ALW480DAW Amana Washer - Instructions

I suggest if you are replacing the pump, order the belt at the same time, you must remove the pump to replace the belt.

Not only very loud at spin cycle, but started to leak water as well. Pulled lower front panel off and ran a load of clothes while laying on the floor with flashlight watching. Sure enough, water spraying out from outer tub bearing area.
Remove top front panel, sides and top, disconnect hoses and unplug wires at top of control panel, there is a plug in there. Now you should just have base unit and tub exposed so you have plenty of room to work. Next joy is to remove agitator. This is where my fun began. After removing fabric softner dispenser from top of agitator, I could not see bolt holding it on. There was a long plastic rod sticking up which looked like part of the agitator itself, so went online to a repairmans site and they said simply pull that rod out and bolt will be under it. Paid 24 bucks to them and still could not remove rod, ended up going thru slots in side of agitator with a small chisel and cutting it off, then took a 3/4" hole saw and drilled hole in top of agitator, its only about 1/8" thick and what do you know, THERE is the bolt!!!!!!! Removed bolt and out comes agitator. Next, remove cap from outer tub, take 4 bolts out of inner tub, remove inner tub. Next, remove plastic nut from shaft, I tried this with channelocks and could not budge it, ended up splitting nut with chisel and slightly damaged threads on shaft which I cleaned up easily with 60 degree thread file. Be very careful if you use this method. You can use channelocks to reinstall, just clamp on the unfinned part of nut.Take out the lint filter and throw in garbage, do not reinstall!!!!!! That filter is part of the reason tub bearing goes out!! Next, remove aluminum hub from shaft, mine was already loose so was easy. If yours is tight, screw in one of the old inner tub bolts almost all the way in and use hammer and punch to loosen. You can do the same for new one. Next, remove 6 bolts from outer tub and pull outer tub off shaft.Flip outer tub upside down and gently pry bearing out, mine came out easy as was spinning inside tub bearing fit. After cleaning everything I used Scotchseal 800 industrial sealant because bearing fit was loose. I made a clamp out of 1x2 wood and a long 1/4" bolt to hold bearing in tub to prevent it from pushing out, sometimes the sealant will cause this to happen, then I let it setup for 24 hours. Put it all back together, no leaks and SUPER quiet. Be sure and check your bottom bearing too while you have it all torn down, mine was fine. Do not forget to change O ring on spline shaft before reinstalling agitator. As far as the hole I drilled in agitator, just tapped it 1/2" pipe and screwed in a plastic pipe plug. You will need an extension and a 5/8" 12 point socket to do this.

Following on-line instructions for the dis-assembly. Replaced bearing and seals for outer drum bearing and cleaned and lubed assembly.

Removed front panel.
Released 2 springs on belt tensioner.
Rolled drive belt off pulleys.
Unscrewed 4 bolts holding washer motor assembly.
Tilted motor to get at pump screws.
Removed 3 pump screws and pump slid right off shaft.
Aligned new pump and reinstalled screws.
Set motor assembly loosely in place.
Rolled drive belt onto pulleys.
Re-attached tension springs.
Installed motor assembly bolts.
Re-installed front panel.

** I should have replaced drive belt at same time, but it is working with no leaks.

Pulled motor, as the belt will not come off unless you take to water pump off off the motor. Installed new idler wheel, washers, clips and belt. Reinstalled motor.
Works good and hopefully lasts a long time!

Place black rubber adapter on the end of the drain hose and stick in the stand pipe drain. That's all.

(UNPLUG APPLIANCE FIRST! )Used large flat bladed screwdriver to remove tub damper springs on front of tub.Then remomoved washer pump hoses after placing towel underneath to catch waste water.
Removed four bolts holding motor and pump assembly to tub pulled it forward slightly to remove motor electrical connector, turned assembly over to remove pump ("torx bit")
Intalled new belt being mindful of routing and idler pulley. Seems new belt is slightly longer requiring a little tension spring adjustment might have to replace it also. Washer now functions properly!

Biggest trick is getting the agitator off. It seems like it is bolted on. I used a piece of braided cotton cord to run under both sides of the agitator and just pulled real hard. It WILL pop off.

Next the old seal will also seem to be attached. The edge is firm but not bolted. A small prybar will help.

Easy repair to do, but it did not fix my problem. I decided to get a new washer rather than go through further disassembly.

I didn’t have special tool for brake but punch and hammer worked. Seal was easy to replace. Several videos online to show you how. It wasn’t worth it to tear apart the transmission and buy more parts/seals (if they were even available). But I didn’t know how much oil was in it. I drilled a hole in the side to somewhat check level and added 80-90 gear oil. It was almost empty and added almost a quart. Used a self taping screw/bolt with gasket sealer to plug the hole. I got 34 yrs out of this washer. If it fails, oh well. Just hate to buy a new one that only last 10yrs if im lucky.

