FWT449GFS1 Frigidaire Washer - Instructions

removed 2 screws and removed top access cover. removed 2 screws and removed front access cover. removed 4 retaining pins (one with nammer and punch because it was stuck) connected lower ends of new shocks with plastic pins, extended each shock to slip fit and connected upper ends to wash tub mounts. Reinstalled panels. I wish I could say that it all went well from there but......when the shocks broke, apparently the hit the motor took was enough to cause an electronic failure of the speed cycle control chip. Now Im waiting for that part.

First, I had to remove 2 screws to take off the 2 broken pieces of the door catch. Then I put the new one on using the same 2 screws. The door is now able to close, but does not lock properly. In order to make it work, I put a thin piece of rubber into the place where the door meets the machine. This causes the lock to engage and the machine to work. I don't know how much longer it will work since the repairman claims that the main bearing is going, but hopefully it will last a bit longer.

Part Select got the part to me in one day using the standard shipping, which was impressive. I just wish that I hadn't wasted money on calling a repairman only to have him tell me that he didn't have the part. He charged for the visit anyway even though I told him ahead of time the problem and the model of my machine.

1. Unplug unit.
2. Unscrew 2 nuts holding top in place in rear of unit using phillips head screwdriver.
3.Slide top back and remove.
4. Open door of washer and unscrew 2 screws holding in door lock unit.
5.Pull out unit from the top and install new unit reconnecting the 3 wire connections.

Door lock takes a beating due to flimsy washer door which does not align well and subsequently gets slammed each time which causes lock to malfunction telling the washer that it is not locked. Due to safety the washer will not go into the spin mode. Remove top lid (2 screws) open washer door and loosed the 2 screws holding the lock assembly in place. Reach down into the washer and unsnap the 3 wire harnesses. Reverse to reinstall. Very easy.

Turned out drum brackets were corroded, so drum and shell-rear/brg and gasket needed replacing

1. Disconnect power and water lines
2. Remove rear and top panels
3. Remove control knobs, Assembly, soap dispenser, and Assembly cons frame/trim
4. Remove all screws from control panel mounting bracket (panel-cont mtg wing bend), disconnect easy wires to get to so you can flip it on it's edge when the time comes - no need to remove completely
5. Disconnect hoses running to shell-rear/brg
6. Remove the motor (motor-Sole) and belt
7. Place foam pad and/or jack with pad on it underneath shell (it's gonna be very heavy when you remove it - two men or a jack required)
8. Lift and remove the two spring/sleeves that support the shell.
9. Remove two level-shocks below shell or at a minimum remove one of the pins on each
10. Remove Spring boot from bellow
11. Lower and remove entire shell
12. Remove the weight, upper back from the rear shell and the counterweights from the front shell (can leave front weights if you want to, but probably easier to work with without them on. Note: be careful, these all crack/chip very easily)
13. Remove the screws that hold the rear shell to the front shell
14. Remove the pulley screw and pulley (may take a little wiggling or tapping with rubber mallet to loosen)
15. Separate the rear shell from front shell.
16. Remove the drum from the rear shell (may also require some wiggkling/tapping with rubber mallet)

Note: I did this from memory, so probably missed some steps - just use your parts manual to ensure you know what you're looking at and it will help you through the process.

Good luck. I figure I saved about $700 to $1200 since the estimated repair costs were so high, I would have simply had to buy a new washer.

After turning off water, disconnecting power, and sucking water out of the tub and drain hose with a shop vac, I removed the front kick panel (took out two sheet metal screws). Then I removed two mounting screws from the pump assembly, and disconnected two hose clamps (inlet and outlet hoses) with a pair of pliers. Very simple, very easy. The pain in the fanny came when I tried to reattach the hoses. The hose clamps apparently require either a special tool or a technique I'm not familiar with. I finally tossed them and purchased two standard screw and band hose clamps which made the final connections a breeze. The surprise came when I found that the motor had seized because of a pair of tweezers that had somehow worked into the motor impeller. Free of tweezers and coins, the new motor works great! To quote another one of your contributors: wife happy!

