I have had a hard time, tightening the nut for the big pulley, But the pulley still rocks around or moves around like something is missing. Does it not, tighten down because of the clutch on purpose. Is the big pulling designed to move even after the pulley is tightened down ?

[@chrisjennings9216]

I replaced the tub seal and bearing but my washer still screeches and leaks down the drive shaft. It also makes a very loud noise during the spin cycle. Could the clutch assembly be my problem?

[@mcompmcomp5656]

I have a GE WPRE6150K2WT top load washer. My tub is leaking, but the leak seems to be coming down the inside of the drive shaft/clutch assembly instead of the outside (outside of shaft is dry, but heavy leak on bottom of shaft/clutch assembly), do I have a bad shaft (maybe a bearing letting water leak past inside the shaft) or is it more likely the tub seal?

[@victorgamboa8198]

Estimado amigo cual era el fallo de la lavadora que cambio todo el conjunto de embrague.

[@johnpowell7341]

My GE makes a clicking sound on heavy loads. I don't think it is the known apron issue or that it is rubbing the bottom. It seems to be coming from this clutch area where the agitator gear engages and disengages. Guess the question is what are the symptom repair clinic for needing to replace this part in the first place?

[@ifixit]

You should also be wearing gloves when you work on this washer and I’m surprised this guy isn’t there are so many sharp edges it’s amazing

[@bren36]

After using an impact gun to get the nut off, I still can't get the inner tub free. The plastic spline seems to be fused to the inner metal spline and won't lift off. The main direct drive shaft lifts up and down when you pull up on the spline. I tried a prybar to no avail. I'm lifting the entire washer off the floor trying to lift the inner tub out. Tried using a small sledge to tap on the side to see if the metals fused/ corroded together but still nothing. Anyone else run into this issue?

[@Kimberbrad7]

I had a error code of 4 blinks, I replaced the transmission, still have the same error code?? Any suggestions?

[@DeuceGort]

How do you know when the tub nut is tight enough? I hammered it a few times and on the 2nd post-fix wash, it loosened and the inner tub went nuts, scraping plastic everywhere. When I took the laundry out, the nut was pretty loose.

[@repairclinic]

After you tighten it, you can wiggle the tub around and tighten it. Although tighter is better, use your own judgment; you don’t want to break the nut or strip the threads.

[@memarathi1]

My GE washer agitates and drains fine but doesn't spin so I checked the belt and capacitor and they looked fine. So found out clutch would be problem but while replacing it I found clutch doesn't have a clip and I tried pushing clutch down to remove it but didn't work. How can I remove the clutch please help?

[@rarabenitez3031]

After replacing the clutch assembly, my washer started leaking around where the shaft goes up through the tub and spin basket. Leaking down the shaft. It is also agitating very rapidly and pretty hard stopping as well as squeaking a little at the end of the agitation. I have removed the spin basket, reset it and tightened the tub nut as tight as i could with a pipe wrench and a sledge hammer. What do I do?

[@rarabenitez3031]

BTW the video was awesome. Very helpful, informative, and detailed. I agree with some of the other comments though, removing the tub nut was way more difficult than depicted.

[@davenelson3471]

Thanks for the awesome video! How would I tell if I need to replace the clutch assembly (WH38X10017) versus the tub bearing (WH2X1198)? My washer started making a lot of noise and by taking off the front cover I can tell it's coming from the bottom of the tub. When it's doing the wash cycle, with those 1/4 turns, it makes a soft grinding. Then on the spin cycle and other cycles where it spins all the way around, it is really loud now. I'd like to replace the correct part and the clutch assembly's >$100, so I'd rather only replace what I need to. Any way to tell which of these parts needs replacement?

[@repairclinic]

Dave Nelson We recommend using the repair help section of our website - @repair - if you enter your washer's model number there you'll have access to model, part and symptom specific repair help. It will describe how to attribute different symptoms to parts.

