Need ideas of how to get a tub/spanner nut off.

[apache23]

G.E.GTWN4950L0WS washer. There's just not much room to get any momentum with a hammer on the spanner wrench. I'm actually using the part of a jack stand that you raise and lower as the hammer,because the head is smaller and I can swing it harder. But I decided to get creative and stuck a piece of 3/4" rebar in one of the holes on the bottom of the tub,put a 2ft pipe on it as anextension and pulled on it with everything I had to turn the spanner wrench......bent the rebar! I attached a pic of the setup I'm talking about.

[sh2sh2]

These nuts are often time impossible to get off, cut, drill or chisel it off

[apache23]

5 hours ago, sh2sh2 said:

These nuts are often time impossible to get off, cut, drill or chisel it off

I finally busted it loose after using a different torch to heat it up. But when I thought I busted it loose, the whole shaft was turning so I don't know if I broke something or what. I used a big c-clamp on the wheel on the bottom to hold it while I got the tub nut off. Any idea why the whole shaft would start turning?

[darren412]

as sh2sh2 has said cut or chisel.  I usually make 2 small but just deep enough cuts opposite each side of the spanner nut with a cutting blade wheel on a hand held grinding tool.  cut it deep enough but not to deep as you may damage the threads that will receive the new spanner nut. Then I chisel them at the cuts. It will break off easy after that.  Wear good leather gloves and safety glasses and hold the grinder tight with both hands and have the blade spinning away from you and not towards you as you make the cuts. this way if the blade binds up on you it will not kick back towards you and severly injure you.  Thats why you have to hold the grinder securly with two hands . if you dont know how to hold the grinder properly and cut it in the right direction properly just use the chisel and a two pound hammer.  Also be careful putting anything into the holes of that cast aluminum hub . putting stuff like rebar into those holes and then prying off of it , can crack that cast alluminum.  then your into purchasing a new hub for that tub, unless its already cracked and thats what your replacing. 

[Scottekarate]

I like an electric impact personally. It's a big deep well socket, maybe 1" 15/16ths.

[Vance R]

On 9/10/2020 at 9:08 PM, apache23 said:

the whole shaft was turning so I don't know if I broke something or what

Use a pipe wrench to hold the mode shifter shaft. Clean off the nut and look for an arrow, think this one is left handed threads. Then use a 5lbs hammer and spanner wrench to loose nut. 

[apache23]

On 9/12/2020 at 9:44 PM, Scottekarate said:

I like an electric impact personally. It's a big deep well socket, maybe 1" 15/16ths.

Yeah, I wish I had a good electric impact to use in these situations. The factory torqued this nut to 150 ft-lbs, plus a decade of crud build-up made it ridiculous to get off. But I did finally get it using heat, then beating on the spanner wrench....then heat....then beating....then heat.....and this process repeated a dozen or so times before it finally broke loose. I decided to replace the main bearing because it was getting bad. Also replaced the tub bearing, various washers and the split ring bushing. When replacing the tub seal, it fit kinda loosely into the tub. I figured I would need to at least tap on it several times to drive it in. Seems like fitting loose like this will make it leak like crazy. Oh and the size of the socket needed for the nut is 1" 11/16ths.

[Vance R]

You can use contact cement around the outside edge of the seal to glue it into the tub. Most of us use dryer felt adhesive or glue from a whirlpool bearing kit.

[Terry Carmen]

On 9/12/2020 at 10:44 PM, Scottekarate said:

I like an electric impact personally. It's a big deep well socket, maybe 1" 15/16ths.

As more arthritis has caught up with me, I discovered that if something big and heavy can't be done with power tools, I won't be doing it.

[darren412]

On 9/12/2020 at 10:44 PM, Scottekarate said:

I like an electric impact personally. It's a big deep well socket, maybe 1" 15/16ths.

 I eventually bought an electric impact gun with high impact sockets. I needed one for a GE stacked unit that I had to replace the inner tub and hub assembly. Great for the small tub GE stacked laundry units.