I followed the online line advise but I wait to add a few important notes. First, clean and use Loctite (blue works fine) on the four sheet mental screws holding the motor assembly to the internal frame. Next, mark the two capasator wire as they will have also to be removed. You probaby won't find the exact spin belt number on PartSeclect's site. By all means don't guess. Call the 1.888.895.1535 help number. They have all the cross-reference part numbers for the correct length belt.

it was really easy to gain access to the valve, but the part was just a little different then the original. I had to lengthen one wire to make the new valve work. This did take care of the problem when completed.

Remove bottom and top front panel to access motor. Remove motor by loosening four bolts. Remove spring that applies pressure to the Idler pulley wheel. Pull out electrical connector by pressing on the tab on top. Remove rubber hoses by gripping clamps with pliers. Unhook belt from pulley at bottom of tub. Pull out motor. Push upward and inward the top of the tub to make pulling out the motor easier. Remove allen screws that secure the plastic pump housing so you can remove the belt. Replace belt. Remove retaining ring to replace Idler Pulley Wheel, remember to order replacement washers, mine was brittle and disintegrated so had to remove the second one from the bottom and used only one each side, seems to work fine. Reassemble everything in reverse order. It now purrs like a kitten, wife is now happy doing the laundry, I get to ride my motorcycle this weekend at the Los Angeles Crest Highway carving the canyons, whoohoo! Life is good.

To replace the belt:
First, unplug the appliance. No sense in poking and getting zapped.
Remove any water from the tub, if there is some, by running the washer through the end of the rinse cycle. This is the point of extracting water through the water pump.
Remove the bottom, front access panel by taking out the two screws at the bottom and sliding the panel down and out. It is held in place by metal clips at the top. So, it has to "unsnap" at the top.
Next, remove (by pulling out and up to disengage its hook) the left front stabilizer spring from the bottom of the outer tub. Pry it out with a screwdriver blade under the hook enough to release it from its hole in the frame. Once released, slide the hook along the lip of the frame towards the back of the washer and out of the way. Makes it easier to get back in if it is still stretched some. This allows it to be out of the way in order to remove the motor.
Disconnect the hoses attached to the discharge pump. Be sure to have a couple of towels handy for any water left in the lines. Place the towels directly under the hoses before disconnecting. Set the hoses to the side of the washer cabinet.
Loosen and remove the back (when looking at the motor from the front access) two bolts holding the motor support frame to the frame supporting the transmission.
Next, locate and remove the top two bolts holding the motor frame to the tub frame. Be sure to support the motor as the last bolt is removed so that it does not fall down.
Tilt the motor slightly to the left. Locate the wiring harness at the top left side of the motor. There is a plastic clip in the middle and on top of the wiring harness. Push down on the clip as you grasp the harness. This will release the clip's grip at the back of the harness and allow you to pull it out. Set the harness back behind one of the nearby tension springs to keep it out of the way.
Once the harness and bolts are removed, tilt the bottom of the motor towards you and pull down and out to clear the outer tub frame.
With the motor out, fiip it over and locate the three screws holding the pump in place. Using a #25 torx head screwdriver, remove the screws. The pump will now separate from motor. Visually check that the pump does not have an obstruction. Manual check by spinning the pump by hand. It should move freely.
Before installing the spin belt, clean the motor pulley of any residue.
Remove and replace the idler arm spring. Leave the spring attached to the arm only. Do not reattach it to its anchor point on the motor frame.
Install the spin belt, making sure that the belt is on either side of the pump's rear leg. (Rear leg being the leg 90 degrees counterclockwise to the pump outlet port.) Be sure that the idler arm pulley is able to apply pressure to the belt.
Reverse steps to put the pump, motor and springs back in place. Be sure to plug in the wiring harness before the motor is place back into position.
Tip: Leave the idler spring off until after the spin pulley is wound onto the helix pulley. You can reach around the motor from the right side and grasp the pulley. Spinning it slowly as you feed the belt will make it easier to get it back on.
Last, plug in the machine and give a Tim Allen ARH, ARH, ARH, Ugh?

Needed part. Ordered Part from PartSelect Friday afternoon and figured I'd get it the following week. No big deal. Part arrived at my doorstep next morning before noon. UNBELIEVABLE SERVICE. Not requested, but it was there. So I fixed the machine as soon as I got it. I wish every company had this kind of service. I've already told my friends. It just can't get any easier than this.

removed hoses from pump, removed 4 screws holding motor housing to washer, disconnected wiring from motor. It will make your life easier to re-assemble if you pay attention to how belt is located in relation to the legs of the pump. pump came off motor very easily. I had the old pump out and the new pump in and working in about 30 minutes.