[@swansonjohneric]

I love Repair Clinic and watched this video several times, including when I disassembled the washer's innards. I successfully replaced the seal, tub bearing and mode shifter; I had a mode shifter failure, caused by a tub seal leak. I did the tub bearing since I was in there already. Note to the uninitiated, however; as others have noted, this video shows somebody dismantling a new, factory-fresh machine. After a few years of corrosion, caused by failure of the tub seal, the reality of removing that nut is very different. The tub seal leak/failure is inevitable. I will be checking my seal for leaks, regularly, from here on out. Corrosion will inevitably form around the tub seal, pushing it out of shape. Water and a world of pain follow. GE could certainly have done several things to avoid the problem, but all of these options would have cost a few pennies more. Bad news/good news. The bad news is that on a real-world, used machine, the tub nut will be so fused and corroded onto the inner tub and mode shifter shaft that I can't imagine that you would ever loosen it with the wrench from Repair Clinic. However, the wrench is useful when you need to tighten/put on the new one, so you will need it. However, where the video shows the tech tapping the hammer 4 times to loosen the nut is ONLY true on a brand new machine, with no corrosion. The only way that tub nut was coming off on my real-world machine was with drilling and chopping it out with a long and narrow drill bit and a long and narrow cold chisel. I tried several days of soaking and tapping with PB Blaster; nothing, at all. The tub nut was truly fused to that collar and shaft. My nut only, finally, came out in about 10 pieces, bit by bit. Not exactly a few taps of the hammer...:-). I bought my new nut and used it as a gauge, so I knew how to drill/the shape of the nut. I used a 3/16" diameter 15" long bit and a long ("star drill") cold chisel that is roughly 5/16" thick and about 15" long. I ground the star drill to form a long straight cold chisel. I drilled carefully around the nut, about every 5/16." Very happily, the nut is a light alloy that drills easily. When the drill gets to the bottom of the nut, you can feel the drill grab a bit; just go carefully. Chop the pieces out, prying the chunks away from the spindle threads. Once you have the right tools (a long drill and a long, narrow cold chisel), it really is quite easy/fast. The other bad news is that the tub bearing will also be welded into the tub; again, due to corrosion. If you want to replace that, the only way to get it out, for me, was driving it out, using the old spindle, a pipe, and a 5 pound sledge. Finally, the pulley nut is also seriously "on there." I finally got mine off with a breaker bar and pipe extension. Again, the nut was corroded/frozen, as well as probably being tight, to begin with. The good news is that the order of events the video outlines is really solid; follow the steps and you'll be successful. Putting the new stuff in is easy and fun, after the surgery required to get it apart. The really good news is that my washer runs like a silent top, now. It is fun to use it! I also understand how the thing works in a way that wasn't possible before. The final good news is that I know that I need to check the tub seal pretty often. I also know that popping the front off is easy/simple, so there's no reason not to check for leaks before things get bad. I took photos of the process. If anyone is struggling with that nut, I'd be happy to send you them, to help you with your surgery... Thanks, Repair Clinic, for the step by step video and the factor parts!

[@swansonjohneric]

Photos from the washer surgery/removing the tub nut, seal, and drum bearing: drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1PJfOllj19jQFXAcwGtlgSRxgjjFRllWn

[@swansonjohneric]

I'd add that my experience, after installing this part, adds to the idea that GE produced a lot of defective units of this clutch. I had read about this online, but didn't want to jump to conclusions. The rumors I read were that GE pumped out scores of defective mode shifters, and shipped them anyway. I don't know about all of that. I can only report that... Roughly a month after installing the new one, I'm getting 9 flashes on the LED; to quote GE's website: "9 flashes; motor brake mechanism is defective; unplug the washer and replace the drive motor." I started getting 4 flashes soon after I'd installed the last one and I contacted Repair Clinic. GE's site says, "4 flashes; mode shifter circuit failed; the mode shifter is a component on the drive shaft assembly. Reconnect the wire harness between the inverter control and the mode shifter if loose or disconnected. Replace the drive shaft assembly if the mode shifter is defective; the mode shifter is part of the drive shaft assembly and isn’t sold separately." To their great credit, Repair Clinic sent me a new unit a couple of weeks ago; I called them when I started getting 4 flashes. Yay for Repair Clinic! I've been getting by on resets for a couple of weeks, but no more. Time to replace the part for a second time. The rumors are true in my case, anyway; this was clearly a defective part. The unit is bone-dry; no seal failure at all. The bad news is that I have to do all of the work again. The good news is that it so soon after my last trip into the machine's innards that nothing will be rusted/frozen; it may actually come apart as easily as shown in the video! Repair Clinic certainly can't help if GE produced defective parts. I am very grateful, however, that they are standing behind the part they shipped me!

[@ifixit]

Also if this washer is been used the stuff is not going to come apart like the video everything gets fuse together

[@jimgillion6453]

yes, I laughed when I saw him remove the drive block. buy a new block, you may need to just hit the old one with a chisel and split it of. they are cheap. replace the screw also. it has a seal on it. and get the belt tool ,WX05X10102, makes life easier. maybe new belt also. it's 10 years old, when in there do it all.

