Got NASTIES? Clean them up!

My wife spent a whole day running the tub-clean cycle on our washing machine. It was due for the monthly cleaning tab, but left little gunkies behind, even after another rinse cycle. Baking soda? No dice. All-purpose cleaner? No dice. Time to pull the agitator plate.

Pop goes the plate cap!

Really, the cap comes off pretty easily with a light pry with a flathead screwdriver.

Center bolt is 10mm.

Simple enough. To remove the plate, some people pry the edges between the tub. That didn’t work for me. It was being stubborn, so I used the Google for help. This is what I found: https://youtu.be/a544XXlk6V4

Hm. Not only does he have a good plate removal method, apparently the tub itself gets pretty mucky and doesn’t clean well over time. Okay. I’m doing that, now.

Wire is a tool, too.

I used this general purpose wire to remove the actuator plate. See the three holes in the center ring of the actuator plate? Run this wire through them with enough to grab, and the even pressure is what’s needed to remove even a stubborn plate. (I also used a rubber mallet, a smidge.)

Tub bolts. There’s 6.

I didn’t take a picture of this during disassembly, so you get a re-assembly picture. But as you can see from the first picture, it was nasty. 6 bolts to remove the tub from the gear-plate. 8mm.

Take your top off.

Another 8mm bolt here and one on the other side.

This is where to pry on either side after the rear screws are removed. It will then slip forward and the top is removeable. Be careful, on the right rear near my hand in this picture, there is a sensor wire and a pressure hose. Don’t break those.

Retaining clips.

Here’s what the retaining clips look like on the upper tub retainer. There’s 8 of them.

This is what it should look like before you can remove the tub.

I’ve rotated the top around as to not damage the pressure tube and the sensor wire. I’m pulling the tube retainer off. Yes, it’s a good idea to have unplugged the washer before doing any of this.

Nasty, yo.

The tub removed. I’m going to leave some degreaser soaking on it for a bit.

Rest of the tub.

This is definitely the problem.

Scrubby dub dub.

I am so glad that I insisted on a laundry room sink. This is much easier with a sink right next to the washer that I’m cleaning.

Much better.

I’m not making soup in this thing, but it’s going to do laundry just fine. Not shown: my 1-gal shopvac used for water/sludge removal. It made my life much easier with this part.

The shiny bits.

This part took quite a bit of scrubbing. I decided it was easiest to use the floor drain as drainage and simply mop up after myself.

Clean. For now.

After a little analysis, I think I get gunkies built up from the hard water at my house. I don’t want to do this sort of thing even annually, but I am too poor to add proper water filters right now. So instead, I’ll be running the cleaning cycle with vinegar every other week or so.

Joystick got broken.

I guess I don’t have to tell you which Joy con is the favorite. I’m sorry that MarioKart wasn’t kind to you. Let’s get that broken joystick replaced for some more child abuse.

Got the replacement. This was about $15 for 2.

The package came with 2, and some thumbcaps. I guess I have one at the ready for the next time this happens. I’m not going to use the thumbcaps because they will get lost and possibly end up in my dog’s mouth.

Special screws!

This is typical of Nintendo. I guess it’s easier to buy a new one if you don’t have a screwdriver to get into it. Not this guy.

I have an assortment of tips for this reason.

I used the Y2 for this. As you can see I already put it in my screwdriver for this picture.

Cheap set. So of course, it doesn’t fit.

The tip was a bit big, but not by much. I still have something for that: a file. It took only about 3 swipes on each of the 3 recesses to have a good bite on the screw heads.

The insides.

This is where the fun stuff is. A quick glance indicates that I should pop the battery aside and the middle assembly screws should be visible.

I have my screwdriver pointed at each screw in each picture.

Board.

I really should have disconnected the battery during this operation, but the connector was being stubborn.

The home button ribbon goes right over the joystick mounting screw.

Simply flick up the grey tab and this ribbon can be pulled out of the way.

Next: Joystick connector.

The tab for the joystick ribbon flips up the opposite side as the home button ribbon.

Unmount it.

This step seems pretty self-explanatory.

Ribbon cable first.

The ribbon cable is a bit easier to put in before screwing the joystick down. I had to elevate the joy con because there’s a joystick there now.

Assembly is opposite of removal.

The home button ribbon can get in between the joystick and case if you’re not careful. You’ll notice when the mounting screw doesn’t want to go in.

The crew.

These are the tools I used for this. I’m not including Mr. File since the bit ought to have been the right size from the store. Y2 bit, 000PH bit, 5/64 flathead, and reverse tweezers.