Using a screw driver I removed the spring loaded band from around the rubber boot inside the door. You only need to remove the band and then pull the boot from the bottom around to the side. You do not need to fully remove boot. Unscrew locking mechanism. Slide out to be able to see connections. Remove connections. Replace mechanism, reattaching connections into appropriate spots. Replace mechanism and rescrew in. Replace rubber boot by pulling gently out and working rubber V of boot under the metal slot. Once the boot is replaced, replace the metal band making sure the spring is at the bottom of the boot. Wahlah!!! Washer is working perfectly.

I bought a used front loading washer from a nice lady. These are very expensive new. All it needed was a new part that keeps the door closed during the cycle.

First I removed the top panel held by four screws at rear of panel, pulling the panel foward and up. Then disconnected the power and water connections. Then I removed the two screws holding the flow valve to the washer rear panel,pulled the valve foward ,removed the two electric connectors, pinched the water clamp with pliers and removed the water connection to the valve. Then replaced with the new valve followed the above steps in reverse order, finishing up by re placing the water connections and power. Then checked fo proper replacenent and leaks before replacing top panel.

Remove power
Remove water connections
Pull out washer to have sufficient room to access the back and the top.
Removed the top panel (4 screws at top- back)
Removed the back panel (a lot of screws)
Removed small metal retainer strip on top edge over broken spring
Removed broken spring, hung top of new one.
Pulled up tub to as I stretched out the spring to mount spring to tub
From the back, unplug and remove 2 crews holding the electronic motor control unit from lower left

For both shocks:
This was the most "difficult" part - locate the 2 plastic retainer pins holding the shock, locate the tooth (or tab) holding the pin in place and push the tab in (I had to use some leverage - its stiff plastic covered in grease - a spare screwdriver handle helps to push the tab down).

After pins are removed, shock just pulls out (weight of the tub handled by the suspension springs).

Replace with new shocks (1 pack has a pair), replace pins.

Reinstall motor control unit.

Reassemble frame. reattach water supply lines.

I had to plug in the washer, activate a cycle, then unplug/plug in the washer again.

It helps to have a screwdriver attachment for a variable speed drill to handle all of the screws.

All told - about 45 minutes, most of this spent on removing the pins.

The part arrived in record time but, the hardest part of the job was removing the existing screws. Finally had to resort to pulling out the drill and using it with a screwdriver bit to power out the existing screws. Replacing the part itself was super easy. Plus, had to use the drill to even put back in the existing screws. Have to admit, if it ever breaks again (9 years old now) I am worried about getting those screws out/in without stripping something.

I removed the broken latch and kept the two screws and used them to install the new latch. I held my breath when I started the washer, but it ran just like it was supposed. Not bad for a 12year old washer and a 64 year old female owner. And kudos to Frigidaire for making such a good product. And parts select for making it easy to fix.

The instructions were good, but putting the spring on was quite difficult. The 3 spacers that came with the boot didn't want to stay in place. Finally I got 2 c clamps, putting a clamp over the spring and rubber spacer, and that did the trick. without the c clamps it would have been extremely difficult to get that spring on. Now it's fixed and no more leaks.

I bought this as much for the instructions as for the part...as I wasn't sure how to get a spring back around the bellows. The instructions were good, however I found that the spring went on best when I had two sets of hands - one set holding the spring in place (with a metal tool to make sure it didn't slip - as the rubber spacer didn't do the job) , and the other hand guiding the spring around the rest of the bellow. Also, when putting the metal clamp back around the water inlet area, I didn't have 3/8" soft copper tube on hand, so I used a couple of other tools to get the metal pieces to wrap around eachother. Also, leaning the washer back on the wall helped make room for my hands to get into the machine and do the work.

We have not yet installed the part, as we epoxied the old part back together.
However, the part provided was a perfect match, so as soon as it falls apart again we are installing this new part.
Even if it is 2:00 a.m. and insomnia has me doing laundry, I am set! Thanks for the super fast delivery.