[@johndesr]

Another point that caused me some confusion: the bolt that holds the agitator has 3 small o-rings stacked on its shaft. Some of those will fall off and get lost or stay stuck in the agitator when you remove it. You must find those 3 o-rings and reinstall them on the smooth section of the bolt shaft right away so they don't get lost. Those o-rings are not shown in your video nor on the GE parts diagram, so I had to do quite a bit of web searching to find out where those mystery o-rings go and how many are supposed to be there!

[@timowen2307]

No o-rings on mine...

[@cellosification]

My washer does not spin in the spin dry cycle pump runs, drum does not spin, drive belt and motor spin freely when spun by hand, it appears brake in the spin cycle is engage, any suggestions

[@repairclinic]

We recommend using the repair help section of our website using your washer's mode number: www.RepairClinic.com/repairhelp?TLSID=1773

[@tfsishuba1369]

which brand is this one? im used to the one with clutch on the motor

[@repairclinic]

+franse sishuba This is a GE.

[@condor5635]

Has anyone tried to repair the bearing in these clutch shifters? It’s a common 6006RS bearing and might be possible to replace it. Bearing is a $10 part and it would be great if it could be pressed out and replaced instead of replacing the entire $150 clutch assembly.

[@condor5635]

I successfully replaced just the bearing in my clutch assembly. Buy the 6006RS which cost $15 for 4 of them. Have to press the bearing out of the frame but overall not too hard if you have some DIY skills. A very small retainer clip holds the white plastic disc in place. Once that is removed the 2 gear cylinders and spring can be removed and the bearing can be exposed. Great opportunity to get new tub seal and all the parts related to the shaft. Just got finished with mine and it is so quiet!! You can barely hear it. So happy I did this and saved over $150 bucks

[@CarlosGarcia-ij4yg]

How do you test the shifter?

[@repairclinic]

+Carlos Garcia The wiring diagram for the washer should contain a tech sheet and list the ohm value of the shifter motor and perhaps also have a test procedure you can run.

[@jimgillion6453]

it usually is a mechanical breakdown. like tub slipping and a water leak. hold the agitator and if the tub spins it is likely a bad "mode shifter" the tub and agitator usually spin together. but be sure the white metal tub support isn't the problem, they tend to disintegrate.

[@Kimberbrad7]

I reset the motor, now I get 6 blink error code, motor spins freely. Any suggestions?

[@repairclinic]

Is there any letters or numbers displayed or is it just blinking? What is your washer's model number?

[@ScantPear]

If the washer is older, you need to chisel and/or cut off the spinner nut... if the washer is newer, you can maybe unscrew the spanned nut... most of the time, you need it chisel and/or cut the spinner nut off...

[@davek664]

Got the wrench and hammered on that nut for hours. End result...the nut is still frozen, but now the shaft/clutch/belt/motor are now all turning with the nut. Game over, I guess. Don't see any way to stop the shaft from turning, so I can keep working on the nut.

[@timnelson1068]

Seems I have the same issue as Dave K. if anyone wants the wrench I will happily send it to you for the cost of shipping, email timnels (at) gmail.com nothing I can do with it now :-(

[@michaelesposito3173]

I bought a 1 and 11/16 deep well socket and used an impact wrench. finally it came off.

[@ikemen1]

REPAIR was successful.... The major difficulty I had was getting the Hub Nut off, Yes I had the spanner wrench and turning the correct way.... Many people have this problem..... Easy solution for me was just drill many holes in the nut, ( being careful not to drill to far)..... The nut is soft metal and very easy to drill and then I use a cold chisel to take the nut off in pieces.. Not a hard task.. the rest is just nuts and bolts, just follow Video... ~"ATTENTION"~ I made 1 mistake, here it is so you will avoid doing the same....... Putting things back together I did use a new Hub Seal, but when I was done I looked underneath while it was filling up and agitating, I seen water dripping down the shaft... :( I took the inner tub back out to check and see what was going on and remove the tub seal..........I looked at the top of the hub bearing (I called it a sleeve) something didn't look right so I took my finger and picked at it... There was two small circular very thin springs that came out of the old falling apart Hub Seal...... They were around the shaft between the hub bearing (sleeve) and shaft hard to see.. Remove.,,,,Reassemble it works great now... Hope this Helps someone......

