How to Replace the Front Door Boot Seal

Unplug the washer from the electrical outlet. Put on a pair of work gloves to avoid cutting your hands.

Remove the screws from the rear of the top panel with a Phillips-head screwdriver. Slide the panel backward about 1 inch to disengage the front lip of the panel from the front of the washer, and then pull it up and off the machine.

Pull the dispenser drawer from the front of the machine. It’s located toward the top. Pull until you hit resistance. Press the small tab on the rear of the drawer, and then pull it free. Remove the screws holding the housing around the drawer in place, along with the screws holding the control panel in place set along the top of the panel at the front of the machine. Press the tabs under the rear top edge of the control panel upward to unhook the panel from the machine, and then pull the panel off. Leave it wired up, but place it on top of the machine to avoid it’s interfering with the seal replacement.

Open the door to the washer. Grasp the wire clamp and spring that surrounds the boot seal with a pair of needle-nose pliers, and pull the wire away.

Peel the front of the boot seal away from the edge of the washer tub opening. Remove any attachments from the boot seal, including lights or the rinse tube. The attachments may be held in place with a brace. Pull the brace back from the boot seal to loosen the attachments, and then pull the attachments free of the boot seal.

Tilt the front of the washer upward slightly, and place a wood block about 4 inches high beneath the front legs to hold the washer in the tilted position. Remove the screws along the bottom of the front panel of the washer while it's tilted, and then remove the block to place the washer flat onto the floor again.

Remove the screws along the top of the washer front panel. Remove the panel by lifting it upward slightly, and then pull it forward about 3 inches so that you can access the wire connector between the panel and the machine. Unplug the connector so that you can remove the panel completely.

Remove the original boot seal from the machine by pulling it from the edge of the washer tub. There’s a spring clamp holding the rear of the seal in place that surrounds the seal; pull that free as well.

Lubricate the rear groove running around the edge of the new boot seal with liquid dish soap. You can tell it’s the rear groove because there’s a small tab extending from the top of the rear of the boot seal. Align the tab on the new seal with the tab on the washer tub. Press the new boot seal into place on the tub edge by pressing the lubricated groove onto the lip running around the edge of the tub.

Return the spring clamp to the outer groove of the boot seal, pressing it into the groove all around the boot seal to hold it in place.

Plug the front panel back in by the wire connector, and then place it back onto the front of the washer. Screw the panel back into place using the wood block to tilt it so you can reach the bottom panel screws. Reinsert any attachments, and slip the brace over the seal to hold them in place.

Fold the front of the boot seal back over the edge of the front panel. Secure it into place by slipping the wire clamp back over it. Close the door of the washer onto the boot seal.

Replace the control panel on the top front of the machine, and screw it back into place. Push the dispenser drawer back into the housing.

Slide the top of the washer back on, and screw it into place. Plug the machine in, and use it as normal.