I have now done the job, & can answer my own question. All plain sailing. 1. Buy Bearing & seal kit (Ebay, about £18 including postage) Tools: screwdriver, 1/2" socket or spanner, mallet & wood dowel or ali drift to drive out bearings. 2. Remove back of machine (4 screws) 3. Press drive belt to note tension, then remove motor (2 bolts) and belt. 4. Remove drum pulley (1 bolt). 5. Remove 'spider' fixings (3 bolts around outer drum), then pull spider off of drum shaft, & out through back of machine. 6. Drive rear bearing out of housing using mallet & drift. 7. drive front bearing out, which also takes old seal with it. 8. Gently drive new bearings into place using old bearings as drifts. 9. tap new seal into place, & lubricate seal & shaft front with silicone grease or white synthetic grease spray (from £ shops). 10. Replace spider over shaft in machine, raise & push inner drum to center shaft & help through new bearings. 11. Replace bolts etc. centre the belt on motor pulley & re-tension belt by pushing down on motor before tightening motor bolts. This job took me about 1 1/4 hrs at a leisurely pace. I was quoted £80 + vat by the local repair geezers... Good luck with yours!
Viridens, March 2008