[@bigd835]

I have news for you if you are doing this job. i ordered a brand new plastic tub and seal both GE parts ,not copy cat parts. the seal does not fit into the tub. it is 1mm larger in diameter. you can push it into place ( very difficult) but then it pops itself right out of the tub. it will leak. I finally got the seal to seat, put the machine back together and it leaked ruining my brand new transmission. when i opened the machine back up the seal had popped up again letting water leak down the transmission shaft. that is when i started taking measurements and asking why this happened. I ending up using sandpaper and working the edge of the seal until it was about .75mm less in diameter. the seal then fit into the cavity. i permatexed the seal in place and let it sit overnight. it did not pop out. i tried 3 different brand new GE seals and every one popped out. if you try and permatex the seal in without decreasing its diameter, it will pop itself out. i know, i tried. I dont know what is going on at GE but the tolerances of the seal and tub do not match and you will not be successful in the replacement without making modifications. this info as of Jan 2024. if your experience has been different, and you are using current parts, please comment.

[@HobbyOrganist]

If the transmission goes bad don't even bother fixing it, a new one is $350, a refurbished one on Ebay is $128 and I got one that wound up defective, these GE transmissions are KNOWN to have a design fault since 1995, that's why you find dozens of them used and refurbished on ebay- junk cheap design that is essentially not made to be repaired, even replacing a simple ball bearing on it is not in the design scheme, and the bearing goes bad after leaking water gets in it. Here's an example; Search Results Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid--> GE top loaders - ApplianceBlog www.applianceblog.com/mainforums/threads/10464-Be-Afraid-Be-Very-Afraid-GE-top-loaders Aug 23, 2007 - This washer/transmission combo has been on market since 1995 and has a high. ... the GE TOP Loaders using the infamous WH38X10002 transmissions with the failure prone internal brake. .... I originally thought the GE top loaders "were" of decent design ... Testimonials · Website Forum Issues/Problems. This washer/transmission combo has been on market since 1995 and has a high mortality rate making the spin basket rotate along with the agitator when the internal brake starts failing. Depending upon usage the normal "wear and tear" from usage failure of this transmission renders the washer worthless and not worth repairing. I personally was tipped off when I saw huge amounts of new WH38X10002 transmissions being sold on ebay some as inexpensive as $50.00 + shipping. Called a few of the vendors and got a education ....one particular ebay vendor was selling in excess of 25 transmissions nationwide on a monthly basis and had a standing order for 50 more each month to be delivered. I followed this up with a call to the GE customer care number requesting if they had a buyback policy or possibly being credited for my purchase on a less than 1 week old washer which fell upon deaf ears. Unlike others I have limited space in my laundry room making this type of repair unpractical , am getting on in years, and have neither the strength nor inclination for personal major parts repairs other than the easily accessible items such as hoses, pumps, and the occasional appliance timers. Netting this out please think twice prior to making a GE top loader purchase until such time GE stops using these problematic WH38X10002 transmissions. BTW, there is now a 10 year parts warranty on the WH38X10002 transmission however the major expense in any washer repair is in the labor which is not covered except in the first year. If I could relive the past 10 days I would have gone with a Whirlpool direct drive top loader which is highly recommended by the service techs. Moral of the story is do NOT completely use Consumer Reports as your sole guide

[@ifixit]

This is not a transmission it’s a spin tube

[@MoonLiteNite]

was going so good until needing to remove that huge tub nut....

[@repairclinic]

***** It helps to have that tub nut wrench. www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Tub-Nut-Wrench/WX5X1325/753880?TLSID=1773

[@elrondo7953]

Why not simply lay the washer on it's side?

[@littlebull4366]

I reeeallly wish there was a response to this. My original plan was to turn the washer over, but every tutorial goes through this more involved process. I believe there’s a plate across the bottom but I’m sure it screws off somehow.

[@sarahgracebrooks2629]

GE top loading washers have a clutch on the motor. Thin is a spin tube not a clutch. This is a model that does not have a clutch on the motor....good video on this part though!

[@repairclinic]

+Sarah Grace Brooks Thanks.

[@jimgillion6453]

thats on much older washers. these newer ones have a "mode shifter" it incorporates the clutch and spin tube

[@ashleymillender8176]

I have a GE WHRE5550K2WW top load washer. My tub is leaking, but the leak seems to be coming down the inside of the drive shaft/clutch assembly instead of the outside (outside of shaft is dry, but heavy leak on bottom of shaft/clutch assembly), do I have a bad shaft (maybe a bearing letting water leak past inside the shaft) or is it more likely the tub seal?

[@mcompmcomp5656]

i have the same problem. did you ever find out what it was?