FWTR425RHS0 Frigidaire Washer - Instructions

The hardest part was moving the stacked washer/dryer from the alcove. I found the instruction videos from this site accurate and helpful.

After disconnecting the water/gas/electrical connections:
Shock Absorbers:
-Remove front service panel
-Squeeze lock tab on shock absorber pins and gently tap out of sockets
(inserting a small screw driver kept tab depressed when starting)
(lower left is pretty easy due to clear access)
(right side is more difficult)
-Optional: remove drain boot on lower right to improve access
(squeeze spring clamp and wiggle off of connection then work boot off of nipple)
(I did this step but in the end discovered it was not necessary, as I ended up taking the back panel off of the washer to replace the belt)
-Position new shock absorber in mounting brackets
-Manually extend shock absorbers to line up with pin holes
-Tap pins into place
(For lower right, the pin was captured by the circuit board enclosure. I was able to remove it but ended up removing the two mounting screws for the enclosure to reinstall the lower shock absorber pin)
-Reinstall drain boot & spring clamp
-Replace front service panel

Drive belt:
-Remove back panel of washer (multiple phillips head screws around perimeter)
-Remove old belt by pulling toward you and rotating drum
-Position new belt on motor pulley
-Position new belt on drum pulley
-Zip tie new belt to drum pulley to keep it engaged as you rotate the drum
(new belt will likely be much tighter than old belt)
-With belt installed on both pulleys, clip zip tie
-Rotate drum multiple times to ensure belt is centered and tracking properly
(if needed, the belt can be manipulated in/out while rotating drum to ensure engagement on drive (motor) pulley)
-Replace back panel
-Put unit back in service

The replacement of the Shock Absorber Kit was hampered on the right side by a metal box that was mounted just a little shorter than the bottom plastic pin. the deadblow hammer with the dowel worked with all the pins including the impeded pin and the top right pin which had to be removed at an angle. The replacement did not repair the washer - it is the tub bearing which went in a previous washer of a similar model about 4 years ago.

Removed spring retainer straps from top of springs. Propped up tub with blocks and a wedge. Lifted out each spring and replaced. Re-attached spring retainer straps. Removed pins from shock absorbers (old/broken ones). These break due to moving washer w/out installing original foam blocks and support screws or due to age and fatigue. Pins have a retainer that must be depressed as you pull or push them out. may need to spin back and forth with pliers as you pull them. Bottom right pin won't come out w/out a hassle. Cut it in pieces with dykes and used spare pushed in from the FRONT (not the rear, as it was originally installed). Found leak was not fixed by getting the drum back up to proper height. Found bolt on tub had broken the bottom of the soap dispenser "tray". This is a 50.00 part. Made a patch from the bottom. Roughed up plastic and used silicone adhesive. After it had adhered filled from top with more silicone. Allowed 24 hrs to dry. Washer is as good as new.

"Instructions" with the kit suggest pulling the pins out with a pair of pliers. That's fine if you're a gorilla. It's easier to use a 13MM boxed-end wrench. Slip it over the tapered end to depress the locking tab; then tap a 3/8 dowel rod held against the tapered end to remove the pin. Also my washer has a drain tube that has to be disconnected to get access to the top pin. If I had to do this again it would take about an hour.

Let's see...removed lower panel-used tools to unscrew the unit---one piece-nice to replace---EASY to replace! Removed hose---placed hose on new unit; screwed all back to bottom of washer-replaced lower panel...Voila! Made sure unit was balanced...did a load of whites---Awesome WASHER NOW!!!

removed front panel and used deep socket to remove pins that hold shocks. front left shock took most of the time because of hoses and a unit in the back that needed to be released to be able to remove the pin on the bottom. the right shock was a piece of cake to replace. used a hammer to pull the pins into place (i did not use it to tap on them ) . lots of bloddy fingers from sharp edges.

I replaced both shocks, as both shocks were broken! Keep in mind that Parts select packages them in pairs. I order 2 packages or 4 shocks, guess I have another pair for ~ 5 years from now. These are located under the front bottom panel, so no need to isolate water lines or even pull this sucker away from the wall. Tight clearances are the only factor from making this really easy. Use some Vaseline to assist inserting the new plastic pins.

replaced the two shocks with the new ones by removing the pins that held the old ones in place.

Removed old shock abs. (both sides). The one side, I had to remove the speed control board to access the lower nut on the one shock. Install was fairly easy however, it did not fix the washer. Apparently there was something else (either a switch, the control board or the motor) needs replaced too.

Removed lower access panel. Removed top of washer. Attached spring and lifted tub into place. Removed and replaced both vibration/shock absorbers (most difficult part, not easily accessible).

My shocks on the washer were broken, in part because of age, the other is broken spider drum inside the barrel. Was very easy to do the shocks. Unhook water connections and power. Move washer away from the wall. Remove the back cover from the washer. On the left side, you have to remove two screws from the electronics control box so you can gently move it out of the way. Then grab the plastic pin with some pliers and pull while depressing the locking lug on the end of the pin (Very important to depress the lock or you will have to buy new pins) Remove both pins for each shock. I used some high pressure grease on the pins when I put it all back together. Was a quick fix. Unfortunately had to take it all back apart as this was only a small part of my issue with having the stainless drum being broken inside.

Removed front panel, used socket to compress lock tab on plastic pins holding shocks. Still taks a little effort to get them out. The one behind a plastic drain canister is a proble as there doesn't seem to be a good method for moving that canister. I think that's why the spare pin is provided.

Sadly, my case was one of the lower percentage where the problem is in the rear bearing area. The shocks were, the top support springs were good but the rear of the washer drum was shot. Opted to replace with new washer rather than go through the much longer repair with the almost $300 in parts.

As others have mentioned, it was pretty straight forward although a bit finicky to get into the tight spots to press out the pins. The little piece of 1x4 block helped press the pins back in. For the right side shock, I had to undo the large rubber hose at the bottom of the drum and also had to remove the sheet metal shield in the back to allow clearance for the pin to come out. There's only 2 screws holding it in so again, not too hard to do.

I removed the front access cover and the rear cover. It was also necessary to remove the water level sensor (attached to the tub drain hose) to access one of the shocks. Not having a 1/2" deep socket, I used a 2" piece of 1/2" copper pipe to depress the locking tab on the shock attachment pins--worked great. Pulled the pins out with pliers. Putting the pins back in after replacing the shocks was easiest to do using 'channel-lock' pliers to grab the bracket and the pin head and squeeze in the pin. The only problem was that my copper pipe piece fell into the drain hose when removing one of the pins! Had to take the drain hose loose to fish it out.

The parts came with instructions They stated to remove the front panel. This only gets to one side for a difficult repair. I removed the back panel then it was a snap. Easiest with two people.